Dolly Parton isn’t just an iconic country star; she is also well known for her numerous philanthropic efforts, and one of her major programs has made its way to California. The program, Imagination Library, delivers a free book every month for children under 5 years old who are enrolled in it, and San Francisco has now been added to its service area.
City officials announced the program earlier this month, and it marks an exciting opportunity to encourage San Francisco children to read. Children will receive age-appropriate books, and every child’s first book from the program is the classic The Little Engine That Could. Signing up for the program is very simple. Parents can fill out an online form here to register their children.
The Dollywood Foundation first began in 1988 when Dolly Parton wanted to decrease the dropout rate in her county’s schools. The foundation was started in Sevier County, Tennessee, but it’s since spread across the United States and even to Canada. In 1991, Parton established the “Buddy Program,” where 7th and 8th-grade students would buddy up, and if they both successfully graduated, they would receive $500 each. This program caused the dropout rate in the area to fall from 35% to 6%. The program delivers over 2 million books each month to children around the world, and over 190 million free books have been gifted since 1995.
The program coming to San Francisco is part of California’s approval of $68 million in 2022 to establish an Imagination Library in every county in the state. California also offers books in Spanish and English, and organizers expect the program to serve roughly 60,000 people over the next five years in San Francisco.
The San Francisco Public Library also has many resources for children, including online games and databases, and drop-in tutoring for elementary-aged children. The library also has many educational resources online, both for children and adults.
Check out the Imagination Library website here to learn more and enroll.