2024 State of the State

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)— Ohio Governor Mike DeWine highlighted Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio at his 2024 State of the State Address.

Since becoming Governor in 2019, Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine spearheaded the statewide establishment of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio. When she became First Lady, only 13% of Ohio’s children we’re getting books.

All Ohio children under five years old in Ohio are eligible for the program, and Ohio is now at 60% statewide enrollment— over 402,000 children receiving a monthly book in the mail.

Thanks to funding from the Ohio General Assembly, each book mailed is no cost to families in Ohio.

Currently, Ohio leads the nation in enrollment, and since 2019, Ohio children have received almost 16 million books in the mail.