KC Reporter

Governor Mike Parson and First Lady Teresa Parson, in collaboration with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), have announced a celebration event featuring Dolly Parton and her Imagination Library team. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, August 27, 2024, at 11 a.m. in Kansas City, Missouri.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dolly to the Show-Me State and join her to celebrate the Imagination Library program," Governor and First Lady Parson stated. "Ensuring Missouri's children have a quality education is near and dear to us, and we know the earlier we can get children excited about reading and learning the better equipped they are to find success and achieve their American Dream down the road. 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.”

Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger expressed her enthusiasm: “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. Since the program launched in November 2023, we have enrolled more than 137,000 Missouri children in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. 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.”

The expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library statewide was facilitated by legislation led by then State Senator Karla Eslinger and signed into law by Governor Parson in 2022 (Section 178.694, RSMo). The program received full funding through an $11 million allocation in DESE’s Fiscal Year 2024 and 2025 budgets for book distribution.

Dolly Parton visits states for celebration events once all children ages 0-5 are eligible for the statewide Imagination Library program. Missouri is noted as being fully funded from day one with all under-five children eligible.

Invitations for attending this event will be sent out by DESE this week to partners of Imagination Library of Missouri, early childhood education stakeholders, among other special guests. The event will also be livestreamed statewide via Kansas City PBS at kansascitypbs.org/dolly.

All Missouri children under five years old can register for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library without any registration deadline. The program aims to foster a love of reading by providing age-appropriate books monthly at no cost until their fifth birthday.

A media advisory issued on July 30 instructs interested media members on how to register for attendance through August 15 at 4:00 p.m., with more details forthcoming.

For additional information about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library or registration details for Missouri residents:

Since its inception in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has grown into a leading early childhood book-gifting initiative globally under The Dollywood Foundation's auspices. Over two hundred million free books have been distributed across multiple countries including the United States. Penguin Random House serves as its exclusive publisher.