Gov. Tina Kotek took her pen to House Bill 4022 in Gresham on Thursday, turning the Oregon Imagination Library into an official statewide program and promising a steady stream of free books for young kids across the state. The law is designed to put an age-appropriate book in the mailbox of every child from birth until the month they turn five. Lawmakers, community partners and families packed the ceremonial signing, which wrapped up with First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson reading Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” to the crowd.
Supporters say the moment has been a long time coming. As reported by the Portland Tribune, the signing capped a multi-year push to expand the program across Oregon. Rep. Jules Walters told the paper the initiative “aims for every child in Oregon to love reading,” and the Tribune noted that local partners and officials turned out to celebrate the milestone.
What HB 4022 does
House Bill 4022 formally creates the Oregon Imagination Library Program and directs the Department of Early Learning and Care to run it, according to the enrolled bill. The measure lays out goals that include improving school readiness, boosting third-grade reading proficiency and increasing high-school graduation rates. The enrolled text also spells out state responsibilities for contracting and coordination to keep the monthly book deliveries going over the long term, per the Oregon Legislature.
How the program works
The Imagination Library sends one free, age-appropriate book each month to every registered child from birth until their fifth birthday, with no cost to families. Local affiliates handle on-the-ground outreach and enrollment. The governor’s office has framed the effort as part of broader early-literacy investments that focus on getting books into homes and supporting families before kindergarten, the Governor’s Office notes. Under HB 4022, the Department of Early Learning and Care takes on a formal coordinating role for that statewide rollout.
Milestones and reach
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Oregon recently celebrated a big benchmark, announcing it had mailed its 4 millionth book in the state, a milestone it said came during the statewide expansion. The program traces its roots to Parton’s 1995 launch in Sevier County, where the first book order totaled just over 1,700. It has grown quickly in Oregon since the state began a statewide push in 2024, according to a release from the Imagination Library of Oregon. That release also reports that roughly 35 percent of Oregon children under age five are now enrolled, a figure supporters point to as evidence of rapid growth since the state match program began (Imagination Library of Oregon).
Local partners and funding
Local affiliates remain the backbone of the operation. Groups such as United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, which oversees the program in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties, will keep managing enrollments and outreach in their communities, United Way of the Columbia-Willamette says. Lawmakers previously set aside $1.7 million in 2023 to help administer and expand the Imagination Library statewide, funding that supporters say lets local partners scale up their efforts. The Portland Tribune reported that United Way’s tri-county program had enrolled roughly 15,307 children, illustrating just how many families are already on board.
Why supporters say it matters
Backers lean on a growing body of academic research that links steady access to books and regular shared reading with stronger kindergarten readiness and better reading outcomes later in school. One study that looked at Imagination Library participation and kindergarten readiness found higher readiness among children who received the monthly books, a result advocates highlighted while pushing HB 4022 (Journal of Applied Social Science). With the bill now signed into law, state leaders say the focus shifts to keeping enrollment climbing and connecting families to libraries and other early-learning resources so the free books are just the beginning of kids’ reading journeys.
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