WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Dolly Parton’s free library for young kids is another casualty of budget cuts in Olympia.

The Imagination Library says the state’s operating budget does not include funding to expand its free literacy program.

The program was founded by Dolly Parton in 1995 and offers a free book every month for children up to five years old. Its Washington branch was established in 2022 and currently serves more than 120,000 kids across the state.

The library’s leaders say it needs $2 million in public fundraising to continue mailing kids their monthly books past June.

The Imagination Library has one local program with United Way of Whatcom County and several other partners in Skagit and San Juan counties.