How LaundryCares Family Read, Play and Learn Centers Are Impacting Communities and Changing Lives
Before jumping into the “what” and the nuts-and-bolts of the LaundryCares Family Read, Play and Learn Centers, we need to take a step back and examine the “why.” How did we get here?
The statistics are sobering.
For example, 60 percent of children in the United States begin kindergarten unprepared. And, if that figure is 60 percent nationwide, in many of the areas laundromats serve, the percentage is probably much greater.
In addition, the learning gap has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve had more than an entire year where ill-prepared parents were forced into homeschooling – individuals who likely never taught before were challenged with using new technology that they may not have been familiar with.
So, the kids took a giant step backward academically due to the pandemic. It’s almost as if they’ve lost a full year of learning.
On top of that, studies have shown that Black and Hispanic students will lose three to five months more learning, when compared to white students.
That’s the playing field. So, before we talk about the “what,” that’s the “why” – and it’s so glaringly in our face that it’s impossible to ignore.
If you really care about your neighborhoods and the underserved communities that support your business and provide the resources that have improved your life, there’s an obligation to try to pay that forward.
And the Family Read, Play and Learn Centers are such a well-constructed way to do that.
As laundromat owners, we have to be nimble and savvy. We’ve got a pretty gritty existence, where we’re often trying to patch things together with duct tape and bubble gum. Often, our signage is comprised of hand-written notes taped to the wall. That’s the truth.
Then, along comes this program, which has been developed and organized at the highest of levels through the cooperative efforts of the Clinton Foundation’s Too Small to Fail initiative, Scholastic Books, the Coin Laundry Association and the LaundryCares Foundation. That is a world-class effort that now can be in your store affecting real change in your community.
You need to understand how big this is. It’s not just “a kit.” These learning spaces change lives, and that’s real. Individuals like Jane Park and Nikki Ferrera-Hasani at Too Small to Fail, Brian Wallace at the CLA, and countless others in and outside of the laundry industry have poured endless hours – along with their hearts and souls – into affecting change in underserved areas for people they don’t even know.
Of course, LaundryCares Executive Vice President Dan Naumann deserves major recognition for this program, as he has brought order and direction to this monumental effort. Everyone needs to be aware of the incredible job Dan has done for LaundryCares and its work with early childhood literacy.
Clearly, this is a chance for all of us to step up our games. We now have a program that have been professionally developed and is fully supported by the hard science of Dr. Susan Neuman’s groundbreaking research into early childhood learning.
We have an uncommon opportunity before us.
Last year, we realized the true pain that’s out there – the pain of disparity and of civil unrest. Something like this LaundryCares literacy program can be a salve for those wounds. When you invest in your communities, the residents see that you’re making an investment in them – and people remember that and begin to see you as part of the fabric of their community. You’re not viewed simply as a transactional business owner who only takes and takes and takes, and then goes off to a great home in the suburbs.
These RPL spaces are magic. They’re magic in a box, if you take them seriously.
At my business, I personally tap every parent that has a child on the shoulder and tell them, “Before you leave, I want you to grab a book for every child you have – whether they’re here or not – and take it home. And, the next time you’re here, do it again.”
In six weeks, each of those children will have their own personal library of books that they favor. That’s how it starts.
And this is curated content from Scholastic. It’s put together so thoughtfully that it, in itself, is a learning tool. If we take this program seriously and get these materials into the hands of parents and kids, we will make a difference.
The other day at my store, I saw a father playing chess with his child. And I would argue that this interaction wouldn’t have occurred if we didn’t have a Family Read, Play and Learn Center, which essentially tells our customers that learning is embraced and encouraged here. It says: “You’re welcome here, and you’re not here just to do laundry and get out.” Everyone comes here to do that laundry chore, but while they’re here, let’s make productive use of that time.
An RPL center can change the way customers interact within your store. When they feel welcome – and the space is inviting, with something engaging and productive for their kids to do – it’s almost like they’re being invited into your home. The customers will relax a little bit. It takes the edge off.
Like I said, it really is magic in a box.
[For more information about the LaundryCares Foundation, its programs for store owners and how to get involved, contact Dan Naumann at: [email protected]; or visit the organization’s website at: www.laundrycares.org.]
