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Colorado's Imagination Library Reaches 3 Million Books — and the Milestone Was Celebrated Right Here in Colorado Springs

Published September 2, 2026
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Colorado's Imagination Library just hit a remarkable milestone: 3 million books delivered to Colorado children since the program launched in the state. Governor Jared Polis handed out the milestone copy at the Early Connections location on Rio Grande Street in Colorado Springs — choosing this city to mark a moment that belongs to every family across the state.

If you're not already enrolled, here's why it matters — and how to sign up in minutes.

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What Is the Imagination Library?

The Imagination Library of Colorado is a free book gifting program that mails one age-appropriate, high-quality book each month to enrolled children from birth through their first day of kindergarten. The program is funded through a combination of state investment and local partners — families pay nothing.

The books arrive in the mail addressed to the child, which is part of what makes the program work: it's consistent, it's visible, and it treats reading as a normal part of a child's life from the very beginning. Research consistently shows that exposure to books in early childhood — before kids can even read themselves — builds the vocabulary, comprehension, and school-readiness skills that stay with them for years.

The Scale of What Colorado Has Built

More than 89,000 Colorado children now receive a book through the Imagination Library every month. That represents 26% of all children in the state between the ages of zero and five — more than one in four Colorado kids.

New in 2026, the program began offering bilingual Spanish/English book options for all interested families. So far this year, 18,491 bilingual books have been mailed to Colorado families. For households where Spanish is a primary or shared language, this makes the program's reach meaningfully broader.

Colorado Springs Connection

Governor Polis chose to mark the 3 millionth book milestone at the Early Connections program location on Rio Grande Street in Colorado Springs — a community early childhood hub that works directly with families in the area. It's a reminder that programs like this exist because of local infrastructure: the people and organizations in Colorado Springs who connect families to resources they might not find on their own.

How to Enroll Your Child

Detail Information
Cost Free — no income requirement
Eligibility Children from birth through kindergarten start
What you receive One free, age-specific book mailed each month
Bilingual option Spanish/English bilingual books available upon request
How to enroll imaginationlibrarycolorado.org

Enrollment takes just a few minutes online. There is no income threshold, no eligibility screening — any family with a child under kindergarten age in Colorado can sign up.

What's Next

If your child is already enrolled, the books will keep coming. If they're not yet enrolled, the milestone celebration in Colorado Springs is a good reminder to check imaginationlibrarycolorado.org and get them on the list.

Three million books is a number. What it represents is three million moments when a Colorado child sat with a caregiver and looked at a book together — moments that build brains, build bonds, and build the lifelong habit of reading. Colorado Springs was part of making that happen, and it can keep being part of what comes next.


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