Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is returning to York County after a six-year absence, offering free monthly books to children under 5.
The program means Fort Mill and Tega Cay families can sign up to receive one age-appropriate book per month, mailed at no cost, for each child from birth up to age 5. The Early Learning Partnership of York County announced the relaunch Thursday, Sept. 3, Executive Director Rachel Hui-Hubbard told the Post and Courier.
The partnership ended the program in 2020 because it could no longer cover the costs, Hui-Hubbard said. A money match from the S.C. Department of Education (SCDE) is making the restart possible. The dollar amount of the state funding has not been made public.
The relaunch comes as York County's most recent kindergarten readiness score sits at 41 percent, meaning fewer than half of entering kindergartners are assessed as ready to learn at grade level. South Carolina's statewide score is 39 percent. The state administers the assessment about six weeks into each school year.
"It's such a well-known program, I think that encourages parents to participate," Hui-Hubbard said.
Parton launched the Imagination Library in 1995 in her home county in East Tennessee. The program has since expanded to five countries and sends more than three million books per month to children worldwide, according to the Imagination Library. Parton died Aug. 25 at age 80 in Nashville after a brief battle with cancer, NPR reported, drawing renewed attention to her literacy legacy.
The Early Learning Partnership, based on the Winthrop University campus, has operated in York County for 30 years. Beyond the Imagination Library, the nonprofit partners with prenatal doctors and pediatrician offices to put books in families' hands early. On Tuesday, Sept. 1, the partnership announced a new collaboration with the Divine Fountain of Hope Women's Center in York to provide books there.
Hui-Hubbard said the push matters even for residents without young children. She pointed to research showing children's brains develop differently with books compared to screen time, a gap that widened during the pandemic as more families turned to tablets for young children.
No sign-up date has been set. The partnership directed York County families to follow its Facebook and Instagram accounts for updates on when registration opens.
