LOUISVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — The latest version of the Kentucky state budget could effectively wipe out Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Program in the state, a book-gifting initiative that has mailed 8,635,423 free books to Kentucky children.
Every month, the program mails an age-appropriate book to children from birth to age 5 at no cost to families. A local partner in each county enrolls children and raises money to pay for the books. Support from the entertainer and her foundation brings the cost down to less than $3 per book, including postage. However, that amount can still be challenging for local partners to raise.
In 2021, leaders of both parties in the Kentucky Senate led an effort to add state funding, matching local partners dollar-for-dollar, a release from program representatives read. With the state match in place, the program expanded across the Commonwealth. Today, every child in Kentucky is eligible to receive books until their 5th birthday.
The latest version of Kentucky's primary budget bill under consideration, HB 500, could change that. As passed by the Kentucky Senate, the bill provides the full $2.5 million that would fund the dollar-for-dollar match, but it changes the formula so the state would only cover one-third of the cost of the books.
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The change would keep thousands of dollars from reaching local partners, creating a burden many could not meet, according to a news release. Both larger counties with thousands of eligible children and small rural communities with limited fundraising opportunities would face imminent closure.
Libby Suttles is the Executive Director of Imagination Library of Kentucky.
"When we surveyed our local program partners, more than 80 percent said they’d expect to shut down in less than a year under this new funding formula," Suttles said. "With so much focus on kindergarten readiness, we don’t understand why anyone would shut down a program that’s proven to work, especially when it doesn’t free up any money in the budget."
The budget bill now heads back to the Kentucky House, where leaders from both parties will work to resolve differences between their respective versions of the bill, including the funding for the book program.
"We hope families who have loved the books will contact their legislators and ask them to restore the funding to the formula that’s set out in state law," Suttles said. "This is a small investment with an incredible return for the future of our children."
The program now delivers books to more than 138,000 children across the state each month. Recent data from the Kentucky Department of Education shows the percentage of students who were kindergarten ready was as much as 13 points higher among children who participated in the program.
