Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to provide more free books to Washington kids under 5

Kids in all Washington counties will have access to free books through Dolly Parton’s widespread reading program, thanks to a new law.

But it could take some time before every county in the state offers the program.

House Bill 2068 makes Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library a statewide program. The bill was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee in March and becomes law on June 9.

The program sends free books to children under 5 every month, regardless of family income, according to a news release.

But not every county or region in Washington has an affiliate yet that can offer the program.

Brooke Fisher-Clark, executive director of the Imagination Library Expansion in Washington, is working to change that.

“When a state becomes a statewide program, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all counties have coverage in that state. It just means that the framework is now in place. It is recognized and codified as an Imagination Library statewide program,” Fisher-Clark told McClatchy News.

Fisher-Clark said a school district or 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization can become an affiliate in a community by reaching out to her at brooke@uwpnw.org.

The program already serves more than 25,000 Washington children with free books. The state has 28 affiliates.

There are 19 fully covered counties in Washington out of 39:

1. Clallam
2. Kitsap
3. Grays Harbor
4. Pacific
5. Lewis
6. Wahkiakum
7. Cowlitz
8. Clark
9. Skamania
10. Klickitat
11. Walla Walla
12. Columbia
13. Whitman
14. Pend Oreille
15. Stevens
16. Okanogan
17. Whatcom
18. Kittitas
19. Jefferson

Fisher-Clark said two more fully covered counties will be announced in early May.

The partially covered counties are:

1. Yakima
2. Douglas
3. Grant
4. Adams
5. San Juan
6. Island
7. Snohomish
8. King
9. Pierce
10. Skagit

The non-covered counties are:

1. Mason
2. Thurston
3. Ferry
4. Lincoln
5. Spokane
6. Garfield
7. Asotin
8. Chelan
9. Benton
10. Franklin

“Through our Washington expansion efforts of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, our goal is to promote it, uplift new affiliates in uncovered regions in the state, provide ongoing support and resources to state affiliates, and create program sustainability,” Fisher-Clark said.

Dolly Parton started the program in 1995 in the Tennessee county where she grew up to help impoverished children.

Tennessee then expanded the Imagination Library to every county in the state.

Now the reading program is in five countries, and 11 states offer statewide coverage.

A child can be enrolled online and will receive their first book within six to eight weeks.

When a child turn 5 years old, they will get their last book in the mail called “Look out Kindergarten, Here I Come!”

“We know the birth to five age range is a critically important time in reading development, and expanding access to under-served areas across the state will help set up the next generation of readers for success,” state Superintendent Chris Reykdal said in the March 2 release.

This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 11:56 AM with the headline "Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to provide more free books to Washington kids under 5."

Helena Wegner

McClatchy DC

Helena Wegner is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the state of Washington and the western region. She’s a journalism graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She’s based in Phoenix.