There are several foundations that can help set a child up for a successful life, and early childhood literacy may be one of the most important.
That doesn't simply mean teaching a child to read and write. It's about developing skills through books and language that will eventually guide that child through their academic, professional, and social lives as they grow older. With these skills, they become better communicators, lifelong learners, and even have a stronger emotional wellbeing. Literacy literally begins at birth, which is why it's important for parents to read with and talk to their children.
Earlier this month, Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine made sure that newborn infants in Ohio start their lives with a fighting chance when it comes to literacy. Thanks to a new statewide initiative, parents of newborns will have the option to sign up for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library when their babies are born. Birth certificate paperwork that parents complete in the hospital will include registration papers for the literacy program.
"Research has shown that 80 percent of a child’s brain is developed by age three, so we want to get books into the home as early as possible in order to have the most impact," she said, adding, "I am thrilled to announce that now, as part of the Ohio birth certificate process, moms and dads will learn about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio and have the chance to sign up at the hospital before they head home with their newborn. One simple checkmark will give Ohio’s little ones a great start in life."
DeWine made the announcement during the 2025 First Lady's Luncheon. Country music superstar Zac Brown joined her, made a donation, and said he also supported anything that made a positive impact on kids when they're young. "The mentorship that they have in their circles helps keep their hopes alive," he said. "Some kids just don't have people who are teaching them how to be solid, teach him how to love each other, teach them how to be tolerant, how to be courageous, not being afraid to be yourself."
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Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is truly one of the singer's greatest accomplishments that has changed many young lives. Parton launched the award-winning program in 1995 in her home county of Sevier County Tennessee. By 2004, it was a statewide program, and today, it's available to children throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. It's gifted hundreds of millions of books over the years. In the United States alone, one in seven children under the age of five is enrolled in the program.
When children enroll, they receive a brand new age-appropriate book each month. That means that a newborn could have a library of 60 books by the time he or she is five years old. The books are completely free. Parton says she started the program because she "wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover, she could ensure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income."
The program became available in Ohio in 2019, and as of 2025, about 70% of kids in the state are members. DeWine hopes that number will grow to 100.
Several studies have shown that the Imagination Library does actually have a profound impact on a child's life. One from a school district in Washington showed that kids who are members were better-prepared for kindergarten and able to meet important objectives like "comprehends language, notices and discriminates rhyme, notices and discriminates discrete units of sound, identifies and names letters, identifies letter sound correspondences, uses print concepts, uses emergent reading skills, and writes name."
Dozens of other studies have shown similar results, including increased kindergarten readiness and grade level reading by third grade. Families who participate also tend to have better literacy habits overall.
I don't have much more to add — I've been working on this article for two weeks, but the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the UN General Assembly sort of got in the way of getting it published, and I didn't want to let it slip through the cracks. I will never turn down the opportunity to promote a love of books and reading, and I'm grateful that there are people out there like Parton and DeWine who are doing their part to ensure children have access to them. Plus, I wanted to leave you with a feel-good story to start the weekend. Have a good one!
