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United Way and ϳԹ Children's hope to bring a love of reading to all Hartford children

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 27: Singer Dolly Parton reads her book, "The Coat of Many Colors" to schoolchildren at The Library of Congress on February 27, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Shannon Finney/Getty Images)
Shannon Finney
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Getty
Singer Dolly Parton reads her book, "The Coat of Many Colors," to schoolchildren at the Library of Congress on Feb. 27, 2018, in Washington, D.C.

ϳԹ Children’s and United Way of Central and Northeastern ϳԹ (UWCNC) are pushing to expand Hartford’s own “Imagination Library.”

At Hartford City Hall Tuesday, Mayor Luke Bronin celebrated the program's success. He said nearly 70% of eligible children in Hartford have enrolled. is a literacy program that mails free books to children from birth until they begin school.

, president and CEO of ϳԹ Children’s, said that through this program across 15 states, test scores have improved and children’s reading levels are stronger, and there is a greater probability of education success if children are fully reading by the age of 10.

Michael Goldbas, advocacy committee chair at UWCNC, discussed the shared progress in helping Hartford children achieve these developmental milestones.

“Children learn to read by third grade and then read to learn from fourth grade on,” Goldbas said.

“Reading is one of the best habits our children can develop. It strengthens mental muscles, it helps improve comprehension, it advances analytical skills, increases imagination, boosts memory,” Goldbas said. “In other words, the more children read, the healthier they are.”

Children in Hartford under the age of 5 are eligible to register for this program and receive 12 books each year they are enrolled. To register, .

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from ϳԹ, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de ϳԹ, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that ϳԹ relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

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ϳԹ’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.