JEFFERSON TWP — This upcoming school year, the Knoch School District is hoping to expand the joy of reading to children of all ages by joining Dolly Parton’s ever-expanding Imagination Library.

Started in 1995, the Imagination Library sends a free book every month to the family of any child who signs up until they reach the age of 5, regardless of the family’s income.

The program started in Sevier County, Tennessee, the home of Parton, a country singer and businesswoman. By 2000, the program had grown so popular that she expanded it to any community that wanted one.

As of 2023, there are Imagination Library programs in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland, in addition to the United States.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to get young children started with literacy at a very early age,” said David Foley, Knoch School District superintendent. “We're hoping that parents will sit down and read those books with their kids and get the kids excited about reading.”

As a partner in the program, Knoch only has to keep track of the families who sign up and put them into an online portal, as well as promote the program locally. Parton’s company mails the books from Tennessee, with the school district paying an estimated $5 per student monthly.

The funding for Knoch’s new program comes largely from community donations amounting to $34,000.

According to Foley, the only real requirement to sign up for the program is that the family live within the district. However, there are strict criteria on what kind of books are shipped out.

“There is a very specific book list that they have,” Foley said. “For younger children, they're ‘board books’, and they become a little more sophisticated as students get to kindergarten age.”