UPDATES ON IMAGINATION LIBRARY FOR YAKIMA AND KITTITAS COUNTIES
We know many families have questions after receiving the recent letter regarding the closure of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) in Yakima and Kittitas Counties. If you have not yet read the full announcement, you may do so here: DPIL ANNOUNCEMENT.
This decision was made with tremendous sadness and after extensive efforts to secure sustainable funding for the program locally.
While many people understandably believe the program is fully funded nationally, local affiliates are responsible for covering the direct costs of purchasing books, mailing them to children each month, and administering the program within their communities. Since launching in Yakima County in 2021 and Kittitas County in 2022, DPIL has served thousands of children across Central Washington.
To date:
- Yakima County has served 6,397 active enrolled children and celebrated 4,228 graduates of the program.
- Kittitas County has served 939 active enrolled children and celebrated 646 graduates.
Currently, the program costs an estimated $213,423 annually to operate across Yakima and Kittitas Counties, including approximately $186,221 in Yakima County and $27,202 in Kittitas County each year.
At this precise moment, there are also more than 200 additional children on a waitlist to be added to the DPIL database in Central Washington — a clear reflection of the tremendous demand for and belief in this program throughout our communities.
As difficult as this decision is, it was made not only by looking at the needs of today, but also by honestly evaluating what the future would require to sustainably operate the program long-term. The reality is that the current annual cost of nearly a quarter of a million dollars would only continue to rise as enrollment grows, operational expenses increase, and book and mailing costs continue to climb.
This was not a decision made because of one difficult funding year. Rather, it is the result of prolonged challenges securing the level of sustainable community investment necessary to fully fund the initiative year after year. Even if a temporary stopgap, one-time gift, or short-term funding solution could have extended the program briefly, it would ultimately only delay an outcome we could already see approaching without a sustainable long-term funding structure in place.
Like many nonprofits and community programs across Washington State, United Way Central Washington (UWCW) and our programming have been significantly impacted by rising costs and declining funding support. Despite outreach to partners, funders, businesses, governments, and public agencies, the long-term funding necessary to sustain DPIL locally was not secured.
We recognize this news is upsetting for many families. It is deeply upsetting to our team as well. We are incredibly grateful to every parent, caregiver, child, donor, volunteer, and community supporter who helped make this program possible for so many years.
Families who would like to share feedback, experiences, or thoughts regarding the closure of the program are encouraged to complete our feedback form here: FEEDBACK FORM.
UWCW will compile and share community feedback with the Washington State Legislature and The Dollywood Foundation as part of broader conversations surrounding early literacy funding and the future sustainability of programs like DPIL in Washington communities.
Families seeking additional family, early learning, food, housing, childcare, or community resources can also connect with local services through 211 Washington.
Above all, thank you. Thank you to every family, child, donor, volunteer, and partner who helped make DPIL part of our Central Washington community. We are deeply grateful for your support, your advocacy, and your understanding as we navigate this incredibly difficult decision. The joy, connection, and love of reading this program created in the lives of thousands of local children will not be forgotten.