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Addressing Literacy in South Carolina

We are proud to partner with hundreds of community agencies throughout the state to promote the program, enroll children and their families, conduct outreach assistance, create family reading events, and garner local contributions. Our supporters include Central Carolina Community Foundation, United Way of South Carolina, Families Helping Families, Low Country Head Start & WIC, First Steps, Hampton County Chamber of Commerce, Allendale-Hampton-Jasper Regional Libraries, childcare centers, and many others.

We also work with other local Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library affiliates in SC, such as our Begin with Books initiative in Charleston. MFBSC staff provides guidance in fundraising and enrollment support and technical assistance that includes an online organizing “toolkit”. As the statewide affiliate of the Imagination Library, we also enroll children when their community is not served by a local affiliate. This is particularly important in low-income and rural areas where there are limited capacity and resources for sustaining a program of this nature.

Dr. Caron Bell with BEGIN WITH BOOKS

Excerpt from “Laps not Apps” post:

“Don’t let devices take the place of books.

You are the gatekeeper of your child’s devices. Limit the time your preschooler spends on them and try to avoid them as much as possible with your baby or toddler. At the very least, be mindful of when and why you’re handing your little one your smartphone or tablet. And here’s some food for thought: hand him a book instead.

There is no shortage of research supporting the positive power of books in a child’s early years. Books offer many of the same features as apps, but without the associated risks. They can be tailored to your child’s interests, customized to the age and stage of your child, and grow in complexity along with him. And they’re convenient and portable. There’s no better way to set your child up for a lifetime of success than surrounding him with books and making reading an enjoyable and habitual part of his life. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library/BEGIN WITH BOOKS makes it so easy. Children up to the age of five enrolled in the program receive a new book in the mail every month absolutely free!”

Read the Begin with Books Parent Reading Tips by Dr. Caron Bell here!

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