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February 10, 2022

Dollywood launching program to give employees free college education

WATCH: Dolly Parton’s Dollywood says it will pay tuition for all employees

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

PHOTO: Dolly Parton attends We Are Family Foundation honors Dolly Parton & Jean Paul Gaultier at Hammerstein Ballroom on Nov. 05, 2019 in New York City.
John Lamparski/Getty Images, FILE
Dolly Parton attends We Are Family Foundation honors Dolly Parton & Jean Paul Gaultier at Hammerstein Ballroom on Nov. 05, 2019 in New York City.

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