In a collaboration aimed at fostering youth success through literacy and financial education, Dignity Health/Marian Regional Medical Center has partnered with United Way to support northern Santa Barbara County’s youngest residents and their families.
The initiative Literacy 2.0™ was launched Friday at the hospital, and aims to address critical needs in both literacy and financial education, starting with newborns and continuing through their early years.
A cardboard cutout of Dolly Parton was in attendance, supporting Erika Gamboa Martinez, community engagement coordinator for Dolly Parton Imagination Library of California, who shared a heartfelt message on behalf of the singer and philanthropist.
“Dolly sends her greetings and wishes she could be here, but appreciates everyone’s help in expanding her Imagination Library program,” said Martinez. “Dolly’s mission for the program, still going strong 30 years later, has never wavered. It’s simply to inspire a love of reading,” she said, speaking to the enduring spirit of Parton’s lifelong passion for books.
Sue Andersen, president and CEO of Dignity Health’s Central Coast hospitals, shared her excitement about the partnership with the gathering of community leaders, city officials and medical providers.
“United Way approached us, and I just thought it was such a great idea to be able to provide books to our newborns for their first five years of life,” Andersen said. “The fact that it’s connected to the Imagination Library project by Dolly Parton was what really excited me. I had heard about it and knew the wonderful work they were doing across the country, so the opportunity to bring it here was fantastic.”
Literacy 2.0™ has been designed to ensure that each child in the program receives monthly age-appropriate books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a bilingual initiative offering books in both English and Spanish.
The books, delivered to families at no cost, will begin arriving at children’s homes within four to six weeks of birth and continue until they turn five. The program is intended to foster a love of reading from an early age, laying the foundation for future academic success.
“We wanted to support it because it’s a great way to help families who might not be able to afford new books,” Andersen added. “And it’s such a benefit for babies and toddlers. Being able to provide this resource to families in need is a truly wonderful thing.”
The Imagination Library is part of the broader Literacy 2.0™ initiative, which integrates financial literacy with traditional education.
Northern Santa Barbara County United Way CEO, Eddie Taylor, explained that the program is structured around five key pillars, with a focus on literacy and financial education.
Sign up to receive headlines in your inbox!
Breaking News | Local Sports | Daily Headlines | Local Obituaries | Weather | Local Offers
“We call it Literacy 2.0 because it’s not just about reading,” Taylor said. “It also includes financial literacy as a major component.”
Through the partnership, parents will be introduced to the Bright Futures Fund, a custodial savings account for their newborns, supported by seed funding from United Way.
As part of the Money School, parents and children are guided through a curriculum that teaches essential savings habits starting in first and second grade.
“Our goal is to work with these children and their families from birth through 18 years, providing a continuum of services and opportunities to establish good money habits early on,” Taylor said.
Taylor highlighted the importance of teaching children about money early, saying, “We don’t do enough to raise our children to be financially literate. That’s why we’re starting with the Money School in first and second grade — to help them develop strong money habits.”
The Literacy 2.0™ program also emphasizes active parental engagement, offering research-based tips and resources to help parents support their children’s development at home. United Way provides high-quality, curated text messages to parents, offering social-emotional growth content and financial literacy tips.
Andersen noted that MRMC’s labor and delivery unit has been trained to introduce the program to new parents, ensuring that all families are aware of the opportunity to participate.
“Our team has been trained to explain the program to new parents,” she said. “And we’re providing them with a QR code so they can easily access the information and sign up.”
United Way is tracking enrollment and engagement in the program.
“In our first week, 90% of families at Marian Regional Medical Center enrolled in the program,” Taylor said. “By the end of five years, our goal is to have 15,000 children in the program, with 50% of them having a savings account and actively saving by the time they reach fourth and sixth grade.”
