SWEENY, TEXAS - Future Bulldogs, ages zero through five, and their families living in the Sweeny
Independent School District are about to begin receiving gifts each month beyond this Christmas
season!
In an innovative effort to provide early literacy services to these children and their parents,
Sweeny ISD is partnering with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and Scholastic’s Read and Rise
program, which was made possible through a five-year funding commitment by the Sweeny ISD
Education Foundation totalling $64,500.
The funding will allow families in SISD with children ages zero through five to begin receiving a
new age-appropriate children’s book that is addressed to the child each month from the
internationally-acclaimed Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. By the time an enrolled newborn
turns five years old, the child will have a personal library of 60 books at no cost to the family.
In addition, Scholastic’s Read and Rise program will train community members to become
“Reading Ambassadors” who will facilitate valuable early literacy sessions for parents of young
children at churches, apartment complexes, homes, and daycare centers across the 177 square
mile school district. This service will also be provided at no cost to the family.
Sweeny ISD Superintendent Dr. Tory C. Hill stated, “Brain research has proven that from birth to
age 5, a child’s brain develops more than at any other time in life. We are extremely excited to
offer a community-wide innovative reading model that will capitalize on the early learning years
from birth through pre-kindergarten. This Sweeny ISD partnership with the Education Foundation
will build a love for reading in our future Bulldogs!
“People think of public schools as Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten through 12th Grade. But, at
Sweeny ISD, we are envisioning something bigger, something better. Instead of waiting until a
child is four or five, we want to create a partnership with families the moment a child is born
through graduation and beyond,” said Michael Heinroth, Director of Administrative and
Innovative Services at Sweeny ISD.
Andrea Roquemore, an Instructional Coach at Sweeny Elementary School added, “With these
two programs, imagine the excitement that can be created around books, and reading, and
learning. Imagine the life-long impact that can have on a child.”
The District will begin enrollment for both programs in January 2021