LEXINGTON, Ky. — As part of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, the Fayette Education Foundation has distributed over 25,000 books to children from birth through age 5 in every zip code in Fayette County in just six months.
Children in the program receive a free, high-quality book in the mail every month. More than 5,100 Fayette County children are enrolled in the program in the first six months, 73 percent more than anticipated. Fayette Education Foundation invests $17 per child annually, and the Kentucky Legislature matches that donation.
“More than 50 percent of children enter Fayette County Public Schools not ready for kindergarten,” said Carrie Boling, executive director of the Fayette Education Foundation. “We want to ensure that more children enter school ready to learn – and early childhood literacy is the foundation for learning.”
This month, an even greater incentive is to enroll your child in the free program. Children enrolled by July 31 have a special opportunity as the Imagination Library celebrates giving more than 200 million books since its inception in 1995.
Seven enchanting Dolly bookmarks will be randomly hidden inside Imagination Library books gifted during International Literacy Month in September to children/families currently enrolled in the program. (Children must be enrolled by July 31, 2023, to receive Imagination Library books in September.)
Seven random children/families in five countries who find the Dolly bookmarks in their Imagination Library books will receive four Dollywood Theme Park tickets, a video chat with Parton, a personalized signed letter and an autographed photo. The Dollywood Foundation will also donate $2,000 on behalf of the child to the Local Imagination Library Partner in that community.
Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Parton started the Imagination Library in 1995 to serve the children of her hometown in Sevier County, Tennessee. Today, her program spans five countries and provides more than 2.4 million free, high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to children worldwide. There is never a charge to families who participate in the program, and it is open to all children under age 5 in geographic areas with operating programs.
About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library:
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the world’s premier early childhood book gifting program. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation has mailed well over 200 million free books in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland. The Imagination Library mails over two million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading, inspiring children to dream. The program’s impact has been widely researched and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.
