Dolly Parton is coming to Washington to celebrate Imagination Library. What to know
Country music icon Dolly Parton has plans to visit Washington to celebrate her Imagination Library program now offering free books to young children across the state.
The news prompted Parton to plan a special visit to the state on Aug. 15 where she will hold a fireside chat, perform and recognize those who helped the initiative reach statewide coverage, according to an Aug. 2 news release.
The popular reading program sends free books to children under age 5 every month, regardless of family income.
The Imagination Library was offered in many counties across the state before June 9, 2022, but on that date, a law took effect to make it a statewide program. Not every county in Washington, however, had an affiliate that could immediately offer the program.
Then on July 24, 2023, “all remaining regions of the state were activated with Imagination Library program coverage,” Brooke Fisher-Clark, executive director of the Imagination Library in Washington, told McClatchy News.
Additionally, Gov. Jay Inslee and Lt. Gov. Denny Heck will proclaim the day as Imagination Library of Washington Day.
“It is important to get high quality books to children from a young age and ensure that their families, and their unique races, ethnicities and identities are well-represented among the selection of books,” Inslee said in the release.
The event is invite only, but anyone can watch the broadcast on TVW or online at 2:30 p.m.
What is the Imagination Library?
Dolly Parton started the program in 1995 to help impoverished children in the Tennessee county where she grew up. She was inspired to help others learn to read and write because her father couldn’t.
Tennessee then expanded the Imagination Library to every county in the state. Now the reading program spans across five countries.
In Washington, 65,000 children have been enrolled in the program, and 1.6 million books have been sent out.
A child in Washington can be enrolled online and will receive their first free book within six to eight weeks. When a child turns 5, they will get their last book in the mail called “Look out Kindergarten, Here I Come!”
This story was originally published August 2, 2023 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Dolly Parton is coming to Washington to celebrate Imagination Library. What to know."
