March 08, 2024
John Partipilo/The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
Dolly Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 in tribute to her father, who could not read or write. The program now provides 2 million free books each month to children in five countries.
Thousands of Pennsylvania kids could soon receive free books each month, thanks to bills working their way through the state legislature and a country music superstar.
Liz Hanbidge, a Democratic state representative from Montgomery County, recently introduced a bill to expand Dolly Parton's Imagination Library across Pennsylvania. Since 1995, the program has mailed free books each month to children up to 5 years old. And while it already has some presence in the state, Hanbidge and her cosponsors believe it should be greater.
The Imagination Library typically partners with local organizations, making its presence highly regional and scattershot, depending on the state. According to Hanbidge, over 53,000 kids across 44 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties are enrolled in the Imagination Library. But around 700,000 are eligible in the commonwealth. Philadelphia, for example, only recently welcomed the program through a partnership with the Mount Laurel-based nonprofit Foundations. The group is working with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to roll out the Imagination Library in targeted, high-need areas one ZIP code at a time, starting with 19133, which spans parts of Fairhill and West Kensington.
Hanbidge's legislation would establish a statewide Imagination Library and earmark funds to support and promote it. The cost per child, Hanbidge estimates, would be about $13.
"Children participating in the Imagination Library show increased readiness for kindergarten and maintain higher reading achievement scores through ninth grade compared to their non-participating peers," Hanbidge said in a statement. "Reading is a staple of our world, society and history. By introducing people to books at a young age, we can show them the joys and pleasure of reading instead of it being perceived as a chore."
The legislation was last referred to the House Education Committee, where it is awaiting review. It has already attracted 14 cosponsors, including Philadelphia County's own Tarik Khan. A companion bill in the state senate is sponsored by Sens. Carolyn Comitta, John Kane and Maria Collett, who collectively represent parts of Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.
Comitta, who sits on the Senate's Education Committee, said, "As a mother, a grandmother, and a former public school teacher, I know just how important promoting literacy and reading readiness is in early childhood education and development. Children learn by reading and the Imagination Library helps make reading a habit at home. By giving them a new book each month, this program empowers kids to pursue independent reading, learn at their own pace, and explore new areas of interest."
If the law is passed, Pennsylvania would join 20 other states in establishing statewide Imagination Libraries through legislation. Parton's program distributes 2 million free books every month to kids in the United States, Republic of Ireland, Canada, Australia and United Kingdom.
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