When Dolly Parton passed away last month, many people learned about her passion for early literacy for the first time. She founded the Imagination Library in 1995 with the simple yet powerful idea that every young child should receive a free age-appropriate book delivered to their home each month, regardless of family income. She understood that books and shared reading can help give children the tools they need to enter school prepared to succeed, but she also emphasized the joy and inspiration books can bring into a young child’s life.
Parton credits her parents for nurturing her creativity and love of storytelling. Her father was the wisest man she knew and a gifted storyteller but he was unable to read and throughout his life, Parton witnessed the barriers this created for him. With her father as her primary inspiration, Dolly Parton was determined to offer all children the opportunities that had not been afforded to her or her family as a child. What began as a few hundred books distributed within her home community of Sevier County Tennessee, has grown 325 million books gifted worldwide through her foundation and partnerships with local communities that help fund and deliver the initiative.
Reach Out and Read and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library have always shared a common goal: nurture a love of reading and supporting children’s early development and early relationships. Reach Out and Read was founded around the same time as Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library by a small group of pediatricians who saw a need in their own community. Reach out and Read now serves over 4 million children with 9 million books distributed annually across 50 states.
Imagination Library, like Reach Out and Read demonstrates how personal commitment to literacy can grow into a large-scale early childhood initiative. We are proud to be a part of the work that may be Dolly Parton’s greatest legacy: ensuring every child has access to books and the opportunity to thrive through early literacy.
