Governor Tina Kotek hosted a celebration to announce the statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The announcement means that the state will work toward its goal to make books from the program available to all children ages 0-5 in every Oregon county.

“We know that every child is full of promise,” Governor Kotek said. “And the expansion of this program across Oregon is another key step we are taking as part of a broader strategy to improve how we support our kids as they learn to read.”

The Imagination Library is supported by The Dollywood Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Dolly Parton in 1988. Since launching in 1995, the goal of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is for every child under age five to enroll and receive a free monthly age-appropriate book. The Imagination Library of Oregon will aim to increase childhood literacy rates, foster a love of books, and promote a culture of reading among all families in the state.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has given over 220 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. This is achieved through funding shared by The Dollywood Foundation and Local Community Partners. The Imagination Library mails more than 3 million high-quality, age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes each month. Each child enrolled in the program receives one book per month from birth to age five - at no cost to families. The program’s impact has been widely researched, and results demonstrate its positive impact on early childhood development and literacy skills.

Currently, more than 54,000 children across Oregon receive the gift of a monthly book through 55 community programs. Families in Oregon who are already registered with existing programs do not need to re-register and will continue to receive books without any interruptions.

In 2023, the Legislature allocated $1.7 million through Senate Bill 5506 to the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC). Currently, more than 45,000 kids in Oregon who are 0-5 are currently enrolled to receive books through the Imagination Library.

To ensure that all children can participate, new local program partners are needed, and existing Imagination Library programs are encouraged to grow the capacity to register additional children.

“When state government partners with organizations like DPIL, we can truly make Oregon a better place to live, learn, and raise a family,” House Democratic Leader Ben Bowman said. “Because of this program, many thousands of Oregon kids will learn to love reading. I am sincerely grateful to all those who played a role in developing this program in Oregon--and to Dolly and the entire team at DPIL for their vision in starting it.”

The statewide expansion of the Imagination Library follows the efforts Governor Kotek has already made to boost literacy rates across the state. In 2023, she worked with the Legislature to pass House Bill 3198, known as the Early Literacy Success Initiative, allocating $90 million to be distributed across every school district in the state to strengthen preparation and support for current teachers and school leaders. All 197 school districts in Oregon have applied for funding from the initiative, which also includes a special focus on kids from birth through five.

The initiative also created $20 million for resources to support parents and families with literacy development before their children begin preschool or kindergarten, which extensive research has shown is the most formative years of children’s brain development.

“Brain science clearly shows that kids start to develop literacy skills from birth,” DELC Director Alyssa Chatterjee said. “That’s why, here in Oregon, we’re making major investments to help our children develop the joy of reading.”

“You can never have too many books given to too many children,” said Margie Lowe of the Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub. “In the past two years, I have discovered that Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library brings joy to those who support bringing the books as well as to those who cuddle up with a small child to read the books. It is truly a wonderful program.”

Last year, Governor Kotek also established the Early Literacy Educator Prep Council to strengthen the preparation of teachers and school administrators to instruct elementary students on reading and writing.

Families can visit www.imaginationlibrary.com to find out if the program is available in their area or to sign up to be notified when the program expands to their community.

To learn more about becoming a community partner, contact Rachel King at rking@imaginationlibrary.com

Source: State of Oregon