Palm Beach County Imagination Library

Inspiring a Love of Reading

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is an award-winning early childhood book gifting program for children under age five. The Imagination Library mails one free, high-quality, age-appropriate book per month to all children under age five enrolled, at no cost to the family, regardless of income.

The program works through funding shared by The Dollywood Foundation and local program partners. In Palm Beach County, the local program partner is the NCT Foundation. Local program partners market the Imagination Library, enroll families, and pay the monthly cost of books, while The Dollywood Foundation provides key systems.

Our Story

Dolly Parton started her Imagination Library in 1995 to inspire a love of reading. Since then, the program has become the preeminent early childhood book gifting program in the world. In Palm Beach County, nearly half of third grade students read below grade level. The early years of childhood development are fundamental, and according to the National Commission on Reading, the “single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school.” The Imagination Library is extremely popular among participants, and research shows it is effective at increasing literacy and numeracy skills and school readiness among participants.

To learn more, visit:

palmbeachcountyimaginationlibrary.com