For families with young children, a book in the mailbox each month can add up to a full home library. And a full home library can up to a eager, excited young reader and better child literacy levels for Washington.
That’s why this month, Seattle-based Page Ahead Children’s Literacy Program announced a new partnership with the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Washington in King and Spokane counties, restoring full access to the free book program in both counties.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails children a free, age-appropriate book every month from birth to age 5. There is no income requirement and no charge to families.
A child enrolled at birth could receive as many as 60 books by age 5.
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Page Ahead has been putting books into Washington children’s hands since 1990. During the 2025–26 school year alone, the organization distributed 238,695 books to 22,561 children at 138 sites across 15 Washington counties. Page Ahead
“Page Ahead was founded 36 years ago to give books to kids, and every child deserves the chance to build a home library of their own,” Executive Director Susan Dibble said in announcing the partnership.
Getting books to young children matters
The new partnership comes as Seattle schools continue to grapple with substantial gaps in literacy achievement.
In spring 2025, 62.6% of Seattle Public Schools third graders met the state’s English language arts standard. But results varied widely among groups of students: 34% of students receiving free or reduced-price meals met the standard, along with 30.9% of Black students, 38% of Hispanic/Latino students, 28.7% of English language learners and 39.9% of students with disabilities.
Those numbers measure English language arts proficiency, not reading ability alone. Still, the results show significant differences in literacy achievement by the time Seattle children reach third grade.
Access to books is part of that picture. Page Ahead says nearly 22,000 Seattle children live in what the organization calls “book deserts” — neighborhoods where children have limited access to books at home and in their communities.
Page Ahead’s other programs address that problem in different ways, including giving children books to keep, stocking free neighborhood book libraries and working with families and young children on reading. The Imagination Library partnership adds another route: books delivered directly to a child’s home.
Imagination Library reaches 85,000 Washington kids
Parton created the Imagination Library in Tennessee in 1995. What started as a local effort eventually spread across the United States and to other countries.
n Washington, about 85,000 children currently receive an Imagination Library book each month, representing about 19% of the state’s birth-to-5 population, according to Imagination Library of Washington. The organization says 4.85 million books have been delivered to Washington children since the program arrived in the state in 2005.
King County alone has a large pool of children who could participate. Imagination Library of Washington reported in late 2025 that more than 15,000 King County children were receiving books each month while another 105,000 were eligible but not enrolled.
The program’s Washington funding has been bumpy over the past couple of years. State funding was left out of the 2025–27 biennial budget, putting book deliveries for thousands of children at risk. Imagination Library of Washington announced in July that philanthropic support had allowed it to restore service for about 40,000 children whose books had been interrupted. Imagination Library Washington
Page Ahead is now listed as a local program partner for both King and Spokane counties. Imagination Library Washington
“We are beyond thrilled to have full Imagination Library book service available across King and Spokane counties once again,” Brooke Fisher-Clark, executive director of Imagination Library of Washington, said in announcing the partnership.
Sign up for free books
Families in King and Spokane counties can enroll children from birth to age 5. The program is free to families and is supported through a combination of public and private funding. Check availability and enroll through Imagination Library of Washington
