The Laundry Coalition has successfully been providing Family Read, Play & Learn Space kits via an online store to laundromats throughout the nation. Introduced at The Clean Show 2019 in New Orleans, LA in June (America’s largest trade show and convention for the laundry industry), the Family Read, Play & Learn kits have been sold online to a growing number of satisfied laundromat owners. Since then, nearly a hundred kits have been sold, a significant milestone toward the goal of installing at least 600 kits within the year.
The Laundry Literacy Coalition – comprised of the LaundryCares Foundation and Too Small to Fail – has partnered with Lakeshore Learning and Scholastic to offer new Family Read, Play & Learn kits, developed specifically for vended laundries.
Research conducted via several independent studies by Dr. Susan Neuman of NYU Steinhardt has shown that these literacy kits significantly enhance children’s access to print and time spent on activities that support school readiness, such as talking, reading, singing, writing and playing. In addition, customers have had high praise for the new spaces and said they felt greater loyalty to the laundry businesses that featured the kits. Research continues today with a study taking place in twenty laundromats in the Chicago area with assistance from the Chicago Public Library.
Family Read, Play & Learn kits are developed specifically for vended laundries. The kits are uniquely designed to create safe, fun and engaging spaces for children and families to read and learn together within a laundromat setting. Each kit is equipped with literacy-rich materials to support children’s early brain and language development and are a meaningful way to serve laundry owners’ community and customers.
The Family Read, Play, Learn kits come in four sizes and can be easily customized to fit any vended laundry space and budget. Each kit includes:
- A 50-book inventory
- A 20-book-per-month subscription
- “Wash Time is Talk Time” posters
- Exterior window signage
- Interior signage
- Free shipping
- Connections to local literacy organizations
- Inclusion on a Laundry Literacy Coalition locator map
- Social media exposure
- Marketing and press opportunities
Upon purchase, the kits will ship within seven to 10 business days.
“We are highly encouraged by the initial response of the sale of these Family Read, Play & Learn kits. These tools allow laundry owners to be viewed in a very positive light as caring providers of engagement for the families who frequent their business. The replenishment of books, encouraging kids to take books home with them, especially excites us because the learning doesn’t just stop at the laundry. These laundromats with these special spaces catalyze further reading, learning, and engagement.” – Brian Wallace, Executive Director, LaundryCares Foundation
For more information or to purchase a Family Read, Play & Learn kit, please click the link below.
Shop for Reading Space Kits