• Kindergarten
  • Kindergarten Registration
  • KinderSPARK!
  • Parents as Literary Supporters
    (PALS)
• Events
  • Early Years Fair
  • Family Literacy Day Celebrations
  • Baby's First Birthday
• KinderSPARK!
  • KinderSPARK! Overview
  • Location and Hours
• Song and Rhyme Time
• StrongStart
  • StrongStart Overview
  • Yearly Calender
• SPARK!
  • Spark! Overview
  • Imagination Library
  • Ready, Set, Learn

Imagination Library

School District No. 46 (Sunshine Coast) has partnered with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and Invest in Kids in order to bring books to the homes of children under the age of five who live on the Sunshine Coast. The SPARK! Program has been designated as the official registration site for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Parents who attend the SPARK! program are offered the opportunity to have an age-appropriate book mailed directly to their home in their child’s name once a month.

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is the perfect complement to the SPARK! Program, which runs free information sessions for parents with young children three times a year until the child enters Kindergarten. Parents attend the SPARK! program with other parents who have children the same age, right from infancy to age five. Each session of SPARK! has a new focus, and offers different age-appropriate strategies and activities for parents to do at home with their children. During the program parents receive information, hand-outs, and many of the supplies needed for these activities. The primary focus of this program is to encourage parents to talk, sing, read, and play with their children in simple, fun ways designed to support their child’s learning and development.

SPARK! sessions are held in a variety of locations on the Sunshine Coast and at a variety of times. Free child-minding is offered during each session, and babies up to one year old can attend with their parents.

The Canadian Language and Literacy Network reports that reading books with young children is an important way that families can support their child’s development of language and literacy. Research shows that children who have books in their homes come to school with important knowledge that is predictive of early literacy success. By pairing the Dolly Parton Imagination Library with a family support program such as SPARK!, parents receive valuable information on ways to engage their young children when sharing these books together.

These books are provided to families free of charge, through School District No. 46 (Sunshine Coast), Invest in Kids, and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. All families with children under five who live on the Sunshine Coast can register for the program by phoning 604-885-6787.