Frederick’s Dolly Parton Imagination Library gets $50,000 city grant as donations and applications rise
A $50,000 City of Frederick grant will help sustain the local Imagination Library program as new donations and applications increase following Dolly Parton’s death.
HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW
Frederick City Council approved a $50,000 grant for the local Imagination Library branch. The program mails one free book each month to enrolled children through age 5. The Frederick branch has received about $1,200 in donations since Dolly Parton’s death. It has also received 80 new applications. The program currently serves 1,233 children in Frederick County. The estimated annual cost is about $31 per child. The program is expanding to the Thurmont Primary School attendance area. The city grant is expected to be received in October.
Frederick’s local branch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is getting a major funding boost as organizers work to expand access while making sure the program remains sustainable.
The Frederick City Council approved a $50,000 grant on Sept. 3 for the local branch of the national program, which mails one free book each month to children from birth through age 5, regardless of family income.
The local program has also seen an increase in community support following Dolly Parton’s death on Aug. 25. Program coordinator Leslie Frei said the Frederick branch has received about $1,200 in donations and 80 new applications since then.
The program currently serves 1,233 children out of roughly 17,000 children age 5 and younger in Frederick County. Frei said it costs about $31 per child per year to provide the books.
Frederick County Public Schools became a partner in the program in 2018, originally using literacy-focused grant funding to help reach communities where students were not performing as strongly in reading.
The books are selected based on age and developmental milestones, with titles curated to support early childhood learning and literacy.
Before the new city grant, the local program had enough funding to serve families in Frederick ZIP codes 21701, 21702 and 21703, along with children living in the attendance areas for Judy Center elementary programs at Butterfly Ridge, Hillcrest, Lincoln, Monocacy, Tuscarora and Waverley.
The program is also expanding to the Thurmont Primary School attendance area after that school was added to the Judy Center program this summer.
Frei said the new city funding and local donations will allow the program to continue serving all currently enrolled children for another year. Organizers also hope to bring in additional children from the three Frederick ZIP codes who may not live in existing Judy Center attendance areas.
The challenge, however, is making sure the growth can be sustained long term.
Frei said the program needs more than one-time donations and must develop dependable funding sources if it is going to continue expanding without putting existing participants at risk.
The local branch expects to receive the city grant in October and will then continue planning how much funding should be reserved for current participants and how much can be used to accept new children.
WHAT IT MEANS
The $50,000 grant gives the local Imagination Library more stability at a time when interest in the program is growing.
The larger challenge now is balancing expansion with sustainability. Organizers want to reach more Frederick County families while making sure children already enrolled can continue receiving books every month without interruption.
How To Donate
Donations to the Frederick County Public Schools branch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library can be made through the program’s official donation page.
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