Families in Ripon now have access to a nationally recognized early literacy program that delivers free books directly to children’s homes each month.
Families in Ripon now have access to a nationally recognized early literacy program that delivers free books directly to children’s homes each month.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is now available to all children under the age of five in Ripon and throughout San Joaquin County, giving local families the opportunity to build a home library at no cost. The program mails one free, age-appropriate book every month to enrolled children from birth until their fifth birthday. A child enrolled at birth can receive up to 59 free books by the time they enter kindergarten, helping establish a strong foundation for early learning and reading.
Enrollment is open to all families regardless of income, and parents can choose to receive books in English or bilingual English/Spanish, making the program accessible to a wide range of households in the Ripon community. Families with multiple children under five can sign each child up individually, meaning multiple books can arrive each month, tailored to each child’s age and development.
Books are carefully selected by early childhood experts to match a child’s stage of growth, ensuring appropriate content as they develop language and reading skills. After registering, families should expect their first book to arrive within approximately eight to twelve weeks, with new books continuing to arrive monthly after that.
The program’s expansion into Ripon is made possible through local partnerships, including Read to Me, Stockton!, which serves as the program partner for Stockton and South San Joaquin County, including Ripon. While Dolly Parton’s foundation manages book selection, administration, and distribution, local organizations help fund the cost of books and postage. This model ensures that funds raised locally go directly back into the community to benefit local children.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has grown into a global effort, currently mailing more than 3 million books each month to children in five countries. The program’s mission is to inspire a love of reading and improve early childhood literacy by making books accessible to every child, regardless of their family’s financial situation.
For Ripon families, the program offers a simple but impactful opportunity to support early education at home. Research consistently shows that access to books and reading at an early age plays a critical role in language development, school readiness, and long-term academic success. By delivering books directly to homes, the program encourages families to read together regularly and helps children develop a lifelong love of reading.
Parents and guardians in Ripon can enroll their children by visiting https://imaginationlibrary.com/check-availability/ . For more information, families can also contact the local program partner at info@readtomestockton.org
With Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library now available locally, Ripon families have access to a free, proven resource that supports early literacy and invests in the future of the community—one child at a time.