(MSC News)--The State of Missouri, like its neighbor Kansas, is expanding Dolly Parton's Imagination Library statewide.

According to a release, Missouri Governor Mike Parson and First Lady Teresa Parson will host a celebration event, complete with an appearance from Dolly Parton, on Tuesday, August 27, in Kansas City, Missouri. The ceremony comes in partnership with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Parton visits states for a celebration event once all children ages 0-5 are eligible for the statewide Imagination Library program. Missouri is the 14th state to commit to a statewide program, but no other state has been fully funded, with all Missouri children under age five eligible on the first day of the statewide program.

The statewide expansion was made possible through legislation spearheaded by then State Senator Karla Eslinger and signed into law by Governor Parson in 2022. In conjunction with the Governor, the Missouri Legislature fully funded the program by approving $11 million in DESE- Fiscal Year 2024 and 2025 budgets for the distribution of books.

All Missouri children under five years old are eligible to register for Dolly Parton- Imagination Library. There is no deadline to register. The Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by providing age-appropriate books each month to children free of charge. To receive books, a parent or guardian must register their child on the Imagination Library national website. Books will be mailed directly to the homes of registered children every month, until their fifth birthday.

Kansas became a state partner for the Imagination Library in 2023.