ABCmouse Free With a Library Card: At Home or Only at the Library
ABCmouse, the early learning site for young children, comes through public libraries in two ways: a free library version that only works inside the library, and a Home Access account you check out with your library card. ABCmouse's own check-out page lists the libraries that offer home access. Use the finder below to see if yours is one of them and what the check-out involves.
Is your library on ABCmouse's home access list?
Choose your state, or type part of your library's name. The list comes from ABCmouse's own Home Access check-out page, read September 27, 2026, and adds what a few libraries say on their own pages.
Two ways libraries offer ABCmouse
Libraries give families ABCmouse in one of two forms, and several we checked offer both:
- In the library only. A library version runs on library computers or inside library buildings. ABCmouse's own library account page tells visitors to visit their local library to use ABCmouse.com for free. Louisville Free Public Library marks it in-library use only, Denver Public Library says it is available in any Denver Public Library, and OC Public Libraries says it only works inside a branch.
- Home Access with a library card. ABCmouse runs a check-out page where you create an ABCmouse Home Access account through your library. DC Public Library says ABCmouse can be used in the library or at home, and St. Louis County Library and Detroit Public Library list a home version next to an in-library one.
Detroit shows how the two differ. Its ABCmouse at Home needs a library card and starts with a "Check Out Account" button, while its ABCmouse Library Edition works only on computers at Detroit Public Library locations.
How the Home Access check-out works
St. Louis County Library gives the clearest instructions: on the ABCmouse page, choose Missouri as your state and St. Louis County Library as your library, then enter your library card number and PIN. The first time, you provide an email address and create a password. DC Public Library describes the same first visit and adds that you then add your children and can complete an optional assessment.
ABCmouse's form asks for your state, your library, your library card number and your library PIN or password, and some libraries ask for your last name instead. A few details from the messages built into that page are worth knowing before you start:
- Accounts can run out. The page can say that all ABCmouse.com accounts are currently checked out and to check back soon, and it mentions a waitlist and reserved accounts confirmed by email.
- One at a time. It stops you if you already have an account checked out.
- No paid account at the same time. It says you may not use your library's home check-out system with an active ABCmouse.com account.
- Some libraries use their own page. ABCmouse marks 42 of the 232 listed library systems as using their own check-out page, so start from that library's website.
- Card trouble goes to your library. If your card number or PIN is refused, the page tells you to contact your library.
What your child gets
Libraries describe ABCmouse for children about 2 to 8: DC says 2 to 8+, Long Beach 2 to 8, St. Louis County 2 to 8+ and Denver 2 to 7. St. Louis County counts more than 10,000 learning activities across reading, math, science, social studies, art and music, and says home access includes the Assessment Center, which builds lessons around skills the assessments flag. Long Beach notes audio in English and Spanish, and DC points to Spanish activities.
One home account can cover a family. DC Public Library says a home account can be shared by up to three children in a household, each with their own avatar, profile and progress on the Step-by-Step Learning Path. Long Beach says to contact ABCmouse support to add more than three children.
For more free learning on the same card, see our guides to library programs for kids and summer reading at the library.
Libraries on ABCmouse's home access list, by state
ABCmouse's Home Access page listed 354 library locations on September 27, 2026. We grouped branches of the same system together, which gives 232 library systems in 36 states and the District of Columbia. California has the most, with 39 systems, followed by New York's 29.
