The Nelsons in the rotunda with Senator Siah Correa Hemphill and Lieutenant Governor Howie MoralesLieutenant Governor Howie Morales and Senator Siah Correa Hemphill commended Barbara and Loren Nelson for their dedication and work to improve literacy in New Mexico. The Nelsons have advocated tirelessly to expand Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library throughout the state. Senator Correa Hemphill presented a memorial on the senate floor Thursday February 16th honoring the Nelsons’ contributions. Several other senators spoke about the benefits of Imagination Library in their home communities. The memorial passed unanimously 43-0.

Thanks in large part to the Nelsons, families living in all 33 New Mexico counties can register for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL), a book gifting program free to families regardless of income.

Now 22,000 New Mexico children receive Imagination Library books in the mail every month.  This number has quadrupled since 2015 when the Imagination Library of Grant County (ILGC) launched its state expansion efforts, and the New Mexico State Legislature established an early literacy initiative where DPIL affiliates are eligible to receive partial reimbursement of book costs. New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department funds are administered through the Southwest Council of Governments (COG) office in Grant County. 

Retired educators, Barbara and Loren Nelson, founded the Imagination Library of Grant County in 2010 and have since traveled to counties throughout the state trying to encourage and establish new affiliates. They bring sample books and brochures with them wherever they go. Foundations and individual donors focused on early education have helped grow the program by providing start up support to new affiliate leaders. In the past few years, the Nelsons have made over 16 visits to interested school and non-profit groups around the state to offer training. Friends of Libraries and Literacy recently championed the newest affiliate in Sandoval County, helping to realize the Nelsons’ goal of having an affiliate in every New Mexico county. Friends of Libraries and Literacy volunteers joined the Nelsons at the Roundhouse along with representatives from Libros for Kids, the Imagination Library affiliate serving 5,041 children in Bernalillo and Valencia counties.

Research has established that reading aloud to young children promotes family bonding, language development, literacy skills and brain development, and children who own books at home are better prepared for school success. Local research and parent surveys from Grant County participants confirm that children benefit by becoming more interested in books, learning new vocabulary, spending more time with family members and scoring higher on reading proficiency tests through third grade.

Nancy Stephens, ILGC Executive Director, said children registered at birth will receive up to sixty personally addressed books by the time they go to Kindergarten, including two bilingual books in English and Spanish every year. Children receive their last book, Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! when they turn five years old and graduate from the book gifting program. Since its inception in Grant County, 3,097 children have graduated.