Good Morning Fellow Kiwanians!
UPDATE
READING CORNER IN LAUNDROMAT PROJECT IN NEW ENGLAND DISTRICT :
•
The Manchester New Hampshire Club has established a Reading
Corner in a local laundromat. Thank you to Laura Schneider-Nesmith and Marilyn Charbonneau
for their work in getting the project up and running smoothly.
•
A Reading Corner has been set up in a local laundromat in
Caribou, Maine. with the help of a $200 grant from the Kiwanis a Foundation of
New England. Thank you to Bill Francis and Club members for their work in
maintaining this project. I’ve been told that this Reading Corner is so
successful, that the owner of the laundromat has asked the club to set up a
Reading Corner in another local laundromat. Kudos to club members!
•
The Mt. Washington Valley Kiwanis Club has set up a Reading
Corner in a waiting area at their local hospital emergency room area. Kiwanians
are innovative, and they modify projects to meet the needs of their
communities. Kudos to Janice Andrews and Club members for their efforts!
•
Scarborough Maine Kiwanis has established a Reading Corner at
the Scarborough Food Pantry. It is going well especially during the summer when
children don’t have access to books.
•
The Danvers MA. Kiwanis Club haste up a Reading Corner on
High St. In Danvers. The project was spearheaded by a committee which
included Janet Bennett and Mary Giangregerio. The very small area was set up
using a magazine rack for the donated books from members of the Danvers Club.
They put Kiwanis stickers on all the books.
•
Amesbury Kiwanis Club has set up a Reading Corner at the
Hillside Launderette in Amesbury.
•
The Peabody Club has all necessary materials and is looking
for a facility.
•
The Methuen Kiwanis Club was happy to have completed another
service project. The Merrimack
Laundromat and Car Wash on Burnham Rd in Methuen was the proud
recipient of a book library.
GREAT NEWS!
The
Kiwanis Foundation of New England, through their Grant Program, has
pre-approved $1600 funding to help pay for the kits for the Reading
Corners(total cost per kit ). A Kiwanis Club must fill out the KFNE Grant
application with specific information about the laundromat where the Reading
Corner will be set up. Submit the completed application to grants@kfne.org. The Club will receive
$200 to buy the kit from ReadyNation. The grant money will be distributed
on a “first come, first serve” basis. Each Club may apply only once for this assistance.
For more information go to www.kfne.org and click on grant program info.
I encourage you to establish a Reading Corner in a local laundromat in
your community. The Reading Corner set up is a relatively low cost project
($100 or less) and can have a huge impact for local families and young
children. Once set up you may find that your local library will supply your
Club with gently used books, or Club member and friends can be asked to donate
gently used books to replenish the supply of books. What better way to change a
child’s life...to promote literacy and the love and joy of reading!
Below is the MOST RECENT INFORMATION
DIRECT LINKS TO THE BOOKCASE AND RUG CAN
BE FOUND AT THE BOOTOM OF THIS ARTICLE.
Creating Reading Corners in Laundromats to Boost
Early Literacy, Numeracy and Parent Engagement with Young Children
A
Perfect Fit with Kiwanis’ “Young Children: Priority One”
One
of the most powerful ways to promote early literacy and parent engagement with
their young children is providing materials that encourage both in venues where
parents spend time with their children. This idea is most effective in venues where
parents need to go for regular chores, that are easily accessible and not
intimidating, where there isn’t much stimulation available and where parents
have significant “down time” that could be used for reading with young
children. A prime candidate for these venues are laundromats, and
ReadyNation is partnering with the Coin Laundry Association (CLA) to set up
these Reading Corners in neighborhoods that serve disadvantaged families.
The
interaction at these corners can promote not only basic literacy but also early
math and science concepts that build different parts of the brain and
complementary skill sets. Creating simple but attractive reading corners can
help make the best use of these ordinary parts of the day to build both
parental bonds and children’s skills.
These
are also attractive for laundromats because they set them apart from other
competitors, offer a resource for customers, demonstrate their involvement in
the community and engage children at the venues in productive activities. ReadyNation
would also publicize their participation in social media.
Each
corner would consist of an attractive book holder; a rug that promotes letters,
numbers and geometric shapes (if space allows); and books that parents can use
in the moment. The wall around the station would be decorated with
posters created by the CLA and Too Small to Fail specifically for laundromats,
as well as materials from another organization, Read Aloud 15 MINUTES, that
convey the importance of early reading. The CLA poster would include the
Kiwanis logo and is available in English and Spanish. From that basic
foundation, sponsors could do more to if they desire, such as conducting story
time sessions. Kiwanis members would be responsible for identifying a local
laundromat, maintaining the site, and purchasing the supplies, including the
initial set-up and replenishing new or gently used books. Kiwanis and the
laundromat are responsible for any liability coverage or issues. ReadyNation
will publicize the efforts with our website, e-newsletter and social media.
