Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Making a Difference in West Virginia
Dolly Parton’s initiative to enhance literacy and generate a love of reading in young children is making a significant impact in the Mountain State of West Virginia. The West Virginia Department of Education recently hosted “Dolly Day” at the Kanawha County Public Library in Charleston, where State Superintendent of Schools Michele Blatt participated in reading to children and engaging in hands-on activities with them. The event aimed to promote literacy skills in children and provide resources for families to support their children’s reading development.
With a strong emphasis on literacy-building in West Virginia schools, Dolly Day serves as an additional way to reinforce the importance of reading. State Superintendent Blatt highlighted the significance of reading in children’s academic success, stating that successful readers by the end of third grade are more likely to excel in school and future endeavors. The Ready Read Write initiative by the Department of Education has been focusing on promoting literacy skills in students, making Dolly Day a complementary effort in this regard.
In recognition of Dolly Parton’s contributions to literacy, Governor Jim Justice declared August 9 as “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Day” across the state. This day celebrates statewide access to Dolly’s library for children aged five and younger. Volunteers from communities across West Virginia read aloud to children at libraries, and kids receive books in the mail on a monthly basis through the program. The initiative has been successful in promoting early childhood literacy, with children eagerly anticipating receiving books in the mail and showing familiarity with the stories even before they are read to them.
Since the program’s inception in West Virginia in 2018, a total of 624,000 books have been delivered to 52,000 children annually. Nationally, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library has delivered approximately 245 million books to over 3 million children since 1995. State Superintendent Blatt emphasized the importance of starting to read to children at a young age, as it sets a strong foundation for their academic success. Reading to children early on helps them develop essential literacy skills and prepares them for kindergarten and beyond.
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library in West Virginia receives support from the West Virginia Legislature and is a partnership between the WVDE and the June Harless Center at Marshall University. This collaboration ensures that children across the state have access to quality books and resources to foster a love of reading from an early age. With the continued success of the program in West Virginia and nationwide, Dolly Parton’s initiative is making a lasting impact on the literacy development of young children, setting them up for a bright future filled with the joy of reading.
