Children in all 92 Hoosier counties can again receive a free book monthly through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library — after a hiatus — Indiana First Lady Maureen Braun announced Thursday.
The program gifts free, high quality and age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five on a monthly basis, regardless of family income.
Indiana achieved statewide coverage once more on Wednesday, when programs in Hamilton County’s Zionsville and Whitestown became fully operational, according to Emily Langston, a spokeswoman for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Indiana.
“Receiving books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library fosters a love of reading and creates meaningful family memories to last a lifetime,” Braun said in a Thursday news release. “Early childhood literacy has a profound impact on Hoosier kids as they grow, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Indiana is helping to build strong foundations for young Hoosiers.”
She has spent the last year leading a fundraising push to sustain the popular reading initiative after Gov. Mike Braun axed it from the current budget.
Former Gov. Eric Holcomb included a statewide expansion of the Imagination Library in his 2023 legislative agenda. Lawmakers followed through, earmarking $6 million for the program in the previous budget.
But last year, a grim revenue forecast forced the state’s budget architects to chop $2 billion in spending from the current budget.
The first lady announced in March that the effort had hit 90% of of its goal for the two-year funding cycle running from July 2025 through June 2027.
“That is still the latest figure we have shared publicly,” governor’s office spokeswoman Molly Craft said.
The office declined to share the dollar amount raised.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
