Author: Katie Welch, Ph.D., Literacy Texas Executive Director
As my two sons get older, I find myself periodically sorting through their outgrown clothes, toys, and, yes, even occasionally their books. This summer, we were doing one such cleanout, and I was struck by how many of the books I was sorting through had a mailing label from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Although my boys are both teenagers now, I still remember the joy of checking the mail when they were little and discovering what new title had been sent to us that month.
Surrounded by a stack of books, I recalled fond memories of rocking with my babies and reading to them. Some of the books I still have memorized because we read them so often!
Those sweet babies became squirmy toddlers and then talkative preschoolers, but even as they grew, one constant remained: Dolly’s books.
As we collectively grieve the passing of beloved literacy champion Dolly Parton, I am struck by how one person could make such a lasting impact on children’s literacy.
By now, her story has been well told. Her father, while a very intelligent man with a lot of “horse sense,” as she called it, never had the opportunity to learn to read and write. Dolly wanted to make sure others in her community did not suffer the same fate.
So, in 1995, she decided to use her earnings to make a difference, establishing the Imagination Library in her home county in East Tennessee. What began as a local effort ultimately grew to distribute more than 330 million books to children around the world.
What a precious gift to those families—including mine!
While Dolly’s work inspires us, it also reminds us that there is still so much work to be done.
As of 2026, Texas ranks 40th out of 50 for adult literacy. The adult literacy rate in our state is 81%, with 19% of adults lacking basic prose literacy skills.
That’s nearly 1 in 5 adults in Texas who need literacy education! And yet, federal funds only serve about 3% of that need. Tens of thousands of Texans are on waiting lists for basic education in any given year.
These statistics should sober us and, like Dolly, should also move us to act.
At Literacy Texas, we aim to help bridge the gap for the 97% of Texans whose needs are not being met through federally funded programs. We support adult education programs across the state that do not receive federal dollars—programs run by libraries, churches, and nonprofits.
Our belief is simple: if we strengthen the quality of these community-based programs, we can help ensure that all Texans have access to excellent instruction in ESL, GED, adult literacy, and citizenship classes.
Many of these programs are taught by volunteer teachers and funded solely through the generosity of fellow Texans. That’s why Literacy Texas, in partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission, provides free training to equip these teachers and program administrators with the tools they need to offer engaging instruction and build strong, sustainable programs.
The research is clear: a parent’s literacy level is one of the strongest predictors of a child’s educational success. And while putting children’s books into homes is a wonderful start, we must also ensure that the parents who retrieve those books from the mailbox have the skills and confidence to open them, read them, and share them with their children.
Dolly once said, “The seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”
I love that image of planting seeds. Dolly planted millions of them. One book, one mailbox, one child at a time. My own family was fortunate enough to receive some of those seeds, and years later, the books stacked in my house are a tangible reminder of just how far one person’s decision to act can reach.
Here in Texas, there are still millions of adults—and millions of families—whose futures can be changed through literacy. We may not all have Dolly’s platform or resources, but we can follow her example.
We can teach a class.
Volunteer with a local program.
Advocate for literacy.
Support the organizations doing this work.
Or simply recognize that adult literacy is not only about changing one person’s life. Its impact reaches into homes, workplaces, communities, and ultimately the next generation.
Dolly showed us what can happen when we see a literacy need and decide to do something about it.
May we keep planting seeds, Texas!
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