Lompoc Valley Medical Center (LVMC) is partnering with United Way Northern Santa Barbara County to open its involvement in Literacy 2.0, an innovative program designed to promote literacy and financial education, starting with newborns and their parents.

LVMC will kick-off its program during a ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday, June 27 in the roundabout mural area at LVMC, 1515 E. Ocean Ave.

The event, which is free to attend, will include hospital staff members, organization representatives, and community leaders.

Literacy 2.0 is a United Way effort to assist families in enrolling their children at birth through age 5 in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Started 20 years ago, Imagination Library is a global book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to enrolled children, without restrictions on family income.

“LVMC’s Perinatal Department is excited to team up with United Way of Northern Santa Barbara County and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to help every newborn at LVMC get a great start with reading,” said Angela Fichtner, LVMC perinatal manager.

“By giving families access to free, high-quality books from day one, we’re helping kids grow and learn while making a lasting difference for them and their families,” Fichtner said.

Since it began in 1995, Dolly Parton’s nonprofit Imagination Library has gifted more than 250 million free books in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland. The effort is funded by The Dollywood Foundation and local community partners.

Families have the option to choose English or Spanish/bilingual books, which promote essential skills and knowledge necessary for lifelong success.

“Through our partnership with Lompoc Valley Medical Center, we’re inviting every new parent to be part of something bigger — starting their child’s journey in education and financial empowerment from day one,” said Eddie Taylor, CEO of United Way Northern Santa Barbara County.

“Our ParentPowered program delivers free weekly text messages with timely tips and encouragement, helping parents support their child’s growth from birth through high school,” Taylor said.

“Alongside that, the Bright Futures Fund gives families a practical onramp to financial literacy, offering a custodial savings account, initially funded by United Way, to begin investing in their child’s future,” Taylor said.

“It’s about building strong foundations for lifelong learning and economic stability, right from the very beginning,” Taylor said.

Each month, the Imagination Library mails more than 3 million high-quality, age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes. Each child enrolled in the program receives on book per month from birth to age 5, at no cost to families.

“Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission,” Parton said in a statement. “In the beginning, my hope was simply to inspire the children in my home county but here we are today with a worldwide program that gives a book a month to well over 3 million children.

“Of course I have not done this alone. The real heroes of our story are the thousands of local organizations who have embraced my dream and made it their own,” she said.

“They raise millions of dollars each year and wake up every day with a passion to make sure their kids have every opportunity to succeed. Let’s share this dream that all children should grow up in a home full of books,” she said.

In addition to Literacy 2.0, United Way Northern Santa Barbara County promotes a host of initiatives to build a generation of lifelong learners and financially stable families, including its Ready for K & Beyond effort and its Bright Futures Fund.