Dollywood launching program to give employees free college education

Dolly Parton’s signature Tennessee theme park and resort, Dollywood, has announced a new program to help employees further their education.

Dollywood's operating partner, Herschend Enterprises, is piloting a program that will pay for 100 percent of tuition, fees and books for employees who decide to pursue higher education, according to the Dollywood website.

The program, which is named GROW U and launches Feb. 24, will be open to all team members on the first day of their employment and applies to employees at all levels, including those who are part-time, full-time and seasonal.

It will be available to all 11,000 employees across Herschend's 25 attractions, including The Harlem Globetrotters, Missouri's Silver Dollar City, New Jersey's Adventure Aquarium and Georgia's Wild Adventures, according to a press release.

This is the latest education-focused enterprise Parton has embarked on over the course of her decades-long career. Notably, she previously launched the Imagination Library, which provides free books to children under the age of 5.

Most recently, Parton donated $1 million to research at Vanderbilt University which led to the creation of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine.