Original Source: WBKO
By Lauren Hanson
BARREN COUNTY, Ky. (WBKO) - According to the Kentucky Governor's Office of Early Childhood, 50% of kindergartners in Kentucky began the 2014-15 school year deemed "not ready." According to the Kentucky Department of Education, only 62% of teens graduating in the state of Kentucky were deemed "College/ Career Ready" in the 2013-14 school year.
"We're talking about being able to listen to stories and take concepts from those stories and answer questions," said Jessica Gschwend, a preschool teacher at Austin Tracy Elementary.
Kassidy White is a fourth grader who knows just how important reading is.
"I have a whole collection of books"
Kassidy was enrolled in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library until she turned five.
"It builds up my stamina for reading a book."
Now her little brother, Tyler, receives books from the program through the United Way of Southern Kentucky.
"To be honest, I was kind of jealous because he was getting all of the books," explained Kassidy.
Kassidy now reads to Tyler to help encourage his love of books.
"He probably likes anything that has to do with tractors, school buses, anything mechanical."
That's the goal of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, for children to have the opportunity to feel excited about books regardless of their families income.
"When they come to school they're just like the other children that have the books in their home and know how to manipulate the pages and look back and forth and be able to have that shared reading experience," said Jessica.
By enrolling children in the program, the United Way of Southern Kentucky hopes to delete the bad statistics and increase kindergarten readiness scores from 49.4% to 75% by 2020.
The entire preschool class at Austin Tracy Elementary was adopted so all of the children you just saw will receive a book a month until they're five.