14
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, APR. 15-21, 2022 BXR
“The root of Clean
Rite’s entire success is in
the communities we’ve
served for the past 25
years,” said Alex Weiss,
owner of Laundry Capital
Co. LLC (Laundry
Capital), parent company
of Clean Rite. “Any time
we can find an opportunity
to give back to any
of these communities, we
think it’s truly important
to do so.”
The new RPL space
at Clean Rite is designed
by the Laundry
Cares Foundation and
Too Small to Fail to support
children’s early
brain and language development.
The space
includes a comfortable
seating area, high-quality
books, toys and other
materials designed to
help parents engage in
literacy-rich interactions
with their children
during laundry time.
It features books from
Scholastic Corp., which
children are encouraged
to take home, as well as
furniture and toys from
Lakeshore Learning.
“We want to meet families
where they are and
a laundromat is a place,
especially in New York,
where families congregate,”
White said. “During
this waiting period,
which can be upwards
of two hours or more,
we have an opportunity
to engage with kids and
spark an interest in reading
and learning that we
hope will last a lifetime.”
RPL spaces, which are
popping up in laundries
throughout the U.S., are
important because 60%
of American children
start kindergarten underprepared,
according
to the Clinton Foundation’s
early childhood
initiative Too Small To
Fail. Moreover, research
shows that 80% of brain
development occurs before
the age of five, which
makes this time critical
for children’s future success
and learning.
“By increasing language
rich, meaningful
interactions with
their children during
the early years, parents
can support their little
ones’ learning and development
and prepare
them to learn, grow and
thrive in school and in
life,” said Too Small to
Fail Partnerships Manager
Nikki Hasani-Ferrera.
-Bronx Times
Bronx Clean Rite Center unveils
Read, Play & Learn space
Clean Rite Center, located
at 1240 E. Tremont
Ave. is encouraging children
to take home a free
book as part of a nationwide
movement to bring
learning to local public
laundries. The laundry
unveiled a new reading
and learning area
for children – a Family
Read, Play & Learn (RPL)
space – and announce upcoming
family story time
sessions and financial education
programming on
Saturday, April 2.
A ribbon cutting and
unveiling was followed
by a presentation by the
Qualitas of Life Foundation,
a nonprofit dedicated
to improving Hispanic
family financial
security. The talk overviewed
a free, 8-week financial
education program
for customers
that’s soon to start at the
laundry. Upcoming storytime
sessions for children
and families, led by
librarian Sherice White,
of Clason’s Point Library,
are also scheduled bimonthly
on Fridays at 4
p.m., beginning April 8.
These events are free and
open to laundry customers.
Clean Rite Center on East Tremont Avenue unveiled a new reading
and learning area for children – a Family Read, Play & Learn space.
Photo | Adrian Childress