Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) Expands in North Carolina with New Bilingual Book Collection
Families Can Sign-up with Smart Start and DPIL to Receive a Bilingual Book Each Month Starting in June.
The North Carolina Partnership for Children and the Smart Start Network is excited to announce a significant expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) program in North Carolina with the introduction of a new bilingual book collection.
DPIL has been fostering a love of reading among children aged birth-to-five by delivering specially selected books to their homes each month. DPIL is available in every county in North Carolina through the Smart Start Network. Currently, the program reaches a quarter of a million children from birth to age five each month in North Carolina, with over 17 million books distributed to families since it was introduced statewide in 2017.
As of June 10, 2024, DPIL is offering families the option to choose between two collections of library books – an English collection and a fully bilingual English/Spanish collection.
- English Collection – Primarily English books with an occasional bilingual English/Spanish book.
- Bilingual English/Spanish Collection – Exclusively bilingual English/Spanish books.
This initiative aims to provide equitable access to high-quality children’s literature for Spanish-speaking families across the state.
“The addition of fully bilingual English/Spanish Imagination Library books is a great option for Spanish-speaking families that provides more equitable access to the program. It moves us closer to helping inspire all children to love reading through the gift of Imagination Library books,” says Jeff Conyers, President of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Amy Cubbage, President of the North Carolina Partnership for Children, also shared her enthusiasm for the new initiative: “This expansion is another great step towards ensuring that every child in North Carolina has access to quality books that foster the skill and love of reading. We are thrilled to be able to reach more children and honor the diverse languages and cultures that make our communities strong.”
Both collections have been carefully curated by the book selection committee to inspire a love of reading, ensuring that every child can develop strong literacy skills from an early age. While some titles will overlap between the collections, there will be unique books specific to each collection mailed out monthly.
To find out more about Smart Start and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library partnership or to register a child, visit http://www.smartstart.org/dolly-partons-imagination-library/
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About Smart Start and the North Carolina Partnership for Children
Smart Start is a network of 75 nonprofit local partnerships that serve all 100 North Carolina counties. This network is led by The North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC) that ensures fiscal and programmatic accountability and coordinates the statewide network to create better outcomes for children and families. For more information, please visit http://www.smartstart.org/about-smart-start/.
Media Contact: Jessica Carter, jcarter@smartstart.org, 919.221.1614
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL)
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program for children from birth to age five. The mission of the program is to foster a love of reading in preschool children and ensure that every child born has books, regardless of their family’s income.
