Education (Libraries)

SB 34 proposes creating the Imagination Library of Alabama Program, which would provide free age-appropriate books monthly to children aged birth to five in participating counties through Dolly Parton's existing Imagination Library program. The bill requires Alabama's Department of Early Childhood Education to coordinate with a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization to administer the program, matching local funding at 50% to cover book costs. It establishes a special fund for donations, grants, and state appropriations to support the initiative, with funds not expiring annually. The program would directly affect Alabama children and local communities by delivering books to homes at no cost to families while requiring local partners to contribute matching funds.

SB 168 prohibits Alabama public K-12 schools from using the "three-cueing system" (which teaches reading through meaning, sentence structure, and visual cues) for foundational reading skills like decoding and word recognition. Instead, it requires all reading materials and teacher training to use evidence-based "structured literacy" methods focused on phonics, phonemic awareness, and systematic instruction. The law applies to textbooks, instructional materials, and educator preparation programs, banning visual memory strategies for word recognition while allowing context and vocabulary support for comprehension. It takes effect for the 2026-2027 school year, with violations requiring public notification by the State Board of Education.

HB 50 would create the Imagination Library of Alabama Program to provide free monthly books to children aged birth to five in participating counties. The state program would coordinate with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, requiring the Department of Early Childhood Education to contribute 50% of the program's costs (with local partners matching the other 50%). This directly affects Alabama families with young children in participating areas, as it provides books at no cost to families while establishing a state fund to accept donations and manage funding. The bill requires the state to adopt rules for administration and publicly report program enrollment and impact annually.