Dolly Parton Has Been A Longtime Advocate For Children’s Literacy

Country music legend Dolly Parton just made a historic donation to the Nashville Public Library Foundation.

Parton has long been an advocate for children’s literacy. She launched her Imagination Library program in 1995. Participants receive “free, high-quality books [for] children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income.”

The Imagination Library program first served Sevier County, Tennessee, where Parton grew up. It eventually expanded nationwide. The program also sends books to children in Canada, the UK, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland.

Over 3 million children have registered through the Imagination Library, and over 254 million books have been gifted through the program.

Dolly Parton Makes Historic And Generous Donation To Nashville’s Public Library Foundation

On Tuesday (November 12), the Nashville Public Library Foundation (NPLF) announced that Parton made a $4.5 million investment in the organization through her Dollywood Foundation. Parton’s donation is the “most significant gift” the NPLF has ever received in its 27-year history.

Parton’s investment will be used to help kickstart a new program called Begin Bright. According to a press release from the NPLF, Begin Bright is:

“…a new initiative aimed at ensuring every Nashville child starts kindergarten reading ready by combining Dolly Parton’s longstanding commitment to get books in the hands of young children with Nashville Public Library’s innovative and award-winning early literacy programming and new technology that will vastly extend the impact of those books – providing training and literacy resources for parents, childcare providers and more.”

The NPLF says Begin Bright “will deliver a Little Library filled with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Books and a host of NPL resources to every childcare center in the county.” Parton’s investment will also help develop a new app that “will provide on-demand digital early literacy training for parents and teachers using the NPL’s award-winning content.”

Parton spoke about the partnership, saying:

“I really believe this partnership can make a huge impact on inspiring a love of reading for children and families. And one of the best parts is that Nashville can once again light the way for the nation.“

Shawn Bakker, the President of the NPLF, praised Parton’s “incredible act of generosity.”

“Not only has The Dollywood Foundation given all the books necessary to fulfill a key pillar of the program, but the historic financial contribution will enable the Library to accelerate launch of this program within the fiscal year,” said Bakker. “Dolly Parton is a transformational figure in worlds of philanthropy and literacy, and we are thrilled to partner with her and excited about the impact this promises to have on our city.”

The NPLF aims to start the Begin Bright program in the spring of 2025.

Watch the news report below for more details about Parton’s generous and historic donation to the NPLF.