The main goal of the project endorsed by Chelsea Clinton is creating more “Family Read & Play Spaces” throughout US. These spaces include a sofa, a bookshelf filled with high-quality children’s books, puppets, crayons, in-store signage for parents, an alphabet rug, blocks, magnetic letters and family tip sheets.
The opening of a new “Family Read & Play Space” at Chicago-based Wash Time laundromat was led by Clinton. The visit also featured a comprehensive tour of the facility and a reading of new children books. After a pilot phase in three vended laundries in New York City, a total of 10 new “Family Read & Play Spaces” will open in Chicago this year.
According tp Dr. Susan Neuman, professor of childhood and literacy education at New York University, the “Family Read & Play Space” significantly enhanced children’s time spent on literacy-rich activities that support school readiness. Children were observed engaging in 30 times more literacy activities in laundromats that include the spaces compared to the laundromats that did not have these areas.