Imagination Library Kippax
Imagination Library Kippax Overview
Imagination Library is a free book-gifting program founded by Dolly Parton. Each month, enrolled children receive a new book in the mail, along with a reading tip sheet that helps parents enjoy reading with their child.
In Australia, the program is run by United Way Australia in partnership with government, councils, businesses and community groups.
Imagination Library Kippax is facilitated by A Village for Every Child and partner organisations to support early literacy at home, foster a love of reading and strengthen family connection. The program began in Holt, MacGregor, Higgins and Latham – suburbs identified through the Australian Early Development Census as having higher levels of developmental vulnerability.
With new funding in 2025, the program has now expanded to include Charnwood, Dunlop and Strathnairn. More families across all seven suburbs are joining, helping children build strong early literacy habits that support brain development, language skills and school readiness.
The Imagination Library Kippax pilot program was officially launched in October 2023 – for the first time in the ACT.
Imagination Library Kippax Background
In March 2023, A Village for Every Child and its partner organisations brought together practitioners and policy people from across ACT Government Directorates and non-government organisations along with philanthropists to explore an opportunity to support the implementation of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in the ACT. The result was a decision to pilot two programs. One delivered by Evatt Primary School for the Evatt and McKellar communities, and the other coordinated by a collaboration of interested stakeholders, for the suburbs of Holt, MacGregor, Higgins and Latham. These suburbs feed into Kippax which is a central hub for services including Kippax Library, the West Belconnen Child & Family Centre and UnitingCare Kippax.
This program caters to children from birth to age five and aligns with the Early Childhood Strategy and Best Start for Canberra’s Children. It directly addresses the need to enhance the school readiness of children in Belconnen by increasing their – to literacy within their homes.
Who can join Imagination Library Kippax?
Families with children from birth to 3 years old who live in Holt, Higgins, Latham, MacGregor, Charnwood, Dunlop and Strathnairn are eligible. Join before your child turns 3 to receive at least two years of free books.
Families can enrol through your local Early Education and Care centre, ACT Library, or participating community organisations. Families can also contact A Village for Every Child directly for help with enrolment.
Through this program, families discover the joy of reading together and learn how it supports early development. The team is also exploring ways to offer Imagination Library Storytime at local libraires or community playgroups to add more value for families.
For more information, email village@kippax.org.au
Why is reading important?
Did you know that 90% of a child’s brain development occurs in the first five years of life?
The most effective way to promote healthy brain development in your baby or child is through loving interactions between you and them. Reading with your child has numerous benefits for their development, including language and vocabulary development, school readiness, early literacy and reading skills, and helps create a stronger bond between you and your child.
Children who start school behind tend to stay behind, and this can have lifelong impacts on their education, employment, income, health, and life satisfaction. Providing children with strong foundations in literacy, language, responsive interactions with parents, connections to their local community and child development service providers in their most crucial brain development years is one of the best ways to impact social change and positive lifelong outcomes.
Social Story
This is a Social Story to help understand what Imagination Library is for people who might be neurodiverse, are not confident readers, where English isn’t their first language, and who might benefit from a visual guide.
The Imagination Library Kippax aims to:
- Support the early literacy and reading environment for children at home.
- Contribute to improved early childhood development.
- Strengthen partnership and connections between local community services.
- Strengthen partnerships and connections between community services and families.
- Work together towards a shared vision where every child has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was started by the famous country singer Dolly Parton in 1995. The program was first brought to Australia in 2013 in a joint effort between Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and the United Way Australia. The program is in operates in all jurisdictions in Australia, with exception of Tasmania.
Impact on Communities using Imagination Library
In October 2022, an independent Impact assessment was carried out in Australia and the findings included improved literacy skills resulting in improved year 3 NAPLAN scores and strengthened connection within and between families and the broader community.
An example of another community using Imagination Library is Tamworth Regional Council and partners. It was found that after 6 months:
- The proportion of parents reading to their child more than once a day doubled.
- Parents reading to their child for more than 10 minutes a day more than doubled.
- New methods of reading, such as counting objects and describing images, increased substantially across all methods surveyed.
- The introduction of the Imagination Library to homes saw a substantial increase in other people reading to the child.
- The Imagination Library substantially increased parents’ confidence to read, their enjoyment of reading to their child, and their belief that reading is important.
- 81% of parents surveyed reported spending more quality time together as a family with books after receiving the Imagination Library.
[Reference: Krikmann, L., United Way Australia presentation, March 2023]
Funding Partners
Village and its partners are actively seeking additional funding to support more children into the program in Belconnen and ultimately across the ACT.
Thank you to the ‘Lyone Foundation, powered by the support of Complete Office Supplies‘ for the seed funding which has allowed us to bring Imagination Library to children in Canberra.
Thank you to the Canberra Mothercraft for your generous donation, which plays a crucial role in supporting more children to enrol in the Imagination Library program.
Thank you, Belconnen Rotary Club, for your generous donation, enabling us to expand the program and support more children.
A Village for Every Child is proud to collaborate with partner organizations, playing a key role in bringing the Imagination Library to children in Canberra. We are honored to be among the first to contribute seed funding for the program.
Thank you to UCK HIPPY Belconnen for the seed funding which has allowed us to bring Imagination Library to children in Canberra.