Whirlpool (the appliance manufacturer) donated washers and driers to schools and increased attendance.
According to Whirlpool's research, one in five school children report difficulty finding clean clothes to wear to school. It turns out that offering free in-school laundry services to kids with attendance problems increases their attendance.
When compared to factors like economic opportunity, unemployment, and institutional racism, laundry seems pretty inconsequential in the fight to keep kids in school. But while that might be the case for their parents, for a ten-year-old who already has the odds stacked against them, having nothing clean to wear to school could be the deciding factor in whether or not they want to face their classmates that day.
I can remember my grandmother telling me that she thought lunches in schools were a wonderful innovation, because they didn't have anything like that when she was a girl, and many children couldn't come because they wouldn't have lunch. I'm sure back then nobody thought of lunch as something school should provide. Now apparently laundry is the next big innovation.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Gaaark on Wednesday August 17 2016, @11:16PM
My wife is an Educational Assistant in the public school system, and she's had a few kids that they've had shower at the school (she provides the shampoo and deodorants) because the kids didn't want to shower at home with no hot water (no money to pay for heating water (or buying food), but plenty for booze and drugs).
There are so many kids that benefit from kindness and care. One kid even told her that he wished she was his mom.
Her school could benefit from a washer and dryer, too, I'm guessing.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 18 2016, @01:48PM
One kid even told her that he wished she was his mom.
Straight to the heart muscle :(
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday August 19 2016, @02:53AM
Yeah... makes you wonder what their life is REALLY like.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---