Forty-six percent of New Mexico’s population is functionally illiterate, and about 899,115 adults are in need of literacy services, according to the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy. Throughout the state, nonprofits, governments and the private sector are working together to improve literacy among children and adults through a variety of important initiatives.

Improving Literacy Among New Mexico’s Children

The Imagination Library of Grant County is one of those efforts. Affiliated with The Dollywood Foundation, the Imagination Library of Grant County mails books in bulk directly to the homes of local children, recently mailing out its 65,000^th book to children in Grant County, volunteer Loren Nelson said.

A three-year longitudinal study comparing test scores of children in Colbray and Silver school districts showed that the Imagination Library improved literacy among students.

“So far, 75-80% of children who receive books [from the Imagination Library] were at or above grade level for reading, and 45-50% of those who did not receive books were at or above grade level,” Nelson said. “There’s every reason to believe that we can replicate these results throughout the state.”

There are 25 Imagination Library affiliates in New Mexico, with 8 counties partially covered, and another 8 counties completely covered. The goal is to expand to cover the entire state, Loren said. If you are interested in founding an Imagination Library, you can contact the Imagination Library in Grants County or the Dollywood Foundation online at ImaginationLibrary.com.

First Choice Community Healthcare is also helping to improve literacy in New Mexico by placing books directly in the hands of children. Throughout 2016, First Choice Community Healthcare will give 5,000 books to pediatric patients in an effort to fight illiteracy. First Choice Community Healthcare supporting literacy efforts through The Molina Foundation, which is dedicated to reducing the disparities in access to education and health in communities.

Literacy Organizations in New Mexico—Available FREE on ShareNM.org!

ShareNM.org supports literacy organizations in New Mexico by providing an up-to-date Resource Directory full of literacy resources. A search of “literacy” returns more than 120 organizations that support literacy efforts for both adults and children, such as:

• Treasure Chest Family Literacy Program—The Treasure Chest Family Literacy Program provides developmentally appropriate books and activities in a kit for families to share and use 5x a week.
• New Mexico Coalition for Literacy—The New Mexico Coalition for Literacy creates community-based literacy programs in New Mexico to help adults who read at or below a sixth grade level.
• Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe & More—There are several Literacy Volunteer organizations throughout the state, including Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe, Socorro County, Cibola County and more.
• Read Write Adult Literacy Program—The Read Write Adult Literacy Program provides literacy classes to adults to help improve reading, writing and speaking skills. The organization also offers English as a Second Language classes.
• APS Title 1 Homeless Literacy Project—The APS Title 1 Homeless Literacy Project is dedicated to helping homeless children improve their chances for school success through tutoring, literacy, readiness and more.

Another way to find organizations that support literacy is by searching “library” in our Resource Directory. Organizations include public and nonprofit libraries, such as:

• Shuter Library of Angel Fire—The Shuter Library is a nonprofit library that provides programs for children aimed at improving literacy. The library also supports culture and literacy through book clubs, author events and digital media training.
• Family Resource Center—Located in Farmington, the Family Resource Center maintains a toy and parent information lending library.

Please visit our Resource Directory for a complete list of literacy organizations in New Mexico.

Should ShareNM.org add any organizations to our New Mexico literacy resources? Let us know in the comments!