Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library available to most of state, but Marion County has limited access

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This story was originally published by Chalkbeat Indiana.

In 85 counties in Indiana, all children under age 5 can register to read free books delivered to their home through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. That’s 31 more counties than a year ago.

But many children in the state’s most populous county, Marion, are still waiting for an Imagination Library.

Last year, the state announced a $6 million allocation to match local partners’ contributions to the Imagination Library. But right now, only two Marion County ZIP codes, 46201 and 46203 on the east side of Indianapolis, can enroll in the program. According to the library’s estimates, that leaves more than 60,000 children in Marion County who need access.

By the end of the year, the staff at the library wants to close the gap and get more children reading earlier. It’s a goal that is personally important to many staff and partners as well as Parton, a singer and philanthropist and the program’s founder.

“This is for every child, no matter their income or where they live or what their parents do,” said Katie Mullins, community engagement coordinator for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Indiana. “This is a program that is for every child because [Parton] knows what it’s like to grow up without.”

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which started in 1995, gifts books to registered children from birth to age 5 across the United States and in four other countries. In 2022, the program mailed approximately 2 million books globally each month, according to its website. The organization partners with local affiliates in different states to provide the service.

To expand the program, the library requires affiliates with secured funding or a fundraising plan to pay for the cost of books. In Indiana, the state pays $1.10 for each book per child per month, or half the book’s cost, and the local partner is responsible for the other half.

That can be a challenge for ZIP codes with larger populations, like those in Marion County, Mullins said. In addition to Marion, Boone, Lake, and Morgan County don’t have all ZIP codes covered by the program. As of this month, Allen and Hamilton County have zero coverage.

In June, Gina Haile, an area director of United Way, helped launch an Imagination Library to cover all of Montgomery County. Paying for the program was the biggest obstacle, she said. She received grants for her library’s projected first two years of expenses, but so many kids signed up in the first few weeks that she predicts the funds will only last eight months.

“I laugh because it’s such a great problem,” Haile said. She’s happy to go find more money because “it’s just obvious our community wanted this.”

Most local affiliates need help with the library launch, Haile said, but after that, it’s easier to sustain funding. She believes partnerships between nonprofits, businesses, and local affiliates are the best way to achieve statewide coverage.

“It’s the initial start that is difficult,” Haile said. “The program and the mission and the vision and the impact will sell itself going forward.”

Mullins said the Indiana Imagination Library set the end of 2024 as the goal for statewide coverage because it will be the end of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s term. Holcomb prioritized expansion of the program as one of his early literacy initiatives.

To check county or ZIP code access or sign up for an alert when a program launches, use the Imagination Library’s lookup tool.

Chalkbeat Indiana is a not-for-profit news site covering educational change in public schools.