Pre-school students from the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools recently gathered in front of Leah’s Laundromat on the Q for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to announce the unveiling of a new Family Read, Play & Learn space at the Kansas City store.
This initiative is the first of its kind in the city and is being launched in partnership with the LaundryCares Foundation, Lakeshore Learning, Scholastic, and the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library – bringing together this public, private and philanthropic collaboration.
“The LaundryCares Foundation is proud to partner with the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools’ Department of Early Childhood,” said Dan Naumann, executive vice president of LaundryCares. “We share their vision to bring early literacy into community settings and everyday places like the laundromat. We believe this project helps break down barriers and increase access to critical early language and literacy interactions.”
“The Read, Play & Learn space at Leah’s Laundromat on the Q will provide a much-needed literacy resource to children in our community, which will help build critical school-readiness skills,” explained Dr. Megan Cook, director of Early Childhood for the KCKPS.
The store’s owners – Sheleah and John McPherson – recently celebrated their first year in the laundromat business. Sheleah is a former educator who knows first-hand the importance of literacy and is giving back to her community by providing access to a dedicated space within her business for local youth to read and learn.
“I’m so excited to be part of this awesome program that will encourage reading and enhance our young people’s imaginations while they are here with their parents,” McPhearson said. “I want to do my part to enrich my community.”
The McPhearsons carved out a small section of their laundromat to create a fun, engaging and comfortable space that encourages reading. The area features three built-in shelves and one self-standing bookshelf – filled with more than 250 children’s books and 70 adult titles. Families are allowed to take books home in order to encourage continued learning.
The KCKPL has donated 300 books to the laundromat, which will be replenished regularly through book donations from the library and other community-based organizations.
“We are excited to partner with LaundryCares,” said Carol Levers, director of the KCKPL. “The Kansas City, Kansas Public Library is not just about books. We bring people together and connect them to worlds beyond our community, allowing access to programs and services that fuel lifelong learning.”
“We are truly grateful for all of these organizations coming together to promote the importance of literacy,” noted Superintendent of Schools Dr. Anna Stubblefield. “Our collective collaboration reinforces the importance of learning outside the classroom. When children are encouraged to read independently, it can enhance classroom learning. The Read, Play & Learn program provides students with the opportunity to read, learn and play outside of school.”
During the launch of the new reading and learning space at Leah’s, a player from the Kansas City Monarchs baseball team was on hand to read to the local students in attendance. In addition, Dream Automotive donated 60 containers of laundry detergent to give out to laundry customers at the event.
“We believe that the neighborhood laundromat has a unique opportunity to upcycle the otherwise mundane laundry day routine and give back to the families who patronize our businesses every week,” explained Brian Wallace, president and CEO of the Coin Laundry Association.
