LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Kentucky Association of Health Plans made a $100,000 donation to a program that encourages children to read by giving them free books.

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Kentucky provides children all across the state with books. The program has benefited more than 120,000 Kentucky children under the age of 5 who receive free books each month.

"I want to thank the Kentucky Association of Health Plans for their generous donation to our chapter of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library," Kentucky First Lady Britainy Beshear said in a news release Monday. "You are showing the true spirit of Team Kentucky – living out our values and taking care of all of our neighbors, especially our kids. Because of gifts like the one we're celebrating today, every preschool child in our state can build their own library at no cost to their family. That's 60 books just for them, all before they start kindergarten, and we know the positive impact will last throughout the rest of their lives."

According to a news release, when children enrolled in the Imagination Library have reached their fifth birthday and prepare for kindergarten, they will have mastered colors, shapes, numbers and the basic literacy concepts to begin a lifetime of reading. There is no cost to families and no deadline to register. 

The grant from Kentucky Association of Health Plans will help expand the program in Kentucky.

"KAHP recognizes the profound impact that literacy has on the well-being of both the family and the child," Katherine Kington North, KAHP's vice president of external affairs, said in a news release. "Health plans work for the best health outcomes for the children of Kentucky and we know that children who struggle with reading frequently face higher rates of anxiety and depression."

Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has grown to include mailing more than 3 million age-appropriate books directly to children's homes each month. Her Dollywood Foundation, along with state and local partners, has gifted more than 250 million free books in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Ireland and Australia.

Each child enrolled in the program receives one book per month from birth to age 5 at no cost to the families. It has been Parton's vision to inspire a lifelong love of reading and to encourage children to "Dream more. Learn more. Care more, and be more."

For information, visit ImaginationLibrary.com.

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