Imagination Library is a tool towards advancing KRA scores

Books from the Imagination Library are a tool in the toolkit when helping children prepare to enter kindergarten ready. Every year, children going from preschool to kindergarten take the “Kindergarten Readiness Assessment.” Statewide, kindergarten readiness improved by 8.2% in the fall of 2025, hitting a high not seen even before the pandemic!

The Ohio Department of Children and Youth studied Kindergarten Readiness Scores (KRA) from the fall of 2025, and compared them to the results from previous years, noting the results are likely from a combination of programs and initiatives across the state - including Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

In 2025, the first group of Imagination Library children completed the entire program since the launch of the statewide program in 2020. Additionally, recent changes in childcare standards for facilities where many children receive publicly funded daycare, the push towards the Science of Reading, and the expanded identification of children with special needs all play a part in the state’s KRA increase.

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