Two years after program went statewide, Washington Legislature does not fund Dolly Parton Imagination Library

Faced with a budget crunch, Washington state lawmakers opted not to fund a program launched by country music legend Dolly Parton that provides free books once a month to children younger than 5.

Parton started Imagination Library in 1995 in her hometown in Tennessee. It has provided more than 200 million books to children free of charge over the past 30 years. Across the country, more than 2 million children receive books monthly through the Imagination Library.

The program currently serves 9,800 kids in Spokane County, and has provided more than 200,000 books to nearly 15,000 kids in the county since it began.

As the program expanded statewide in Washington, Parton joined a collection of elected officials for a reception in Tacoma to promote it.

The day was hailed as a day of celebration for the state, with a formal proclamation signed by the governor declaring Aug. 15 as “Dolly Parton Day.” The event included a discussion with the music legend, as well as a performance of her 1971 hit song “Coat of Many Colors.”

During the event, Parton said the program helps “instill a love for reading and the love for books.”

“I do other things, but I don’t think I’ll ever do anything more important or more personal to me than this,” Parton said.

With the expansion, Washington became the 11th state, and the first on the West Coast, to allow any child to sign up for the program free of charge.

Less than two years later, legislators did not include a request for $7 million to help fund the program over the next two years in the operating budget adopted by the House and Senate over the weekend.

“This is a heartbreaking loss to our team, our 46 local Imagination Library partners, and, most importantly, the 121,000 children across Washington, who receive the gift of a free book each month,” Brooke Fisher-Clark, executive director of Imagination Library of Washington, said in a statement.

According to the Imagination Library of Washington, the program is funded equally through public funds and local Imagination Library partners.

Chris Reykdal, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, hosted the on-stage chat with Parton during the 2023 event. In an emailed statement Thursday, Reykdal said the Imagination Library “is an effective and cost-efficient program to engage our youngest learners and their families in reading.”

“The Legislature unfortunately had to make tough budget choices this session, and I am disappointed that funding for this program was not prioritized,” Reykdal said. “Because the program is funded by a 1:1 state and local partner match, a total elimination of state funding has a deep impact.”

Reykdal said his office is still reviewing what the funding cut means, and how it will impact the children currently enrolled, though he pledged to work with the Legislature to restore the funds.

The Dolly Parton Library is also asking the public to donate money to fund the program. Information about how to donate can be found at imaginationlibrarywashington.org/donate.

“With the loss of state funding, our statewide programmatic framework has been altered, and we must now pivot to address this funding challenge. We need the public to rally and help us preserve this impactful program for young children. Please act and contribute now to ensure its survival,” Fisher-Clark said in a statement.