Process:
Kiwanis
Clubs send Nancy Fishman at nfishman@readynation.org the Zip codes in which
they wish to work. ReadyNation will ask the Coin Laundry Association
(CLA) if they have members in that Zip code. If so, CLA will send contact
information to ReadyNation. ReadyNation then sends the Kiwanis member an
initial kit consisting of:
➢ CLA member information
➢ Suggested text for outreach email
➢ Introduction letter from CLA
➢ One-page flyer describing roles
If
the Kiwanis member doesn't get a response from an email, call and/or visit,
Sara will ask CLA to contact the laundromat owner personally and encourage them
to participate.
If the CLA does not
have members in your Zip code, Kiwanis
would contact the laundromat on their own. You can get ownership
information about a local laundromat at your TOWN CLERK’S OFFICE in order to
communicate with the owner.
Once
the Kiwanis member identifies a laundromat partner, ReadyNation will send a
second kit:
➢ Posters and sign asking that the books remain
at the laundromat
➢ Form to get permission to take photos and use them
for publicity purposes
We
strongly urge you not to order supplies until the laundromat has agreed.
Kiwanis members are responsible for the costs of all supplies, including set-up
and ongoing replenishment of books. For consistency and quality, we ask
that you order this book holder (2’ x 1’,
about $30) and, if space allows, this rug (5’ x 6 1/2’
– optional if space is tight, about $55). Both are available on Amazon.com (see links below).
You
can get inexpensive new books several ways. One of these is through www.FirstBook.org. This
organization sells new, quality books at very low cost – ordinarily you would
need to be approved as an organization that serves disadvantaged children. However,
ReadyNation has an arrangement with them so that you just need to set up an
account and in the field for “tell us about your program” note your partnership
with ReadyNation.
Other
options recommended by other Kiwanis members are companies such as Reading Warehouse or Books-a-Million. A monthly supply of books can cost from
$0 to about $50. Books must not have religious, political or
controversial themes, should include math/science topics, and should feature
diverse characters in terms of race, ethnicity, physical ability, etc. Sponsors
can also get used books through donations from employees or civic groups, as
well as purchased at thrift stores, libraries, etc. The laundromat owner
and Kiwanis are responsible for any liability coverage or issues.
The
Kiwanis member should give the laundromat their contact information and plan to
visit the laundromat about once per month to refresh the books. The
Kiwanis member should also take photos with people using the site (backs to the
camera is fine) and share with ReadyNation for publicity purposes. Please
also send a copy of the completed permission form.
We
ask Kiwanis members to use the basic (and inexpensive) supplies identified
(book holder, rug, posters) because they have been reviewed and approved by
CLA. We also took care that the equipment is sturdy, takes up minimal
space and is easy to care for. Using consistent supplies will give the
Reading Corners a polished and attractive look.
We
ask that the Kiwanis member let Nancy Fishmann at ReadyNation know how the
partnership is progressing, alert her to any issues, and remember to send at
least one photo to be used for publicity purposes by ReadyNation, Kiwanis and
CLA. Thank you!
Questions?
For
Kiwanis: Kevin E. Thomas, District Executive Director, Pennsylvania District, 717-540-9300,
Kevin@pakiwanis.org
"I own two laundromats that now have reading corners that
ReadyNation and Kiwanis helped set up, and we're very pleased with them (and
about to add a third). They look great in our business, bringing life and
energy to our rear café / community space.
The books are in constant use, with parents reading to their kids and kids
reading on their own. We are so grateful to you for giving
prominence, organization and polished visibility to our grassroots attempt to
promote early literacy with our customer families." Brian
Holland, Principal, The Laundry Cafe, Pennsylvania; President, Delaware Valley
Coin Laundry Association
Direct links on Amazon:
Rug (you may want the smaller one if it’s in stock): https://smile.amazon.com/Cooper-Playtime-Collection-Numbers-Educational/dp/B01ECZ3LQ8/ref=sr_1_7_sspa?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1518539250&sr=1-7-spons&keywords=toddler%2Brug%2Bshapes%2Bnumbers%2Bletters&th=
Please
contact me if you have questions, or if I can assist you in any way!
Sincerely,
Ava
Adams, District Chair
Young
Children Committee
New
England and Bermuda District