Dolly Parton's Imagination
Library
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is all about
inspiration and imagination.
Dolly developed the program in 1995 for her native Sevier
County, Tennessee. Dolly wanted to foster a love of reading among her
county's preschool children and their families. She wanted children to be
excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover,
she could ensure that every child would have books, regardless of their
family's income.
Maury County’s Imagination Library serves children
from birth until their 5th
birthday by providing one book per month at no charge to the family.
Imagination Library was created by entertainer Dolly Parton and is currently
in place in all 95 counties in TN, and throughout the United States and
Canada. Each dollar of local money is matched by the Governor’s Books
from Birth Foundation, created by Governor Bredesen and funded by the state
legislature so that local fundraising might be maximized. If a child
is enrolled at Birth, the child will have a personal library of 60 books by
his/her first day of kindergarten! The mission of Imagination Library
is to instill a love of reading at an early age, paving the way for a
lifelong love for education. Over 4,540 children are currently
enrolled in Maury County’s Imagination Library.
Each month, until the child's fifth birthday, a carefully
selected book arrives at the mailbox. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Kids across the country have shared the excitement of running to the mailbox
to retrieve their book. More often than not, the child wants the book read
to them now - not later, not tonight and not tomorrow. Right now!
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
is a unique opportunity to do something simple and powerful for
preschoolers. By inspiring parents to read to their children, we can help
them Dream More, Learn More, Care More
and Be More!
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