Dr. Seuss Foundation Partners with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Launch San Diego County Early Literacy Program

The Dr. Seuss Foundation is excited to announce our partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to make free books available to children from birth to age 5 in San Diego County, the national program’s largest county program to date.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which has given over 330 million books to children since the program’s inception in 1995, is coming to San Diego County. With more than 170,000 children under age 5, San Diego County represents the most populous county in the nation to offer the Imagination Library to every eligible child through a countywide program. 

“Through the Imagination Library, Dolly Parton has made millions of books accessible to young children,” said Katie Rast, CEO of the Dr. Seuss Foundation. “We are proud to honor Dolly’s legacy by working in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to ensure every young child in San Diego County can develop a lifelong love of reading.” 

The Dr. Seuss Foundation supports early literacy efforts throughout San Diego County and will serve as Local Program Partner for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, supporting the establishment of the initiative locally.  

The local effort is also supported by California Senate Bill 1183, a bipartisan bill co-authored by then-Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), establishing a statewide Imagination Library program, paired with statewide funding that is used to match funds raised in each community.  

“Dr. Seuss is to San Diego what Dolly Parton is to Tennessee—an iconic figure whose extraordinary imagination and generosity have inspired generations. This historic partnership brings together the legacies of Ted and Audrey Geisel and Dolly Parton, three visionary philanthropists united by a profound belief in the power of books to transform a child’s life. By joining forces, the Dr. Seuss Foundation and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library will put more books into the hands of more children and open the door to learning, opportunity and possibility for families throughout San Diego. I cannot imagine a more joyful or powerful partnership for our community,” said Toni Atkins, champion of the local effort and board member of the Dollywood Foundation, which supports Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. 

By gifting children high-quality books starting at birth, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides access to developmentally appropriate reading materials at no cost to the family and regardless of the family’s income. Built on decades of research, the Imagination Library is rooted in the knowledge that having books at home fosters a love of books and helps children develop literacy skills early in life. 

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library launched its California expansion in 2023, and more than 6,000 local families have expressed interest in registering their children for the San Diego County program. To be notified when San Diego County registration opens, visit the Imagination Library website’s “Check Availability” page to sign up for a new program alert. To support the San Diego County program, visit ImaginationLibrary.com and select the “Donate” button at the top of the page, then choose “SanDiegoCounty” to ensure your donation supports the local effort. Additional funders are also invited to join this effort and help bring the gift of books to more children across San Diego County.