COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine announced Friday a new statewide effort to sign up children for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library as soon as they are born.

Parents will now be able to enroll their newborns in the free book program while completing birth certificate paperwork at the hospital. The change is designed to ensure more children receive age-appropriate books in the first years of development.

“Research has shown that 80% 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,” DeWine said. “One simple checkmark will give Ohio’s little ones a great start in life.”

The Imagination Library mails one book each month to children from birth through age five. Families who enroll at birth w

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