Colorado Celebrates 2 Million Free Books Delivered Through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Governor Polis Leads Celebration By Delivering New Books and Reading to Local Preschoolers
DENVER – Today, Governor Jared Polis, Llama Llama (of Red Pajama fame), and the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) delivered the 2 millionth book through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library at Westwood Early Learning Center. The program, launched by Dolly Parton in 1995 and expanded to Colorado in 2020, mails free, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age 5 every month.
“Books are our windows into the world, and access to literature for children is a great way to improve reading, and inspire the next generation of poets, authors, and literary geniuses. I am excited to just a year later be delivering the 2 millionth book to Colorado children, thanks to Dolly’s successful Imagination Library initiative,” said Governor Polis.
“Early literacy is critical for a child’s cognitive development,” said Dr. Lisa Roy, executive director of the CDEC. “By fostering a love of reading early on, we set children up for lifelong success. This milestone marks a gateway to endless possibilities.”
Gov. Polis signed SB20-185 in July 2020, establishing the program statewide and expanding support for children in all Colorado ZIP codes with 30 programs covering portions of all 64 counties.
  “In celebrating this milestone, we proudly recognize the dedication and efforts of over 55 community-based organizations all across Colorado that collaborate with us to ensure every young child in the state has access to books,” said Jack Tate, President and CEO of the Imagination Library of Colorado. “Championing early literacy is truly a statewide effort.” In 2024, Gov. Polis signed HB24-1205, transferring program operations to the CDEC and enabling partnerships with eligible nonprofits to procure more books and expand the program's reach.
As of March 2025, 27 percent of eligible children statewide are receiving Imagination Library books each month. This equates to 84,609 books mailed in March alone, with 13,537 containing Spanish/English content. Since the program began in Colorado in November 2021, over 2 million books have been mailed to children across the state.
"This is an amazing and incredibly generous program," said one participating parent. "Not only have these books helped my child’s speech and literacy development, they have brought us all closer together as a family.” Another parent added, “We love getting bilingual books – it allows more members of our family to read to our little one."
During the event, attendees also honored Dolly Parton and her family, remembering her husband, Carl Dean, who passed away on Monday.
Governor Polis, CDEC, and Imagination Library Colorado encourage all families with children ages 5 or younger to participate in the program. To learn more or sign up, visit the Colorado Imagination Library website at imaginationlibrarycolorado.org.
A collection of testimonials from parents across Colorado about the positive impact of the program is available here.
About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation has gifted well over 200 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. The Imagination Library mails more than 2.0 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading, inspiring them to dream. The impact of the program has been widely researched and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. While the cost of the books is paid for by CDEC matched by private sources, The Dollywood Foundation provides the program and its administration. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.
About the Imagination Library of Colorado
The Imagination Library of Colorado is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, who is the statewide partner of The Dollywood Foundation and its flagship program, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Funding for the Imagination Library of Colorado and program books comes from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood matched by private sources. The mission of the Imagination Library of Colorado is to increase literacy by ensuring all young children across the state may participate in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library through the development, promotion, growth, and ongoing support of Imagination Library programs in all 64 counties.
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