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Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Simple.  Effective.

Did you know?

  • 1995 – Dolly Parton started Imagination Library in her home county in East Tennessee to honor her father who could not read and to showcase the value of education.
  • 2000 – Imagination Library began a national replication effort.
  • 2025 – Dolly’s program operates in 21 statewide programs in the USA and in 5 countries: USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland. It gifts over 3 million high quality, age-appropriate books each month to children around the world. 

Did you know?

Several characteristics make Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) unique among all children’s reading programs:

  • Focuses on pre-school age children – birth to 5 years old
  • Is available to every child– birth to 5, without regard to socio-economic status, helping families create home libraries
  • Promotes adult engagement through provided interactive literacy activities
  • Utilizes the local community as a stakeholder for support (our local Imagination Library of Franklin County organization pays for the books and postage)

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is designed to help families create home libraries, establish reading routines, and encourage literacy activities.

Did you know? 

  • Reading aloud is widely recognized as the single most important activity leading to literacy acquisition.
  • A child’s brain grows to 80% of its full size by age 3.
  • In the first few years of life, a child’s brain builds 700 connections per second.
  • Reading to a child in an interactive style raises a child’s IQ by 6 points.
  • By age 3, children from low-income families hear 30 million fewer words than their more affluent peers.
  • In middle income neighborhoods the book to child ratio is 13-1, compared to 1-300 in low-income neighborhoods.
  • Children with as few as 25 books in the home complete an average of two more years of schooling than those with no books.
  • Vocabulary development by age 3 has been found to predict achievement by third grade.
  • 48% of children in the USA are read to each day.

 Did you know?

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library became a statewide program in Indiana in 2023.  It increased enrolled children and the state paid ½ the cost of books and postage.  The funding for this program is no longer in the state budget.  Governor Braun has tasked his wife with locating private funding to fill this void.  We are carefully watching and hoping Mrs. Braun is successful.  If not…It could have a devastating effect on our Imagination Library of Franklin County—which has been operating successfully for 17 years.

ILFC is self- funded and obtains the money to pay for the monthly book orders and postage for enrolled children in our county from donations from individuals, businesses, and civic organizations, and through grants.  Please consider becoming a sustaining donor –a $30 donation funds one child for one year.  Donations can be sent to: Imagination Library of Franklin County, 919 Main Street, Brookville, IN  47012.

*Information for this article came from The Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (of Tennessee) at www.governorsfoundation.org AND An Impact Analysis:  Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Tennessee AND November, 2024 The Dollywood Foundation (ImaginationLibrary.com) 

Submitted by Imagination Library of Franklin County Board Members

 

 

FCN Bank is the first Imagination Library of Franklin County Book Label Sponsor!

Over the past few months, ILFC Board Members have been brainstorming various ideas to increase funding to support our mission of encouraging a love of reading and lifelong learning.  Franklin County children enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (from birth until age 5) receive an age-appropriate book in the mail addressed to them each month at no cost to the child or their family.  In looking at diversified ways to raise funds successfully; we decided on one called Book Label Sponsorships.  For a donation of $500 a local civic organization or business will be recognized on each and every book mailed to children in ILFC for one month.  FCN Bank was the May 2025 Book Label Sponsor.   A total of 647 children enrolled in ILFC were mailed books for May, with children receiving their book in the mail the last part of May and the first part of June. “Reading opens the door to imagination, learning, and lifelong opportunity. FCN Bank is honored to sponsor the Imagination Library and help bring the joy of books into the homes of children in our community. It’s one more way we’re proud to invest in the future—one story at a time.”- Tom Horninger President and CEO of FCN Bank.  ILFC would like to thank FCN Bank for being our very FIRST Book Label Sponsor! Several other civic organizations have already made donations to become an ILFC Book Label Sponsor in the coming months.  We will honor each by giving them a media shoutout.  If other organizations or businesses would like to become a book label sponsor for one month, please contact ILFC at imaginationlibrary@live.com or talk to any of our nine ILFC Board members who are listed on our website imaginationlibraryfcin.com/contact/.
 

A Big THANK YOU to our ILFC Book Label Sponsorships (2025)

FCN Bank – May 2025

Daughters of Isabella—June 2025

Tri Kappa – July 2025

WVRTA -August 2025

United Way –September 2025

Delta Theta Tau Sorority of Brookville–October 2025

Toni Miles –November 2025 (ILFC honors longest monthly donor!) “A Gift to you in honor of our longest monthly supporter, Toni Miles”

United Way -December 2025

BOOK LABEL SPONSORSHIPS (2026)

 FC Arts Council – January 2026

ILFC Board members:  Amanda Herbert, Denise Handley, Linda Rosenberger, Dave Willhelm, Michelle Moster, Katie Deaton, Nancy Hawkins, Melinda Brown. and Velda Clark;  Honorary Board member: Don Jobe.

         
 Amanda Herbert  Denise Handley  Linda Rosenberger  Dave Willhelm Michelle Moster
         
 Katie Deaton  Nancy Hawkins  Melinda Brown  Velda Clark Don Jobe

 

In 1996, Dolly Parton launched an exciting new effort to benefit the children of her home county in east Tennessee.  She wanted to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families.  In March 2000, Dolly established the Imagination Library nation wide.

In August 2007, the Imagination Library of Franklin County (ILFC) was initiated.  The purpose of ILFC is to serve every preschool child in Franklin County with their own library of books that would encourage a love of reading and learning.  It is also to provide each month, from the day the child is born until his/her fifth birthday, a book which arrives in the mail addressed to the child.   The books provided are age appropriate to the development of such positive themes as self-esteem and confidence, regard for diversity and appreciation of art.

The establishment of the ILFC is an illustration of the passion the community has for helping others.  Current Board members are: Amanda Herbert, Denise Handley, Linda Rosenberger, Dave Willhelm, Sharon Bryant, Cathy Hunt, Nancy Hawkins, Melinda Brown, and Velda Clark;  Honorary Board member: Don Jobe.