Dolly Parton’s Mission to Instill a Love of Reading in Children Across the Country Is Something We Can All Get Behind

Earlier this week, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office announced a statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library that will offer a free book each month to every child under the age of five. California will be the first state to implement the program at this scale and is also the first state to provide a bilingual book option in English and Spanish. The program establishes a comprehensive literacy initiative for encouraging preschool children to develop a love of reading and learning. The bill received bipartisan support in both houses.

Parton shared her excitement at the news, “I’m so thrilled at the overwhelming support to make my Imagination Library available to every child in California! I want to thank Senator Shannon Grove and Senator Toni Atkins for inspiring tremendous support from California legislators and Governor Gavin Newsom for enthusiastically signing this bill. Today is an amazing milestone for children and families across the state! We still have a lot of work to do, but together we can inspire a love of reading in children across California that will last a lifetime.”

Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995, inspired by her father’s inability to read and write. The program, which began as a local effort in Dolly’s home, Sevier County, Tennessee, now gifts over 2 million books each month to children around the world. To support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, click here.