Every child in the City is eligible to receive a free book monthly until their 5th birthday
San Francisco, CA – September 12, 2025 – In a historic expansion of access to early childhood literacy, the City and County of San Francisco today launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL), ensuring that every child under the age of five can receive a free, high-quality, age-appropriate book each month delivered directly to their home. This marks the first time in the program’s thirty-year history that registration forms will be offered in Chinese and, Filipino, in addition to English and Spanish, strengthening San Francisco’s nationwide leadership in equitable access to early learning.
This investment, spearheaded by the San Francisco Department of Early Childhood (DEC) and the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), positions San Francisco as a national leader in early literacy and family support. Backed by more than $1 million from the City and County of San Francisco over five years, a 50% cost match from the California State Library, and an established partnership with The Dollywood Foundation, the program is expected to serve sixty thousand children by 2030 and play a role in expanding kindergarten readiness across the city.
Transforming Early Literacy Across San Francisco
“With Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, every young child in San Francisco will have the chance to experience the joy and power of books. This program strengthens our investment in the next generation of San Franciscans and ensures they have the tools they need to thrive in school,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie.
“The Imagination Library strengthens the fabric of our network of early childhood resources in San Francisco. Every child born in the City deserves to have the best start to life, including being surrounded by books,” said Ingrid Mezquita, Executive Director of the Department of Early Childhood. “By launching the Imagination Library, we are providing the resources necessary for families across our city to access stories that spark imagination, reflect their culture, strengthen family bonds, and build critical early literacy skills.”
“We are proud to help bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to every corner of our city. By delivering free books directly into the hands of our youngest residents, we are nurturing a love of reading from the very beginning,” said Michael Lambert, City Librarian. “This program reflects our deep commitment to literacy and the joy of lifelong learning.”
“The books have quickly become part of our home life in ways I did not expect,” said Shilpen Patel, Imagination Library parent. “My younger son is still discovering the joy of being read to, and he lights up every time a new book arrives in the mail. Together, the monthly deliveries have created a routine we all look forward to. They have given us more than just stories — they have given us shared moments of curiosity, laughter, and connection that I know we will carry with us.”
“These books have helped us instill a love of reading in our daughter. Getting a new and unique book every month has diversified our library and expanded our daughter’s horizon to stories and voices she may not have been exposed to otherwise,” said Thomas Gardner, an Imagination Library parent.
Why Early Literacy Matters
A growing body of research underscores the critical role of literacy development from birth through third grade:
- Vocabulary by Kindergarten. Children who are read to daily during preschool can start kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than their peers who did not get daily reading exposure.
- Proven Results from the Imagination Library. A recent statewide survey of parents involved in the Washington state program found that 76% reported their child is more interested in reading since receiving the monthly books.
By delivering books directly into homes and cultivating daily reading habits, San Francisco’s Imagination Library is addressing the literacy gap at its most critical—and impactful—stage: the very first five years of life.
Program Details and Enrollment
The Imagination Library operates through a simple model: families enroll their children online, literacy experts select age-appropriate books, and the books are mailed directly to families each month until a child’s fifth birthday. Since its launch in 1995, DPIL has distributed 287,502,435 books, and 3,197,250 children have been registered worldwide.
There is no cost to families, no renewals required, and enrollment has been expanded to meet San Francisco’s Language Access Ordinance (LAO) by offering registration in Chinese, Spanish, and Filipino. Books are currently available in English and Spanish,
Broader Early Childhood Commitment and Impact
The Imagination Library launch is part of San Francisco’s larger investment in early childhood services, including expanded access to childcare and targeted strategies to improve kindergarten readiness. DEC’s Impact: Since 2021, San Francisco’s kindergarten readiness for incoming students has improved by 10 percentage points, reaching the highest overall rate in over a decade at 68%. By offering thousands of families the chance to build home libraries, the City is continuing to enhance the foundation of early education and ensure all our children are ready for kindergarten and beyond.
Families can enroll online through DEC, the Sparkler app, or at any SFPL branch. Enrollment information can be found at all San Francisco Public Library branches and online through the Department of Early Childhood, the Sparkler technology app, and the San Francisco Public Library website: https://sfpl.org/kids/educators/early-literacy-kids. Families can also enroll by visiting imaginationlibrary.com/check-availability/.
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, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization, has gifted over 280 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. This is achieved through funding shared by The Dollywood Foundation and Local Community Partners. In California, the Imagination Library is also supported by a 50% State Match, administered through the California State Library.
The Imagination Library mails more than 3 million high-quality, age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes each month. Each child enrolled in the program receives one book per month from birth to age five – at no cost to families. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading and inspiring children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More.
The program’s impact has been widely researched, and results demonstrate its positive impact on
early childhood development and literacy skills. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com
About the San Francisco Department of Early Childhood
The San Francisco Department of Early Childhood works to ensure that all children in San Francisco have access to high-quality early care and education programs that support their healthy development and growth. DEC integrates crucial developmental and family support services into our network of early childhood services to provide a coordinated system of care for San Francisco’s youngest children from birth to age five.
About the San Francisco Public Library
The San Francisco Public Library system comprises the Main Library and 27 neighborhood branches, serving the diverse communities of San Francisco with books, programs, and digital resources for learners of all ages.