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Due to the emergence of COVID, March 2020 for most people does not bring memories of the start of something wonderful. But it was. Here in Ohio, it was the launch of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program. Now, by one measure, Ohio has the highest percentage of kids enrolled in the country.
"So, a state like Tennessee has been doing it for a long time and they have a higher percentage," First Lady Fran DeWine told another media outlet. "But we have more kids getting it every month than any other state."
According to reporting by WLWT in Cincinnati, there are 301,457 kids -- 43% of Ohio children under age 5 -- enrolled.
One study by Children's Hospital showed that after three years in the program, children were 15 points higher in the kindergarten readiness category.
"No matter ... how old the kids are when they start the Imagination Library, the very first book they get is 'The Little Engine That Could'," DeWine told WLWT. "That's Dolly Parton's favorite."
Children enrolled in the program get a new book in the mail every month until they turn six years old. That is an incredible gift. It is the kind of thing that can do some real good, not just for kids, but for Ohio as a whole. Parton has the right idea, and it is fantastic to see Ohio parents taking advantage of the program.