It's honestly frustrating to see state leaders cutting funding for something as crucial as early childhood literacy, and then expecting private fundraising to pick up the slack. Programs like the Imagination Library should be fully funded by the state—access to books and education is a basic right, not a charity case. While I appreciate the First Lady stepping up, it's a bandaid for a problem our government shouldn't have created in the first place. We need to prioritize kids' futures in the budget, not rely on goodwill campaigns to keep them reading.