KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The legendary Dolly Parton is set to visit Kansas City, Missouri, later this month to celebrate her Imagination Library of Missouri partnership with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The Imagination Library program helps provide age-appropriate books each month to children ages 5 and under at no cost to their families.
Parton’s program has been operating since 1995 and is made possible in Missouri by ongoing funding at the state level.
Karla Eslinger, Missouri’s commissioner of education, says 137,000 Missouri children have enrolled in Parton’s program since it launched in the state last November.
“As the former Senator who carried the Imagination Library of Missouri legislation, to now being in the role of Commissioner, this is a full-circle moment,” Eslinger said in a press release previewing the Aug. 27 event. “We hope Dolly’s visit to Missouri will help us promote the program even further, reaching the families of the remaining 262,000 Missouri children who are eligible.”
Missouri says it’s the only state of the 14 states participating in the program to have the project fully funded when it launched.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dolly to the Show-Me State and join her to celebrate the Imagination Library program,” Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said in a release. “We appreciate Dolly, her team, and DESE for helping bring these quality educational resources to Missouri children and continue to encourage all eligible Missouri parents to utilize this program.”
Parents looking for more information about the program or to register their children can visit the Imagination Library’s website.
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