Madison County Children Can Now Receive Free Books Mailed to Their Homes Through Dolly Parton Imagination Library

MADISON COUNTY - Local officials, school administrators and librarians are celebrating the launch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Madison County.

On Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, community members came together at the Madison County Regional Office of Education for a ceremony to mark the beginning of the DPIL in the region. This program mails a free book every month to a child from ages birth to 5. One in six U.S. children is enrolled. Madison County children can now participate in this program for free.

“The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a wonderful investment in our county’s most important resource, and that’s our children,” said Dr. Rob Werden, Regional Superintendent of Schools. “We are assuring that our county students are getting valuable tools that will help them become better students and eventually better citizens in adulthood.”

Dr. Kristie Baumgartner, executive director of the Alton Educational Foundation, explained that the process of bringing DPIL to the county required a lot of collaboration. Audra Cottrell, the state coordinator for the DPIL of Illinois, first reached out to Baumgartner about introducing the DPIL to Alton and Godfrey.

“What came next was an incredible multi-agency collaboration that brought together Madison County government, school districts, local libraries and library districts, businesses, service clubs, individuals and other donors,” Baumgartner said. “We really just had that one common goal: We wanted to provide children in Madison County with access to great books, and we wanted to provide families with some ease in reading to and with their child at an early age, and this program accomplishes both.”

Baumgartner connected with Diana Sussman, Edwardsville Public Library’s director, and learned that Sussman was already looking into bringing the program to Edwardsville. The two women formed a committee of area library and school leaders.

They reached out to Madison County Board Chairman Chris Slusser and Werden to turn their efforts into a countywide initiative. Together, these stakeholders collaborated to find funding and introduce the program in the county.

“We’re excited to be a small partner in this, and just really excited to see this get going for kids in Madison County,” Slusser said.

Cottrell explained that Dolly Parton started the Imagination Library in 1995 in honor of her father, who could not read or write. Parton provided free books to children in Sevier County, Tennessee, where she grew up. Over the past 30 years, this effort has since grown into an international program that aims to support kids’ literacy and development.

“Obviously, libraries want to see children reading, and this is just a really fantastic way to get books into their homes,” said Mary Cordes, executive director of Hayner Public Library District. “We’re really glad to be a part of it.”

Sussman echoed Cordes. Studies have shown that the amount of books that enter a child’s home before they turn 5 can determine “their success in life in terms of their career, their relationships, and whether or not they’re going to end up in incarceration,” Sussman said. She believes that reading to and with your child at a young age can help them long-term.

“It’s about developing a love of reading, but it’s also developing a love of learning,” Sussman explained. “It’s your ability to learn and to process information. Reading also develops empathy, and that is really important to living in a democracy and just getting along.”

Caregivers can register their child at the official Dolly Parton Imagination Library website. Adults must share their name, their child’s name and age, and address to sign up. In six to eight weeks, you can expect to receive your first free book.

The program is funded in part through the State of Illinois and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. However, local sponsors and donors are still needed to ensure that the program can continue in Madison County. Baumgartner thanked the many organizations that have contributed so far, including the Regional Office of Education.

You can donate online or by mailing a check to the Regional Office of Education. Contact kbaumgartner@altoned.org for additional resources or to donate directly to the Madison County program.

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