What is Imagination Library?

In 1996, Dolly Parton launched Imagination Library in her home county in Tennessee. She wanted every child to be able to experience the magic of books, regardless of their income. She decided to mail a brand new, age-appropriate book to every child between the ages of 0 and 5 in Sevier County – and continue doing it every month until their 5th birthday. The program was a huge success and soon other communities wanted to know how they could participate, so Dolly asked her Foundation to come up with a way to make it happen.

Today, thanks to the Dollywood Foundation and local partners across the globe, 420,000 children in 723 communities receive books each month. Through a partnership with United Way, some of these books include reading tips for families designed to follow the development of the child. United Way of the Quad Cities Area is bringing Imagination Library to the Quad Cities. We recognize this program as one of the most important things we can do to help prepare our area young people for school.