Literacy Rates Up As Winkler Imagination Library Celebrates Five Years

A grassroots group of educators are transforming literacy rates in the Pembina Valley.

The first children have now graduated from the Winkler Imagination Library after receiving free books through the mail every month from birth to age five. A core group of teachers, librarians, and Garden Valley School Division (GVSD) staff helped launch the program, and say they're seeing results.

"The books are doing exactly what we expected them to do, kids are coming to school book-literate," Organizer Joyce Sawatzky says. A former librarian, she notes in the past some kindergarten students didn't even know how to hold a book.

"Every kid knows how to operate a cell phone, but it's sad when they come to school and don't know what to do with a book."

Justina Friesen says the books have opened up new worlds to her children, and the convenience of the mail program has been appreciated, "it's the best way to get new reading material," she says.

"We spend a lot of time reading each time we get a new book."

Owning their own books has also had an impact, "they feel pretty special, they're always asking, "Is this my book now? Can you put my name in it?"

The Imagination Library mails up to 800 books each month to children in Winkler and Plum Coulee.

Funding has come from community members and businesses including Dr. Don Klassen who helped kickstart fundraising with a major donation. Central Station Community Centre partners with Imagination Library to provide a charitable not-for-profit status. GVSD also supports the program financially, seeing the difference in access to books at an early age makes in children starting kindergarten.

To learn more, consider stopping by celebration events at Winkler Superstore October 26, Canadian Tire November 2, or Winkler Co-op on November 16 and tell volunteers how the program has impacted your child, or to register preschool children not yet receiving free books.