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Children in all 92 counties across the state can now get free books in the mail through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Indiana.
The announcement from the state on Wednesday comes nearly a year after state lawmakers approved the 2026-2027 budget that cut funding for the program. Gov. Mike Braun tasked First Lady Maureen Braun with fundraising to keep the program alive.
In a Thursday news release, the state touted the expansion of the program to all counties in the state as a “a major milestone for early childhood literacy across Indiana.”
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides books for children from birth to age 5 in the United States and four other countries. The organization mails the “high-quality, age-appropriate books” at no cost to families each month.
To provide the books, the library partners with local organizations that help secure funding for the books. Before the budget cut, the state of Indiana and local partners split the costs of books. The program received $2 million in the 2023-24 state budget and $4 million in 2024-25.
Griffin Reid, press secretary for Gov. Braun, said via email that there were no lapses in book delivery since the cuts.
As of August 2024, children in 85 counties had access to the program, and in Marion County, only two ZIP codes had access to the program. Now, all ZIP codes in the state are covered.
The Imagination Library in Indiana is a partnership between the state, the Dollywood Foundation, the Hoosier HOPE Foundation, and local partners, per the news release. The release did not say how much money was raised. In March, Maureen Braun announced she was at 90% of a two-year fundraising goal for the program, but didn’t specify amounts.
To sign up for the Imagination Library, visit www.imaginationlibrary.com
Update: This story was updated to include further details including no lapses in service since funding cuts, all ZIP codes are covered, and fundraising goal progress.
MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.
