Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is observing three decades of distributing books to readers five years old and younger.
Elizabeth Clinton with affiliate social services organization United Way of Yellowstone County says families who sign up receive a free book delivered to their doors monthly.
The model is aimed at making access to reading convenient and affordable.
“All of the books are actually selected by the Dollywood Foundation and a team of very qualified individuals that look at developmentally friendly books for each age group,” said Clinton. “And so, all of the shipping, book ordering and stuff like that is done through the Dollywood Foundation. The books are shipped directly from a warehouse in Tennessee all over the country.”
The program launched in Tennessee in 1995.
According to the Imagination Library, 14 percent of American kids are now registered, including over 27,000 children in Montana. That’s roughly 14,000 more children than were enrolled locally in 2023, when First Lady of Montana Susan Gianforte spearheaded the program’s statewide expansion.
