Imagination Library of Denver

The single most important indicator of a child's success in school is how many books is in a child's home before they start kindergarten. For only $30 a year, you can provide 12 books to a child in Denver. $100 supports 50 children for 1 month. Donate today!

Children who participate in Imagination Library of Denver receive one brand new book every month until they turn 5 - all free to families. All books are age-appropriate, most are printed with reading tips for parents, and nearly 20% are bilingual Spanish & English or have Spanish language content. 

A new study from Annie E. Casey reports that 10% fewer Denver Children are enrolled in preschool than in 2020. In Denver Public Schools, 60% of children are enrolled in Free and Reduced Lunch, and 60% of Denver 3rd graders aren't reading at grade level. Third grade is a pivotal milestone for a child's success in high school - until third -grade a child is learning to read, but after it's entirely reading to learn.  

But Imagination Library can help. Early education is the path out of generational poverty, and literacy is the handrail.

Developing literacy begins at birth. By the age of three, a child’s brain is already 80% developed, and, by the time a child enters kindergarten, they must already know thousands of words in order to succeed in the classroom⁽¹⁾. Reading aloud to a child and giving them access to books is the best way to ensure they are prepared to enter kindergarten.

Through our partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, we are working to send every child in Denver from birth to age five a new book each month. Research has shown that a child with 25 books in their home complete an average of two additional years of schooling compared to their peers without books in their home⁽²⁾. Our goal is that every kindergartener begins school with 60 books in their home.

We could not do this work without partners like you. Together, we will ensure that all Denver children can have the gift of literacy to succeed in school and beyond.

Testimonials

"My son absolutely loves his Dolly Books & I can see them helping to facilitate a love of reading. A recent book, "I Just Want to Say Goodnight' made him jump out of bed with excitement. When he recognized himself in the character and opened up a whole new way to enjoy reading." Rachel

"A mis hijos les encanta recibir sus libros todos los meses. Soy el padre de dos chicas jóvenes y leer es algo divertido que podemos hacer para pasar tiempo juntos. Los libros que han recibido son una maravillosa mezcla de libros clásicos, libros con los que puede que no hayamos estado familiarizados, ¡e incluso libros bilingües! Gracias por este programa tan especial" F. Flores