Funds for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Jim Burgin and 3 co-sponsors

NC funds Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library with $1.5M annually (2025–27) to mail free books to enrolled NC children through DHHS and the Partnership for Children.

Passed 1st Reading

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Main purpose

Provide recurring state funding to support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in North Carolina — an early‑literacy program that mails age‑appropriate books monthly to enrolled children — by channeling funds through the NC Partnership for Children via the Department of Health and Human Services.

Key provisions

Appropriation: $1,500,000 in recurring General Fund dollars for each year of the 2025–2027 fiscal biennium.

Recipient / flow of funds: Funds are appropriated to the NC Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education, to be allocated to the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., for use by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Program description (in bill): Imagination Library mails age‑appropriate books to registered children on a monthly basis.

Effective date: The act takes effect July 1, 2025.

Who is affected

Primary beneficiaries: Young children in North Carolina who are enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (increased capacity and sustainability of monthly book delivery).

Program operator: North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. (responsible for program deployment/administration of these funds).

State agency: NC DHHS — Division of Child Development and Early Education (receives appropriation and oversees allocation).

State budget: General Fund appropriation increases recurring obligations for the biennium.

Fiscal/timeline notes

Annual amount: $1.5 million per fiscal year (FY 2025–26 and FY 2026–27). Over the two‑year biennium the appropriation totals $3.0 million (assuming no legislative adjustments).

Recurring designation: The bill describes the funds as recurring for each year of the biennium; future fiscal impact beyond the biennium depends on subsequent budget actions.

Potential impacts and considerations

Expected outcomes: Expanded or sustained mailing of free, age‑appropriate books to registered children — supporting early literacy, school readiness, family engagement in reading.

Administrative use: The Partnership for Children will administer funds; details on allowable costs, performance targets, or reporting requirements are not specified in the bill text provided.

Budgetary impact: Adds recurring General Fund expenditure pressure. The bill does not specify offsetting revenue or reductions elsewhere.

Implementation considerations: Effective program oversight would benefit from metrics (children served, geographic reach, cost per child, literacy impact measures) and clarity on allowable administrative expenses, eligibility, and reporting to DHHS or the legislature.

If you’d like, I can:
- Draft suggested performance measures or reporting language that the administering agencies could use;
- Estimate per‑child funding capacity based on typical Imagination Library costs; or
- Prepare a short memo on likely implementation challenges for county partners.

Bill