| State | Library systems | Including |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 | Boaz Public Library, Cullman County Public Library System |
| Arizona | 1 | Surprise Public Library |
| Arkansas | 1 | Fort Smith Public Library |
| California | 39 | San Francisco Public Library, Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library |
| Colorado | 4 | Aurora Public Library, Mesa County Libraries |
| Connecticut | 2 | Bridgeport Public Library, Mansfield Public Library |
| District of Columbia | 1 | DC Public Library |
| Florida | 10 | Palm Beach County, Indian River County |
| Georgia | 11 | Athens Regional Library System, Clayton County Library System |
| Idaho | 1 | Latah County Library District |
| Illinois | 22 | Mississippi Valley Library District, Alsip-Merrionette Park Public Library |
| Indiana | 13 | Anderson Public Library, Bartholomew County Public Library |
| Iowa | 3 | Cedar Rapids Public Library, Pleasant Hill Public Library |
| Kansas | 2 | Manhattan Public Library, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library |
| Kentucky | 7 | Bullitt County Public Library, Hancock County Public Library |
| Louisiana | 6 | East Baton Rouge Parish Library, Jefferson Parish Library |
| Maryland | 5 | Anne Arundel County Public Library, Cecil County Public Library |
| Massachusetts | 6 | Medford Public Library, Nevins Public Library |
| Michigan | 7 | Chippewa River District Library System, Detroit Public Library |
| Mississippi | 1 | Jackson-George Regional Library System |
| Missouri | 3 | Cass County Public Library, St. Joseph Public Library |
| Montana | 1 | Great Falls Public Library |
| Nebraska | 1 | Omaha Public Library |
| Nevada | 3 | Carson City Library, Las Vegas-Clark County Library District |
| New Jersey | 8 | Union Public Library, Burlington County Library System |
| New York | 29 | Amagansett Free Library, Babylon Public Library |
| North Carolina | 9 | Alamance County Public Libraries, Braswell Memorial Library |
| Ohio | 13 | Athens County Public Libraries, Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library |
| Oklahoma | 1 | Lawton Public Library |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | Blair County Library System, Bucks County Free Library |
| Rhode Island | 1 | Warwick Public Library |
| South Carolina | 2 | Spartanburg County Public Libraries, York County Library |
| Tennessee | 1 | Jackson-Madison County Library |
| Texas | 5 | Calhoun County Public Library, Euless Public Library |
| Virginia | 3 | Campbell County Public Library System, Chesapeake Public Library |
| Washington | 2 | Spokane County Library District, Timberland Regional Library |
| West Virginia | 3 | Brooke County Public Library, Marion County Public Library System |
From the state and library menus on ABCmouse's Home Access check-out page, which the page fills from its own library list. "Including" shows the systems with the most listed locations. ABCmouse's page notes that a library can leave the program, so check the page itself before you rely on this table.
If your library is not on the list
A library missing from the home list may still offer ABCmouse inside its buildings, as Louisville, Denver and OC Public Libraries do. Check your library's online resources or kids' page for ABCmouse, and ask whether it has a home version. ABCmouse's page also warns that a library can leave the program, in which case it tells you to contact the library.
If your family already pays for ABCmouse, keep using that account; the library check-out will not work alongside it. For other early learning at the library, see our library homework help guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ABCmouse free with a library card?
Often, yes. Libraries such as Louisville, Denver and OC Public Libraries offer it free inside their buildings, and ABCmouse's Home Access page lists the libraries whose cardholders can check out a home account with their card.
Can I use ABCmouse at home with my library card?
Yes, if your library is on ABCmouse's Home Access list. You choose your state and library on ABCmouse's page, enter your card number and PIN or password, and create an ABCmouse login the first time.
Why does ABCmouse say all accounts are checked out?
The home access check-out has a limited number of accounts. ABCmouse's page can say all accounts are currently checked out and to check back soon, and it mentions a waitlist.
Can I use the library version if I already pay for ABCmouse?
Not for home access. ABCmouse's page says you may not use your library's home check-out system with an active ABCmouse.com account.
What ages is ABCmouse for?
Libraries describe it for children about 2 to 8. DC Public Library says 2 to 8+, Long Beach 2 to 8 and Denver 2 to 7.
How many children can use one library ABCmouse account?
DC Public Library says a home account can be shared by up to three children in a household, each with their own profile. Long Beach says to contact ABCmouse support to add more.
Sources
Every rule, fee and figure on this page comes from the official page listed here. We read each one on September 27, 2026. ABCmouse's check-out page fills its state and library menus from its own library list; we read that list and the page's built-in messages on the same day.
- ABCmouse: Home Access check-out page: https://www.abcmouse.com/blho-check-out
- ABCmouse: library account page: https://www.abcmouse.com/library_account
- DC Public Library: ABCmouse: https://www.dclibrary.org/research-and-learn/abcmouse
- St. Louis County Library: ABCmouse Home Access: https://www.slcl.org/resources/abcmouse
- St. Louis County Library: ABCmouse (In Library Only): https://www.slcl.org/resources/abcmouse-in-library-only
- Detroit Public Library: All Databases: https://detroitpubliclibrary.org/all-databases
- Long Beach Public Library: Digital Resources: https://www.longbeach.gov/library/digital-resources/
- Louisville Free Public Library: ABCMouse.com: https://www.lfpl.org/abcmousecom
- Denver Public Library: Databases A-Z: https://www.denverlibrary.org/databases-a-z
- OC Public Libraries: Digital Library Resources: https://libraries.oc.gov/digital-library-resources