PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Washington, a program that sends children free books across the state, is warning the program could “crumble” amid budget talks in the state legislature.

Dolly Parton started the Imagination Library in 1995, taking inspiration from her father who could not read or write.

Under the program, the library sends children from birth to age five a free book every month, giving children a chance to expand early learning skills while developing stronger bonds with loved ones who read with them.

The program has sent over 270 million books to children around the world, and currently serves over 120,000 kids in Washington state.

After starting in two counties in the state, the Imagination Library expanded statewide in 2022 under House Bill 2068 -- creating the first Imagination Library on the West Coast and the 11th Imagination Library in the nation.

Now, the program is facing an uncertain future, Imagination Library of Washington's Executive Director Brooke Fisher-Clark told KOIN 6 News.

Half of the library's funding model relies on state funds and the state previously provided funding through one-time dollars under former Governor Jay Inslee. Inslee's last budget proposal in December, before leaving office, did not propose continuing the library's funding into the new biennium, according to current Gov. Bob Ferguson's office.

In February, Gov. Ferguson released a budget proposal which would make $4 billion in budget cuts amid a funding shortfall, and did not address funding for the Imagination Library, leaving the library's future uncertain.

“(The Imagination Library) was not included in the governor’s original budget that was presented,” Fisher-Clark said. “We know that the Washington legislature is facing a tough budget year, and we hope that they’ll continue to maintain that commitment that they made with House Bill 2068 by sustaining the Imagination Library funding, which helps to support the cost of the books and shipping to enrolled children and for future children to be able to register.”

The Imagination Library of Washington is requesting $7 million from the biannual budget. Without that funding, Fisher-Clark said, "it would really cause the statewide program to crumble.”

“We have 46 local program partners that are nonprofits that operate this in all parts of our state, and they really are the ones that provide the service locally to their children. It would cause them to not be able to sustain it financially,” the executive director said.

Highlighting the importance of the program, Fisher-Clark explained that sending free books to children helps prepare them for K-12 and beyond.

“It helps to prepare children for kindergarten and for that K-12 journey and it really enhances family bonds,” Fisher-Clark said. “It’s really critical, that birth to five age range, for brain development with all of those neurons doing their work to shape that child and prepare them for their future.”

“It really covers all the areas of what we look at for what creates a thriving, healthy human being in terms of health, education and the economic mobility," she added.

HB 2068 was passed in the Washington legislature with bipartisan support, led by Washington Rep. Monica Stonier (D-Vancouver) and Rep. Peter Abbarno (R-Centralia), who says he's advocating for the state to continue funding the program.

“My children were part of the Imagination Library in Lewis County and one of the first iterations of the program was in Cowlitz County and Lewis County, and so we got them signed up really early on," Rep. Abbarno told KOIN 6 News.

“It was amazing to have a monthly book that the kids got really excited for that created family time. It’s all about building bonds too. Reading with your kids just builds really strong bonds,” Abbarno said.

“When I had the opportunity to get elected to the legislature, when they were expanding the Imagination Library statewide, they, early on, asked me if I would help out with the bill that helped create that Imagination Library of Washington, and I was in 100%," Abbarno said.

“I hear from families in my neighborhood now, ‘I have young grandkids and they’re members of the Imagination Library and they all love the program,’” Abbarno said. “It has grown in not only the number of people accessing books zero to five, but in the kind of books, the culturally appropriate books, the books that are in Spanish – it’s just grown in a way that’s being more inclusive to more families and again, it’s just about making sure kids develop their brains, their imagination early on.”

“And you know, parents who read the books, they get excited too, because I think any of us who are in our 40s remember the little Scholastic books we used to order when we were little kids and how excited we were when they used to come monthly. This is just a program that’s almost automatic, like that," Abbarno added.

Abbarno -- who serves as assistant ranking member of the House Capital Budget Committee -- tells KOIN 6 he wants to see continued state funding for the program.

“I’m a supporter of the library and supportive of funding the library because when you invest in kids zero to five, you’re investing in their future education, their future success. We know that there are way too many children who are entering kindergarten and they’re not kindergarten ready. This program gets kids kindergarten ready, gets them prepared for school and I think it has lifelong implications. It most certainly will improve K-12 education when you’re investing in children and families earlier and earlier,” Abbarno said. “I’ve advocated for funding the program and continue to communicate that with my colleagues.”

So far in the budget process, the Capital budget, transportation budget and operating budget are all in development, Abbarno said.

“Right now, they’re looking at cuts across the board,” the District 20 representative explained. “I don’t think education and early learning, things like the Imagination Library, are investments that I don’t think we should kick out because of the impact they have for our children right away. Every time you kick out something like early learning or childcare, or the Imagination Library, it sets our kids further back and when we want a high-quality education, we have to prioritize that and prioritizing that makes the most sense.”

“My district is from South Thurston County all the way into the City of Vancouver, so it’s a huge district…We’re in a desert and we need to focus on the best investments for our families and our kids and I think childcare and early learning are among the best investments we can make," Abbarno added. “When I’m out in the community, there’s a number of top issues. Early learning and childcare is absolutely one of the top issues that people are struggling with.”

While it's unclear if Washington's Imagination Library will receive state funding so far, Fisher-Clark told KOIN 6 she's hopeful funding will flow to the program, explaining, “We were very grateful that it was included in the past biennium budget. And in the 30-year history…(Imagination Library programs) have never lost any state funding, so we are hopeful that Washington is not the first.”