The Villa Park Public Library has announced that registration for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library will officially open on Saturday, September 26, 2026. The Imagination Library is available at no cost to all Villa Park and Oakbrook Terrace residents residing in the 60181 zip code with children from birth up to age five.
“I am thrilled to be launching this program in the community! Reaching children in the first few years of life to connect them with books they can call their own is truly a huge step forward. Books, reading, and early literacy resources for families are crucial—they create a foundation for education, and provide a set of invaluable tools that children can put to use as they move through the world,” said Jean Jansen, Head of Youth Services at The Villa Park Public Library.
Local families interested in registering can do so in person at the library or online by visiting https://imaginationlibrary.com/check-availability/.
About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Launched in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is the world’s leading early childhood book-gifting program and the flagship initiative of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since its founding, the program has gifted more than 300 million free books to children across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland.
Each month, the Imagination Library mails over 3 million high-quality, age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes. Every enrolled child receives one book per month from birth to age five, at no cost to families.
Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly created the Imagination Library in her hometown of Sevier County, Tennessee, to inspire a love of reading from the earliest years. In true Dolly fashion, she soon shared that dream with other communities that wanted to give their children the same opportunity to Dream More, Learn More, Care More, and Be More.
The program is made possible through the continued support of Dolly’s Estate and The Dollywood Foundation, which invest in the partnerships, resources and systems that empower thousands of Local Program Partners. These partners build awareness and provide the funding needed to cover the wholesale cost of the books and mailing for children in their communities. Together, this unique partnership helps place books into the homes—and hearts—of millions of children around the world.
The Imagination Library’s impact has been widely studied, with research consistently showing positive effects on early childhood development, kindergarten readiness, and family reading habits.
For more information, visit imaginationlibrary.com.
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