The LaundryCares Foundation, along with North Shore Bank and the City of Milwaukee’s Office of Early Childhood Initiatives, recently unveiled a new Family Read, Play & Learn Center at Blue Kangaroo laundromat in South Milwaukee.
The early childhood reading and learning space was outfitted with a lounge and 50 new, culturally affirming books, meant to create a welcoming atmosphere where families can relax and learn while spending their time at the laundromat. The books are encouraged to be taken home for continued learning and will be continuously replenished.
To meet the needs of the community, books will be bilingual. Moreover, through the partnership with North Shore Bank, more than 25 percent of the books will cover financial literacy to help young children start successful spending, saving and sharing practices.
“As a community bank with branches minutes from Blue Kangaroo, these are the neighbors that we aim to support day in and day out,” said Jay McKenna, president of North Shore Bank. “It was a natural fit for us to join LaundryCares and the City of Milwaukee in this partnership to make learning more accessible for all, a mission of our bank as well. We can’t wait to support and grow the future of the community with these much-needed learning essentials.”
In addition to the books, giant SideWalk Math Pattern decals have been installed onsite for continued and accessible interactive early math learning, a goal of the city’s Office of Early Childhood Initiatives.
“Our young children will have a brighter future because of caring partners who are promoting learning,” noted Mayor Cavalier Johnson. “We know early childhood development takes place in all kinds of settings, so opening special opportunities to more of Milwaukee’s children is great for them, their families and the entire city.”
LaundryCares created this program with the goal of enriching communities around the country through programming that addresses the unmet needs of laundry customers. This new center marks just the second RPL space in South Milwaukee, and it’s the first to bring together public, private and philanthropic collaboration.
“This partnership with North Shore Bank is an exemplar for us and provides targeted, curated books that match community needs, interests and wants and helps build critical school-readiness skills,” explained Dan Naumann, executive vice president of LaundryCares. “With the generosity and vision of North Shore Bank, we are creating a special emphasis on early math and financial literacy skills so that all of Milwaukee’s children can have Mighty Good Moments.”
Later in the year, the partners will begin monthly onsite programming, with events covering a range of topics, including financial literacy.
