KENTUCKY — On this week’s “In Focus Kentucky” program, we’re looking at K-12 public education in the Commonwealth.
The 2024-2025 academic school year started in August for thousands of students across Kentucky’s 171 school districts, which include 120 public school districts and 51 independent districts. These districts serve 1,484 public schools and 634,424 students in grades preschool through 12th. Grammy Award-winning country music artist Dolly Parton visited Lexington to celebrate her Imagination Library in Kentucky.
All 120 counties in Kentucky recently got access to Parton’s Imagination Library. The country music legend joined Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., and first lady Britainy Beshear to commemorate the occasion.
Parton started the Imagination Library in 1995 to honor her father, who could not read or write.
“He was always real embarrassed about that and that always troubled him because he thought that he couldn’t learn to read after he was grown, but daddy was one of the smartest people that you would ever want to know, and he was my hero,” Parton said.
The no-cost program provides one book a month to children from childbirth to the age of five. Nationwide, over 3 million kids are registered with over 250 million books gifted since its inception.
“It’s really a great way to teach children when they’re very young to learn to love books and to learn to read,” Parton said.
Parton started the program locally in her east Tennessee hometown. Since then, it has grown to 21 states and numerous countries. In Kentucky, over 120,000 children receive free books every month. The program is available from Pikeville to Paducah, with over 6 million books distributed statewide.
“Forty-five percent of preschoolers in our state are currently enrolled in the Imagination Library. So that means if you know someone in that 55%, you better get on your phones as soon as we leave here,” said first lady Beshear.
Congressman Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, worked to pass the funding for the program during his time in the Kentucky Senate. It was passed in a bipartisan manner.
“By having every child eligible, there’s no stigma attached. Kids who are going to kindergarten, not only are they more kindergarten ready, they’ve read some of the same books and they have that common bond,” McGarvey said.
The statewide program is supported by a 50% state to local program match provided in the state budget, passed by the General Assembly.
The governor also honored Parton as a Kentucky Colonel and proclaimed the month “Imagination Library of Kentucky Month.”
First lady Beshear presented Parton with a copy of First Dog Winnie’s new coloring book, “Winnie Goes on a Kentucky State Parks Adventure!” In return, Parton gifted the governor and first lady with a copy of her children’s book, “Coat of Many Colors,” named after her hit 1971 song.
More than 20 years ago, Henderson County established the first Imagination Library program in Kentucky.
To get enrolled in the Imagination Library program, contact the local partner in your county of residence.
You can watch the full 'In Focus Kentucky' segment in the player above.