The Imagination Library will soon be available to all children under five in Kentucky!
The Kentucky Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Early Learning, joins Dolly Parton to announce the statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library book gifting program.
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 from birth to age five, free of charge to families, through funding shared by Dolly, the State of Kentucky and local community partnerships. Dolly shared,
“I’m so excited and want to thank everyone partnering with us to make more dreams come true for children and families in Kentucky!”
“Exposing a child to books and reading is significant to their success in academics and life,” said 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 the Kentucky Department of Education, 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 the doors that they can open,”
Goals for Expansion
The goal of the statewide expansion is to make books available to children ages 0-5 in every zip code in Kentucky. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a voluntary program. Through the Imagination Library, parents of children ages 0-5 can sign up to receive a new book each month and at no cost to the parent.
“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,” says Associate Commissioner, Gretta Hylton. “Learning to read and write starts earlier than Kindergarten or First 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 five, no matter their family’s income. This program is free to enrolled children and families and will soon be available to more children in Kentucky.
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 KY. 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, local foundations, etc. To learn more about becoming a community partner contact Christy Crouse at [email protected].
Learn More
Learn more and enroll now by visiting imaginationlibrary.com/kentucky and continue to check as we expand programs across the state!