Imagination Library now in all Tennessee counties
Created by Dolly Parton in 1996, Imagination Library provides one new, age-appropriate, hardcover book each month to children from birth to age 5 at no cost to the family, regardless of income or any other demographic. In just 20 months, more than 1 million Imagination Library books have been mailed to more than 125,000 Tennessee pre-schoolers, with thousands of new Imagination Library ?members? signing up each month.
In Warren County, the Imagination Library program is sponsored by the Southern Standard. Each month, hundreds of local children have the joy of receiving a free book thanks to the program.
?Reading is one of the essential skills required to excel in our society,? said Standard executive editor Patricia Zechman. ?If these books can spark an interest in reading in just one child, the program has served its purpuse.?
A Tennessee native, Parton initially offered the program as a gift to the children of her rural childhood home in Sevier County. Since its inception, the program has become a growing success.
“Two years ago, we created the Governor?s Books from Birth Foundation with the charge of taking Dolly?s program statewide,” Bredesen said. “Today, the challenge has been met thanks to innovative partnerships throughout the state and active endorsements from groups such as the Tennessee Press Association.”
Parton says that although she has accomplished many things as an entertainer and entrepreneur, the Imagination Library is without doubt her crowning achievement.
“My daddy told me that of all the things I?ve done in my life, he was most proud of the Imagination Library,” Parton said. “I just wish he could be here today to help me thank all of the people in our great state who have joined together to bring the love of reading to each and every child. Governor Bredesen and our county leaders are showing us that all things are possible.”
In Tennessee, the Imagination Library has been adopted on a county-by-county basis and is administered and supported by local sponsors, civic groups and individuals. The total cost of the Imagination Library is $27 per child, per year, which includes 12 hardcover books, postage, shipping and handling, reflecting no administrative overhead costs. This cost is split equally between each county sponsoring organization and the Governor?s Books from Birth Foundation.