Beloved singer Dolly Parton passed away earlier this week at 80 years old. Her legacy as country crooner may be a highlight of American culture, but her philanthropic work may prove to be more impactful.
Dolly started the Imagination Library in 1995, inspired by her father’s inability to read and write. The nonprofit sends books to children aged 0 to 5, free of charge. The Imagination Library originated in America, but now also sends over three million books each month to children in Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the UK. Partnerships with states and charitable organizations has allowed the Imagination Library to broaden the program’s reach.
The donations fill a real need. As I’ve written previously, recent studies show that pleasure reading in the United States is declining. Worryingly, a large number of parents also report that they don’t regularly read to their children.
They should. Literacy starts in a child’s early years. Studies show that family reading lays a strong (and irreplaceable) early literacy foundation, as young children’s brains develop favorably through storytime. The American Library Association reports that 3- to 5-year-olds who had been read to for at least three times per week are two times more likely to recognize all letters, two times more likely to have word-sight recognition, and two times more likely to understand words in context. Parents who don’t read to their children are doing them a significant disservice.
A shaky literary foundation is difficult to fix. Unfortunately, Minnesota is still playing catchup. Minnesota’s students have declined in reading state tests over the past decade. In fact, more than half (54 percent) of Minnesota third graders couldn’t read at grade level in 2025. That inability to read has real consequences for children’s academic and personal futures, and negatively impacts the future of Minnesota.
Solutions are in the works, but Minnesota hasn’t seen results yet. Minnesota passed the READ Act in 2023, a piece of legislation designed to overhaul early literacy teacher training and ground classrooms in the science of literacy. My colleague Catrin Wigfall has pointed out that the READ Act, while well intentioned, needs to be expanded for reforms to be effective.
Yet, parents and philanthropists worried about young Minnesotans’ reading ability don’t have to wait around for the state legislature to fix kindergarten classrooms. For most children, literacy begins much earlier with a simple bedtime story.
Many states have partnered directly with the Imagination Library to bring the program to more students in their state. Minnesota could consider a similar partnership. However, given Minnesota’s weariness of seemingly endless headlines of fraud, and lawmakers’ worries that direct appropriations from the legislature worsen the issue, it might not be the political moment for such a partnership.
It’s time for private philanthropists to step in. Those who hold political inclinations towards limited government must agree that such a society needs auxiliary institutions that assist social needs. For conservatives to build the world they desire, they must support philanthropic institutions as a natural part of a healthy civic lifestyle. The Imagination Library is such an institution. It proves how wealth can be put to real use, for real needs, in incredibly simple, tangible ways.
Plus, Minnesota philanthropists don’t necessarily need to partner with the Imagination Library to make an impact on Minnesota children. Dolly was inspired by the struggles of her illiterate father. Philanthropic solutions to Minnesota issues can be similarly heartfelt and particular.
Dolly’s heart for others will live on in the Imagination Library, offering both an example and a challenge. How will Minnesotans imitate her work?