Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Ensures Legacy of Literacy in Polk
Founded to honor Parton’s father, the program distributed nearly 30,000 books to children in Central Florida in 2025, championing literacy while instilling a love of books and reading from an early age.
A child reads a book provided by Dolly Parton's Imagination Library through the United Way of Central Florida. | Courtesy of the United Way of Central Florida
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For over 20 years, the United Way of Central Florida (UWCF) has been an affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the Dollywood Foundation’s signature program. In 2024-25, the program distributed 29,711 books to 2,500 enrolled children in Polk, Hardee and Highlands counties.
Part of UWFC’s Early Childhood Education Initiative, “It paired beautifully, especially when we were able to target some of those high-need zip codes with this program, making sure that families that have a transportation barrier or a financial barrier are not held back by providing books to their child,” according to Gretchen Ceranic, UWCF chief impact officer.
Research shows that the ability to read by the end of third grade is a critical predictor of educational and lifelong success. According to the United Community Indicators, 64% of Polk County children were not “kindergarten ready” in 2024, reducing their chances of “success acquiring necessary literacy and mathematics skills to graduate from high school.”
According to UWCF, “Evaluations indicate that Imagination Library is getting kids more interested in reading, as well as, getting parents more comfortable reading to their children.”
Legacy of literacy
Parton, honored and beloved cultural icon, died Tuesday, Aug. 25, in Nashville.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library champions literacy while instilling a love of books and reading from an early age. |Imagination Library Facebook
In honor of her father, Robert Lee Parton, who never learned to read or write, Parton founded the Imagination Library through the Dollywood Foundation in 1995. Originally serving her home county, Sevier County, Tennessee, the program mails a free, new, age-appropriate book to participating children once a month until their fifth birthday.
“Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent,” Bryan Seaver, Parton’s nephew and head of security said in a statement on Tuesday. “By her example, we believe that anything was possible. She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the door she opened made and changed history.”
Parton may be best known for her songwriting and storytelling, the foundation of music that drew listeners in and made fans feel like family, but her legacy extends beyond artistic achievements. Through the Imagination Library, Parton has impacted and will continue to shape the lives of countless children around the world — including children in Polk County.
“She built things that could keep doing good in the world,” said Jeff Conyers, president of the Dollywood Foundation in a statement. “Our responsibility now is to care for what she entrusted to us, help it grow thoughtfully and make certain the love at the heart of her work continues reaching children, families, and communities long into the future.”
Imagination Library in Central Florida
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library through the United Way of Central Florida helps build early literacy skills. | Courtesy of the United Way of Central Florida
According to an international study that followed families for 12 months, after receiving 10 books through the Imagination Library, children in the program were at least four times more likely to demonstrate stronger emerging literacy skills, like vocabulary and phonological awareness, compared to children not in the program.
Parents and guardians register their children to participate in the Imagination Library through local community partners like UWCF. Children enrolled from infancy, receive around 60 books total. The program is open to all children, regardless of household income.
Reading Pals, another UWCF program that supports early literacy, provides Polk County students from prekindergarten to third grade with one hour of one-on-one or small group mentoring.
The program “ties in really beautifully with Dolly Parton and her desire to support children, especially with literacy,” Ceranic said. “This is an opportunity to encourage community members to be like Dolly and support literacy efforts in their own community.” Reading Pals is currently seeking volunteers for the 2026-27 school year.
Funding literacy
In Florida, the Imagination Library is funded by individuals, businesses, and other local groups. The Dollywood Foundation covers administrative costs and publisher negotiations.
The UWCF’s partner program is sponsored by the Early Learning Coalition of Polk County, Friends of the Bartow Library, Lake Wales Library Association, Florida’s Natural Growers Foundation, and Lakeland Elks Lodge 1291. On average, the program costs about $2.50 per child per month. According to UWCF, $3,000 can provide 100 children books for a full year.
Today, the Imagination Library has grown to serve the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia, fostering a love of books and cultivating early reading skills in more than 3.1 million currently enrolled preschool-aged children around the world.
Since its founding, the Imagination Library has provided children with over 330 million books. According to the organization’s 2025 Year in Review, the Imagination Library distributed over 40 million books in 2025, increasing the number of books by more than 3.6 million from 2024.
Parton and the program celebrated the distribution of over 200 million books in 2023. The Dollywood Foundation also supports several scholarship programs to encourage students to pursue their education after high school graduation.
“My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you,” Seaver said. “She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD, and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family, whether you liked it or not. Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever.”
Insight Polk examines community conditions and solutions in six target areas from UCIndicators.org: economic & employment opportunity, education, housing, food security, transportation & infrastructure, and quality of life.
LkldNow’s Insight Polk independent reporting is made possible by the United Community Indicators Project with funding by GiveWell Community Foundation & United Way of Central Florida. All editorial decisions are made by LkldNow.
Anna Toms was born and raised in Kansas City, Mo., where she cultivated a love for writing and eventually earned her Ph.D. in literature and the humanities. She is an experienced educator who has taught students from middle school to college to think critically and express themselves clearly. Anna moved to Lakeland in June of 2020.
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