Cy-Fair Helping Hands partners with 2 programs to boost children's literacy

Cy-Fair Helping Hands is partnering with two programs dedicated to improving literacy, supporting children’s education and making books accessible to children who need them most in northwest Harris County.

Both Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and Barkley’s Bookshelf share a common goal of promoting literacy and supporting children’s educational growth by providing free books, especially to underserved communities.

“Education is a key tool in breaking the cycle of poverty, and children who love to read perform better in school overall,” CFHH Executive Director Janet Ryan said in a news release.

In a nutshell

Launched in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library aims to deliver high-quality, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age 5, with books sent to their homes at no cost to their families.

“Those first five years of life are some of the most crucial years for learning in a person’s lifetime,” Ryan said in a news release. “This initiative will connect low-income families to resources their children will need for lifelong success.”

Funding for this program comes from the Weekley Family YMCA and the Imagination Library program, according to the news release.

“This program complements our programs to assist students in CFISD and our scholarships for Lone Star College,” Ryan said in the news release. “We believe strongly in helping everyone have access to a good education, setting them up for success in the future.”

Additionally, Barkley’s Bookshelf partners with individuals, organizations and businesses to collect and distribute free books to children from birth through high school in underserved neighborhoods, fostering a love of reading through book ownership.

Also of note

Barkley’s Bookshelf will launch its 2025 Summer Reading Program in June, offering five new books, a bookmark and a tote bag to children in pre-K through fifth grade. Young readers can choose from 30 popular titles, including bilingual options, and receive the books they want for the summer, according to a Feb. 26 news release.

Registration to join the program opens to CFHH clients April 1-30. According to a news release, books will be mailed to participants in mid-June.

The goal of the 2025 Summer Reading Program is to provide reading materials to areas where residents face challenges in obtaining books from local libraries, according to the news release.

How we got here

Cy-Fair Helping Hands, founded in 2010, was established to support individuals experiencing homelessness in Cy-Fair and help them achieve self-sufficiency.

Additional initiatives include:

• Offering temporary housing or shelter for individuals or families in need
• Scholarships for students
• Homeless outreach and day shelter
• Programs for homeless students
• Events and programs during holidays and at back-to-school time