The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) Office of Special Education and Early Learning (OSEEL) has announced the statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library book gifting program to Kentucky.
Since launching in 1995, the Imagination Library has become the preeminent, international early childhood book-gifting program. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting books each month to children 0-5 yrs. old, free of charge to families, through funding shared by Dolly, the State of Kentucky and local community partnerships.
“I’m so excited and want to thank everyone partnering with us to make more dreams come true for children and families in Kentucky,” said Dolly Parton
“Exposing a child to books and reading is significant to their success in academics and life,” said Kentucky Commissioner of Education Jason E. Glass. “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library puts books in the hands of children at a young age, opening the doors to possibilities. At KDE, we are excited to be a part of expanding the Imagination Library across Kentucky to reach more children, because all children should have access to books and doors that they can open.”
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a voluntary program. Through the Imagination Library, parents can sign up to receive a new book each month at no cost.
“I’m very excited about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Kentucky. One of the most important things we can do to improve early literacy is to give our children access to books,” said Associate Commissioner Gretta Hylton of OSEEL. “Learning to read and write starts earlier than kindergarten or 1st grade. We are proud to provide our earliest learners in Kentucky with the resources to prepare them for future school success.”
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails free, high-quality, age-appropriate books monthly to children from birth until age 5, no matter their family’s income. Thanks to the state funding, the program soon will be available to more Kentucky children than ever before. The goal is to eventually offer the program in every part of the state
The Imagination Library of Kentucky expansion will:
- Focus on reaching more children and families to increase registration in existing Imagination Library Programs in the state.
- Find community partners to start new Imagination Library programs in Kentucky. These local partners are the heart of the program. They promote the program online and at in-person events, fundraise and enroll children who live within their geographical area. A local affiliate/partner must be a 501c3. Examples include businesses, school districts, service clubs, libraries and local foundations. To learn more about becoming a community partner, email Christy Crouse.
Learn more and enroll now by visiting https://imaginationlibrary.com/kentucky/ and continue to check as the program expands across the state.
About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation has gifted well over 170 million free books in Australia, Canada, The Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom and the United States. The Imagination Library mails more than 1.8 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth to age 5.
Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading, inspiring children to dream. The impact of the program has been widely researched and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.
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