Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is coming to Alabama. Governor Kay Ivey held an official launch event for the statewide expansion of the program on Wednesday. Imagination Library gifts free books each month to children from birth to age 5, regardless of their families’ income. The program gifts more than 2 million books each month to children across the nation and in four other countries. One in 10 children under the age of five in the U.S. receive Imagination Library books.
Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education Acting Secretary Dr. Jan Hume, elected officials, community leaders and partners, parents, teachers and children joined Ivey at the official launch. Dolly Parton also made a virtual appearance during the event. Held on National Book Lovers Day, Ivey started the event by addressing the importance of reading proficiency.
“No matter what a child grows up to be, reading proficiently is simply critical,” Ivey said in her remarks. “No doubt, learning to read begins at home. Parents are our first teachers, after all. It is really important that our parents start reading to our children when they’re just babies, and we must encourage our children to open books during their earliest developmental stages.”
The governor’s office in a press release said Alabama’s new Imagination Library expansion will center around finding community partners to start new, local programs in all 67 counties. Local program partners and affiliates must be a 501(c)(3), which includes businesses, school districts, libraries, local foundations and others. Ivey’s office said the goal is also to increase registration in existing Imagination Library programs across the state.
Alabama has 55 Imagination Library local program partners, with more than 40,000 children receiving free books through these programs. Lawrence, Blount, Cherokee, Chilton, Chambers, Clarke, Conecuh, Butler, Crenshaw, Pike, Henry and Geneva counties do not yet have this service. Morgan County is soon to receive this service. All other Alabama counties have Imagination Library sign up available or partial coverage.
“Thank you to Governor Kay Ivey for her continued support of early learning and providing pathways like the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to ensure children in Alabama have a strong start in life,” said Dr. Jan Hume, Early Childhood Education Acting Secretary, on Wednesday. “We know that reading aloud to children can positively impact their brain development, so having the opportunity to provide free books to parents and children across the state is priceless. We will continue to work hard until we have Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in all 67 counties in Alabama.”
Ivey first declared Alabama’s intent to participate in the Imagination Library program during her 2023 Inaugural Address. She continued this effort earlier this year with Executive Order No. 729, which established the statewide Imagination Library Network.
“I’m so excited to help announce that my Imagination Library is coming to Alabama,” said Dolly Parton, American singer-songwriter and founder of Imagination Library, in a video statement. “A lot of good people have worked to make our Imagination Library dream for Alabama a reality, but I want to send my very special thanks to Governor Kay Ivey for her leadership in making this happen.”
Any organization interested in becoming a community partner can contact Kahla Williams at The Dollywood Foundation by emailing kwilliams@imaginationlibrary.com. To enroll in this program or learn more about how it has expanded across Alabama, visit www.imaginationlibrary.com.