Musician and philanthropist Dolly Parton is coming to Washington for an exciting event on Aug. 15, 2023. She'll be here to celebrate the expansion of her popular Imagination Library — it's going state-wide. All Washington children from birth to age five can now register to receive one free book every month from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, according to an Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction press release.
“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,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in the press release.
When it originally launched in June 2022, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Washington, which sends a free high-quality, age-appropriate book each month to enrolled children, only served a few counties. Now, children under age 5 in all 39 Washington counties are eligible to participate. Currently, more than 65,000 children in Washington are enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, and more than 1.6 million books have been gifted to children across the state. Those numbers will only grow with the program expansion.
Aug. 15 will be proclaimed “Imagination Library of Washington Day.” 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 Parton’s dream possible for Washington’s earliest learners.
Although the celebration is invite-only, families can tune into the live-streamed celebration on TVW at 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 15. It can also be viewed on both Imagination Library of Washington and TVW social media channels.
“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,” Executive Director of Imagination Library of Washington, Brooke Fisher-Clark, said in the press release.
Do you have a child younger than 5 years old? Be sure to sign them up for the Imagination Library to receive a free book every month.
