​Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Expands Into The North Country

CONCORD, NH — The Education Alliance for New Hampshire is excited to partner with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a global initiative that provides free books to children ages 0-5, to officially expand its reach to include Coös and Northern Grafton counties.

This beloved program, founded in 1995 by Dolly Parton to foster a love of reading among children and families, now serves over one million children worldwide every month.

Locally, the Whitefield Library, in collaboration with SAU 36, has been instrumental in bringing the program to its community over the past three years. Partnering with the New Hampshire Statewide Family Engagement Center (NH-SFEC), the initiative has successfully sustained and expanded its reach to include the following towns: Bath, Berlin, Bethlehem, Carroll/Twin, Clarksville, Colebrook, Columbia, Dalton, Dummer, Easton, Errol, Franconia, Gorham, Jefferson, Lancaster, Landaff, Lisbon, Littleton, Lyman, Milan, Monroe, Northumberland, Pittsburg, Randolph, Shelburne, Stark, Stratford, Stewartstown, Sugar Hill, and Whitefield.

"Bringing this program to the greater North Country has been a dream of mine for more than 15 years. I am thrilled that we have found a partner who can help us expand this amazing resource to so many families,” said Courtney Vashaw, director of the Whitefield Public Library, who will continue acting as the program’s local administrator.

Currently, 180 children are enrolled in the program, and 101 children have graduated from it over the past four years. With the new partnership between the NH-SFEC and the Whitefield Library, even more families will have access to free, high-quality books delivered directly to their homes each month, promoting early literacy and a lifelong love of reading.

The program operates through the efforts of local affiliates in partnership with 501(c)(3) organizations. The Education Alliance for New Hampshire will serve as the fiscal partner for this expansion, with NH-SFEC providing funding to support children in Coös and Grafton counties. Importantly, all administrative and overhead costs are covered by the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, ensuring local affiliates can focus solely on enrollment and outreach efforts.

“The expansion of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program in Coös and Grafton counties highlights our deep commitment to family engagement and fostering a love of reading,” Kate Estefan, project director-NH-SFEC, said. “The link between family engagement and reading is strong and we are excited to extend this program to more children and families.”

Families interested in enrolling their children in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library can visit https://nhsfec.org/

About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Since its inception, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has distributed millions of books to children worldwide. What began as a small initiative in East Tennessee has grown into a global program, inspiring countless young readers and empowering families to prioritize literacy.

About Education Alliance for New Hampshire

The Education Alliance for New Hampshire (formerly Campus Compact for NH) is a nonprofit that empowers students on their educational journey by aligning resources, programs, and partnerships to create equitable education and career opportunities for students, families, and communities. We are led by New Hampshire’s colleges and universities who collectively want to make a positive impact on communities across the state.

Submitted by The Education Alliance for New Hampshire.