Gary Cooper, director of the Imagination Library committee for the Westminster Rotary Foundation, gave an update on Oct. 20 to Northglenn City Council about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library affiliate that now serves Adams County.

Cooper said the local affiliate covers all of Adams County by state authorization and reported 9,981 children currently enrolled and 11,110 graduates touched by the program. “Right now, we've got 10,000 for all intents and purposes, but our goal is to have every 1 of the 38,800 enrolled as soon as we can get there,” Cooper said, referring to the county population under age 5.

Cooper described the program’s mechanics and funding. He said the program mails an age-appropriate hard-copy book each month to enrolled children until they turn 5. “The books cost us about $15 a year for all 12 months of the books, and the state matches the other $15,” Cooper said, describing Colorado’s matching-funds statute enacted in 2020 that requires an evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.

Cooper cited state evaluation highlights showing children enrolled in Imagination Library scored higher on dynamic reading tests and were less likely to score well below benchmarks; he also summarized the affiliate’s own surveys reporting increased frequency of daily reading and older siblings reading more after enrollment. In one affiliate survey of recent enrollees, Cooper said daily reading rose from 43% before enrollment to 85% after enrollment; reported requests by children to be read to rose from 37% to 71%.

Cooper listed partnerships that support enrollment and outreach in Adams County: county libraries, school districts, daycare centers, Highland Hills Foundation, Westminster Public Library and hospital maternity wards. He said the program recently gained access to Saint Anthony North’s maternity ward for streamlined enrollment of newborns, which could add about 1,200–1,500 new babies a year once fully implemented.

Cooper described outreach methods and challenges. Enrollment growth plateaued recently at a level that roughly matches graduation rates, he said, and the program is pursuing expanded outreach through maternity wards, daycare providers and targeted mailings. Cooper said the local affiliate mailed 17,000 postcards offering enrollment and that the program relies on local donations and partner contributions to fund the city- and county-level match portion; local contributions cited in the presentation included annual gifts from Westminster city and school district and donations from Brighton and Thornton.

Cooper gave Northglenn-specific figures: “As you can see, Northglenn has a little over 2,000 population under 5, and, we have enrolled right now 583 children. So the 24% of your population is already in our program,” he said.

Council members asked about program format and outreach. Council member Kondo asked whether e-books had been considered; Cooper said program policy on format is set by Dolly Parton’s national organization and the local affiliate currently provides physical books, with a bilingual option available for recipients who choose it. Council members praised the program’s volunteer and fundraising efforts and encouraged continued hospital and daycare outreach.

Nut graf: The Imagination Library affiliate serving Adams County reported substantial scale—nearly 10,000 enrolled children and more than 11,000 graduates touched—supported by state matching funds, local donations and partnerships; volunteers are expanding outreach to maternity wards and daycare networks to boost enrollment further.

Ending: Council members thanked Cooper and encouraged continued partnerships with schools, libraries and health-care providers. Cooper said the affiliate planned additional outreach and asked for continued municipal support in promoting enrollment opportunities.