May 15, 2024 3:20 a.m.

Oregon’s youngest learners are the big winners with this month’s statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

A City of Roseburg release said the Imagination Library is a book-gifting program that mails one free high-quality, age-appropriate book to registered children from birth to age five every month.

The program is designed to increase book access for young children and their families, equips and supports parents to create learning-rich environments at home; supports brain and language development; increases opportunities for parent-child bonding; and fosters a love of reading at an early age.

Local Program Partners around the state previously were tasked with raising all the funds to support the program. In the 2023 legislative session, state lawmakers passed legislation directing $1.7 million for the program over the next biennium.

The release said based on that appropriation, statewide expansion goals include providing coverage to all counties and surpassing 65 percent registration of eligible children.

Currently, 1,517 local children are registered for The Imagination Library, which is 51 percent of eligible youth in the service area. Registration is open at www.imaginationlibrary.com and click on “Check Availability”.

The release said the state funding alleviates some of the anxiety of ensuring that local participation is sustainable. Roseburg Public Library will continue to rely on generous local funders to support the other half of the financial obligation.