Santa Fe County and the local United Way chapter have teamed up to bring Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to children throughout the northern New Mexico county.
The program aims to increase reading among children. Books selected by a national panel of experts will be sent to children each month from the day a child is born until he or she reaches the age of 5.
The head of Santa Fe County's Community Services Department, Rachel O'Conner, says less than half of the 13,000 students in the Santa Fe school district read at grade level. She says the county hopes to boost that number through its partnership with United Way and Imagination Library.
The United Way will assist the county in enrolling children. Officials expect more than 500 children to participate.
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