 OLYMPIA—August 2, 2023—On August 15, legendary icon, musician, and philanthropist Dolly Parton will visit Washington State to celebrate achieving statewide coverage of the Imagination Library. All Washington children from birth to age five can now register to receive one book every month, for free, from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
August 15 will also be signified by a proclamation from Governor Jay Inslee and Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck as “Imagination Library of Washington Day.”
Governor Inslee expressed, “We welcome the great Dolly Parton to celebrate our statewide program and promote registration for our youngest learners into the Imagination Library. 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.”
Hosted by the Imagination Library of Washington, the celebratory event will feature a fireside chat with Dolly Parton, a small performance, and recognition of champions from across the state who are making Dolly’s dream possible for Washington’s earliest learners.
This invite-only event will be broadcasted and streamed live on TVW (www.tvw.org) and available to view on both Imagination Library of Washington and TVW social media channels beginning at 2:30pm on Tuesday, August 15, and all are invited to tune in.
“We did it, Washington! This is such a magnificent moment and achievement! Our team, program affiliates, state leaders, and partners have been on a quest to make this happen for the children of Washington, ensuring that all early learners have equitable access to this magical, connective, world-class literacy opportunity. What a positive, collaborative adventure this has been… and now we take a moment to celebrate and continue igniting support and enthusiasm around this for our future generations.” stated Executive Director of Imagination Library of Washington, Brooke Fisher-Clark.
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Washington was established in June 2022 by legislative direction, sponsored through a partnership with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Department of Children, Youth, & Families (DCYF), and administered by United Ways of the Pacific Northwest. The program provides a high quality, age-appropriate book each month in the mail to enrolled children from birth to age five – at no cost to families in all 39 Washington counties. Currently, more than
65,000 children in Washington are enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and in total, more than 1.6 million books have been gifted to children across the state. Prior to state commitment, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was only available in a handful of Washington regions.
"It's been an honor to support the expansion of early literacy across Washington," said State Superintendent Chris Reykdal. "By providing free books to our youngest learners, the Imagination Library is breaking down barriers to skills that will support Washington children for a lifetime. OSPI is grateful to our partners for supporting this work."
“Books develop literacy habits, strengthen ties between adults and children, and help children overcome intergenerational poverty,” said DCYF Secretary, Ross Hunter.
Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly started Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1995 for the children within her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee. Today, her program spans five countries and gifts more than 2.4 million free books each month to children around the world. In March of 2023, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library reached a monumental global milestone: gifting more than 200 million books to children worldwide.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is backed by decades of research showing that having access to books in the home inspires a love of reading and promotes changes in home literacy environments, while building important foundational skills for entering kindergarten ready to succeed.
Families with children under five can sign up for the Imagination Library by visiting www.imaginationlibrarywashington.org.
About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book-gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has gifted over 200 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. The Imagination Library mails more than 2.4 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to enrolled children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading, inspiring children to dream more, learn more, care more and be more. The impact of the program has been widely researched and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.
About United Ways of the Pacific Northwest
United Ways of the Pacific Northwest (UWPNW) is the regional trade association for 34 local United Ways in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. United Ways in the Pacific Northwest are committed to improving lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities to advance the common good in the areas of education, income, and health. Our mission is to advance the common good throughout the Pacific Northwest by enhancing the individual and collective ability of member United Ways to impact their communities and collaborate on regional and statewide issues.
About the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Led by Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI is the primary agency charged with overseeing public K–12 education in Washington state. Working with the state's 295 public school districts and 6 state-tribal education compact schools, OSPI allocates funding and provides tools, resources, and technical assistance so every student in Washington is provided a high-quality public education.
About the Department of Children, Youth, and Families
DCYF is a cabinet-level agency focused on the well-being of children. Our vision is to ensure that Washington state’s children and youth grow up safe and healthy - thriving physically, emotionally and academically, nurtured by family and community.
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