Dolly Parton Can Constantly Send Free Books To Kids In California Under New Law

Is there anything the beloved country singer can’t do? 

In a bid to expand Imagination Library—a program designed to inspire an early love of learning in young readers—Dolly Parton is now working with California authorities to dispatch free books to children in the state.

The new bipartisan bill will see Parton’s initiative funded by the government from June 2023, and will deliver titles by mail to an estimated 2.4 million preschool-aged kids at no cost. 

Once parents sign their children up online, little ones will receive one book per month till they turn five years of age, with new bilingual options for families that speak more than one language at home. 

According to Paper Mag, Parton first started Imagination Library back in 1995, and it was initially set up to serve her home county in Tennessee. Now, the initiative has grown to over five countries, gifting over 186 million books since its inception. 

In fact, as per Senator Toni G Atkins, one in 10 children in the age bracket in the United States receives a title each month from Parton’s program, with California being the 15th state to roll it out statewide. 

Calling the bill “an amazing milestone for children and families,” Parton said that while the organization still had ways to go, she hopes the new legislation “can inspire a love of reading in children across California that will last a lifetime.” 

[via Paper Mag and KTLA 75, cover image via Featureflash | Dreamstime.com]