Photo: Dolly Parton appeared with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and First Lady Britainy Beshear at an “Imagination Library” event Tuesday. (Gov. Beshear office photo).
First Lady Britainy Beshear and Gov. Andy Beshear livestreamed a special event on Facebook and YouTube featuring country music icon Dolly Parton and her Imagination Library on Tuesday afternoon.
The event celebrated the statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Kentucky and encouraged more families to participate in the free book-gifting program.
“Team Kentucky is proud to be a part of bringing books to children across the commonwealth,” said Gov. Beshear. “The program has already had a tremendous impact on the state, and we are excited to help extend its reach even further.”
The celebration brought together Imagination Library of Kentucky’s local program partners, early childhood education stakeholders and other special guests. The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, a part of the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, is a proud sponsor of the evening’s events.
Thanks to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Kentucky and the work of over 120 local program partners, more than 120,000 Kentucky children under five years old receive free books every month.
To receive monthly books from the program, visit the Imagination Library’s website. There is no deadline to register for the program.
The program is supported by a 50% state to local program funding match, which was included in the state budget that was approved by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Beshear in 2021. The following year, lawmakers and the Governor formalized their commitment to a statewide program by passing legislation and including funding in the two-year budget.