Title
Imagination Library
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Summary and Background Information:
In 2012 the Westminster 7:10 Rotary Club got involved in the Imagination Library. Imagination Library is a program to provide one book per month for children 0-5 years old. In 2012 they provided 525 books to children. That has grown to 23,300 books in 2020 through partnerships with many organizations.
Why is it important to provide books to children? The most successful way to improve the reading achievement of low-income children is to increase their access to print. Yet, 61% of low-income families have no books in their home for their children. An analysis of a national data set of nearly 100,000 United States school children found that access to printed materials - and not poverty - is the "critical variable affecting reading acquisition."
As a result of 2020 legislation the state will match funds for the imagination Library program. Therefore the Rotary Club is making a push to raise enough money to fund the participation by every child in Adams County. To that end they are asking for assistance from the cities in Adams County.
The request of Commerce City is $6,000 in 2021, $9,000 in 2022, and $15,000 in 2023. This program would help achieve the City Council's target of developing the educational Infrastructure.
Staff Responsible (Department Head): Roger Tinklenberg, Interim City Manager
Staff Member Presenting: Roger Tinklenber, Interim City Manager
Financial Impact: $6,000.00 - 2021
$9,000.00 - 2022
$15,000.00 - 2023
Funding Source: General Fund
Staff Recommendation: Direct the City Manager to move forward with participation in the program.
Suggested Motion: Approve recommendation