Kentucky State Seal

*OFFICE OF GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR*








*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*




*Contact:??*

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*Crystal Staley*
*502-545-3714*
"[email protected]"

*Kinsey Woodson
502-892-1066
*"[email protected] <[email protected]>"






**Beshears: Team Kentucky Will Livestream Special Event on Social Media To Celebrate Dolly Parton?s Imagination Library**

*"Event will feature Dolly Parton, First Lady Britainy Beshear and Gov. Andy Beshear"
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*FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 27, 2024)* ? First Lady Britainy Beshear and Gov. Andy Beshear are proud to livestream a special event on Facebook and YouTube featuring country music icon Dolly Parton and her Imagination Library.

The event will take place on *Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 4:55 p.m*. *EDT.* It will celebrate the statewide expansion of Dolly Parton?s Imagination Library of Kentucky and encourage more families to participate in the free book-gifting program.

Visit facebook.com/GovAndyBeshear/ [ [link removed] ] or youtube.com/GovAndyBeshear [ [link removed] ] to watch the event live.

?Team Kentucky is proud to be a part of bringing books to children across the commonwealth,? said Gov. Beshear. ?The program has already had a tremendous impact on the state, and we are excited to help extend its reach even further.?

The celebration will bring together Imagination Library of Kentucky?s local program partners, early childhood education stakeholders and other special guests. The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, a part of the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, is a proud sponsor of the evening?s events.

Thanks to Dolly Parton?s Imagination Library of Kentucky and the work of over 120 local program partners, more than 120,000 Kentucky children under five years old receive free books every month.

To receive monthly books from the program, visit the?Imagination Library?s website [ [link removed] ].?There is no deadline to register for the program.

The program is supported by a 50% state to local program funding match, which was included in the state budget that was approved by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Beshear in 2021. The following year, lawmakers and the Governor formalized their commitment to a statewide program by passing legislation [ [link removed] ] and including funding in the two-year budget. ?

*About Dolly Parton?s Imagination Library*
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton?s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book-gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has gifted over 250 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and The Republic of Ireland. This is achieved through funding shared by The Dollywood Foundation and Local Community and [State/Provincial/National] Partners. The Imagination Library mails more than 3 million high-quality, age-appropriate books directly to children?s homes each month. Each child enrolled in the program receives one book per month from birth to age five ? at no cost to families. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading and inspiring children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More.

The program?s impact has been widely researched, and results demonstrate its positive impact on early childhood development and literacy skills. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher of Dolly Parton?s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com. [ [link removed] ]

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