Missouri Governor Mike Parson and First Lady Teresa Parson, in partnership with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, will host an event with Dolly Parton and her Imagination Library team on Tuesday, August 27th at 11 a.m. in Kansas City. The statewide expansion of Dolly’s Imagination Library was made possible through legislation signed into law by the governor in 2022. Governor Parson and state legislators also fully funded the program by approving $11 million in DESE’s Fiscal Year 2024 and 2025 budgets for the distribution of books.
Dolly Parton visits states for a celebration event once all children ages 0 to 5 are eligible for her program. Missouri is the 14th state to commit to a statewide program but no other state has been fully funded with all Missouri children under age five eligible on the first day of the statewide program.
