Wash and learn: Program brings fundamentals to parents and kids at local laundromats
As dryers tumbled and washers churned in the background last Wednesday, children at the Wash Smart Laundry on Summit Street in Elgin were learning skills to prepare them for kindergarten.
The laundromat and another Wash Smart in Elgin are among several local sites with small “engagement stations” set up by The Basics of Greater Elgin.
The Basics is a national early childhood development effort based on research done by Harvard University. It says 80% of brain growth happens during the first three years of a person’s life.
“The Basics employs five simple, science-based principles that help families and caregivers prepare kids for kindergarten and for life,” said Karen Ceballos, coordinator for The Basics of Greater Elgin.
Those five principles are “Maximize Love, Manage Stress”; “Talk, Sing and Point”; “Count, Group and Compare”; “Read and Discuss Stories”; and “Explore Through Play and Movement.”
In addition to books, each engagement station features puzzles and toys that help develop motor skills. Signs with messages help parents understand the five principles.
The station at Summit Street Wash Smart has a small table for kids.
The Basics of Greater Elgin began is an initiative of Enriching Partnerships for Early Learning (EPEL) in collaboration with Elgin Area School District U-46 and community partners.
Amber Peters, the executive director of EPEL, said research shows that families spend about 2.5 hours a week doing laundry, usually at a laundromat within a mile of home.
EPEL sees that time as an opportunity to turn waiting into early learning.
“My dad would always say, ‘You got time to burn, you got time to learn, right?’ So let’s turn it into a learning opportunity while we’re here,” Peters said. “We can sort socks. We can talk about colors. You can read a book.”
EPEL first rolled out early learning programs at laundromats about eight years ago with its “Talking is Teaching initiative,” trying to impress upon parents and families that they are the first and best teachers of their children.
“I think the big difference now is that The Basics really focuses on bringing in the community to become like the village for families,” Ceballos said. “We want all kids to be ready, and everyone can play a role in supporting families.”
Ceballos said that while it seems easy to hand a child a phone or tablet to placate them, EPEL officials want parents to know how impactful engagement is.
“We’re trying to create a different environment so that families are encouraged to read a book or play with something instead,” she said. “It’s so important not just to read with them, but to ask questions and really engage the child.”
Olivia George is the director of operations for all Wash Smart locations. As a mom, she said she wanted the company to get more involved with helping the community.
“I know what it’s like to take kids to a laundromat, and it can be crazy,” she said. “This gives them a place to read and to learn, and I think the kids really enjoy it.”
In addition to the Wash Smart locations, engagement stations are set up at Everything Clean Laundry on Randall Road as well as local libraries, a tire store, and a credit union.
EPEL serves the same 11 communities that make up U-46. Ceballos said the group is ready to deploy engagement stations in more locations in those towns, including salons, ice cream parlors, churches or other places where families spend time.
EPEL has funding to install the engagement stations for free.
“We want to make it as easy for other community members and organizations to be a part of it,” Ceballos said.
The organization hopes to reach a point where families will see an engagement station at least once during their regular day.
“Just making it present everywhere so that they run into it,” Ceballos said.
rwest@dailyherald.com