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VALLEY — Launched in east Tennessee in 1995, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library distributed approximately 1,700 books in its first year. It has grown a whole lot since then. It’s now sending out more than one million books every month all across the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Each month, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails a high-quality, age-appropriate book to all registered children addressed to them at no cost to the child’s family. Countless parents have shared how excited their child is when a new book arrives each month. Many groups and individuals work hard behind the scenes to make that special moment possible for each child.

Bringing this to Alabama has been a priority for Governor Kay Ivey. The Alabama Department of Education is providing funding for it this year, and the Chambers County Circle of Care Center for Families is coordinating it locally.

Circle of Care case worker Kea Costley talked about this at Wednesday’s noon-hour meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Valley. Thus far, more than 350 local children have benefitted from this program. That’s a pretty good number for the first year, and it could get much bigger than that when more people know about the program and the way it can touch the lives of preschool children.

“We started with a soft launch back in December,” Costley explained. “There had been a lot of interest expressed in doing this before we got involved. Governor Ivey wants it in all 67 counties. It’s a great way to get young children interested in reading at a very young age. The book they receive each month is a very colorful picture book, and they enjoy turning the pages and hearing a family member read it to them. Sometimes it’s a parent and sometimes it’s an older sibling.”

The Circle will be doing some fundraising to help make sure the program can continue after its first year. “We are looking at having a separate website where children can get registered for the next year,” Costley said. “We are getting the word out about this right now. We think it’s a great program. Kids love to get mail with their names on it, and they are so excited to get a new book every month. It’s a simple process to get registered, and it’s gone smoothly so far. We are excited to be taking part in it. We see it as a program everyone can get behind.”

Costley adds that the whole family can benefit when a young child gets a new book they love and it helps instill a lifelong love of reading.

The Circle’s fundraising effort will be geared toward getting the local program through its first five years. “We will be seeking grants,” she said. “Individuals and businesses can help, too. They can sponsor local kids at a low cost. It’s free to the parents. It’s so nice to see a program like this come to fruition.”

Each book that’s mailed out costs around $2. “When you look at it you think it would cost more than that,” Costley said. “They are high-quality books with lots of colorful pictures. There are no controversial topics dealt with. The books are based on family-friendly themes.”

The Circle of Care is nearing its’ thirtieth year of offering family support services in Chambers County. It was founded in 1996 and has turned lots of lives around over that period.

The Circle of Care is a family resource center that provides education, resources and support to help families in the Chambers County and Greater Valley Area become stronger, healthier and happier. Its services are designed to improve the quality of life, ensure safety, and promote the well-being of children to help all families build a bright future for generations to come.