Missouri is reducing state funding for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a long-running early childhood reading program that mails free books to young children, according to multiple local reports.
Under the state’s fiscal year 2027 budget, funding will fall from $6 million to $2 million, the News Tribune reports. The program, which started in 1995 in Tennessee and spread to Missouri in 2023, provides free monthly books for children 5-and-under.
“Unfortunately, the State has not fulfilled its commitment to sustain full funding for the program,” Michelle Anthony, regional director for Parton’s Dollywood Foundation, said, according to the outlet.
Anthony added that the program provides books for more than 170,000 children in the state. She also warned that the program could continue operating only for about four more months using existing funds, after which children statewide could lose access to the monthly free books.
Because of the funding reduction, enrollment will pause July 1, meaning no new children will be added, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said, WBIR reported. Children already signed up will continue receiving monthly books.
Anthony said the library may be able to continue operating as-is for about four more months using its current funding. After that, she warned that children across the state are “at risk of no longer receiving their monthly books,” she said.
The cut to the Imagination Library is part of larger education reductions in Missouri’s 2027 budget, which also trims funding for programs like the Workforce Diploma and Urban Teaching initiatives. The state’s main education funding system is also under strain. DESE did not receive the additional $190 million it requested to fully fund the foundation formula, and lawmakers filled part of the gap by shifting $118 million from the Capitol Commission Fund and Blind Pension Fund, according to the News Tribune.
In March, Kentucky lawmakers initially moved to cut funding for the program, but later reversed course before the end of the month, restoring support so more than 138,000 children could continue receiving a free book each month.
It remains unclear what the program will look like in Missouri once its contract expires in December. In states without full statewide coverage, responsibility for participation often shifts to local organizations and counties that choose to fund and coordinate the program themselves.
The funding model for the Imagination requires investment from both the Dollywood Foundation and local partners. The local partners provide funding to purchase the books, enroll children and promote the program, the News Tribune reports, while Dollywood covers all of the overhead expenses and coordinates the selection and monthly distribution of books.
Kruse said during the May 12 Missouri State Board of Education meeting that “it may be some (local education agencies) will take up the program again on their own,” the News Tribune reports.
Anthony also said the Dollywood Foundation would not renew its contract with Missouri at the reduced funding level.
“We are unsure of the future of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Missouri as a state-funded program. Partnering with local programs could be a potential in the future with time, funding, and partnerships coordination,” Bond said, per the News Tribune.
Founded by Dolly Parton in her home county in East Tennessee, the Imagination Library has expanded internationally, including Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. The program has delivered more than 300 million books worldwide and reaches about one in six children under age 5 in the U.S., according to its website.
The Independent has contacted representatives for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and the Dollywood Foundation for comment.
