OAKLAND, Calif. — Too Small to Fail, in partnership with the Coin Laundry Association (CLA), the Laundry Project and others, have launched “Wash Time is Talk Time,” part of the 2015 Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action and aiming to reach parents in underserved communities nationwide.
Other partners in the launch were Jumpstart, First 5 Alameda County, University of Arkansas, and Encore.org.
Research finds that the average Laundromat visit takes 2 to 2½ hours—making it an invaluable yet often overlooked opportunity to engage in language-rich activities. Launch events at Oakland’s Advantage Laundry and A1 Laundry included resources for young children and families to engage in early learning and developmental activities.
First 5 Alameda County, volunteers recruited by Encore.org, and Laundry Project volunteers trained by JumpStart distributed “Wash Time is Talk Time” materials for parents, as well as free copies of the children’s book Not Norman: A Goldfish Story and Talking is Teaching: Talk, Read, Sing resource bags.
Free laundry was provided by the Laundry Project through support of CLA and its LaundryCares Foundation.
The launch events will be followed by more than 50 free-laundry events hosted by the Laundry Project through 2016.
Additionally, faculty and students from the University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions will host monthly story times and “Wash Time is Talk Time” activities with families in select Laundromats in Northwest Arkansas. They will conduct a pilot impact evaluation of the “Wash Time is Talk Time” posters and activities on parent-child interactions.
Oakland is one of two flagship cities for Too Small to Fail’s community-based campaign. To date, it has reached thousands of families and provided information on turning ordinary moments into opportunities to boost young children’s language and brain development. “Wash Time is Talk Time” builds on this work.
Click HERE for a video that shows “Wash Time is Talk Time” in action.
Laundromat owners interested in learning more about, or getting involved with, the campaign can visit the Too Small to Fail website.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].