Whirlpool’s Innovative Laundry Program Boosts School Attendance by 90%

When it comes to middle schoolers facing attendance issues, it’s easy to point fingers at parents or the kids themselves, resigning to the idea that the problem is too complex to solve. But what if the key to keeping these kids in school was simply having clean clothes to wear? Whirlpool took this seemingly small issue and turned it into a game-changer.

Introducing the Whirlpool Care Counts Program

Enter the Whirlpool Care Counts Program, which launched last year with the generous donation of seventeen sets of washers and dryers to schools in St. Louis and Fairfield, California. The initiative invited students struggling with attendance to bring their laundry to school, where it was cleaned during class hours. The results were remarkable: over 90% of participating students improved their attendance, with at-risk kids attending nearly two additional weeks of school. Each student also got around 50 loads of laundry done right on campus! This year, Whirlpool is set to expand the program to twenty more schools across five different districts.

The Impact of Clean Clothes

While laundry might seem trivial compared to issues like poverty or discrimination, for a ten-year-old already facing numerous challenges, not having clean clothes could be the difference between wanting to face classmates or hiding away. Dr. Sarah Thompson, a former principal at Maple Grove Elementary in St. Louis, learned firsthand from parents that affording laundry or managing trips to laundromats was a significant hurdle. After reaching out to Whirlpool, they discovered that one in five students across the U.S. struggle to find clean clothes. One. In. Five. Can you believe it?

In a conversation with Parents Today, eighth-grade teacher Jamie Lee from Fairfield shared how one student who had withdrawn completely from school became more engaged and excited about attending after the program began. “He didn’t feel like an outsider anymore,” she remarked.

Breaking the Stigma

It’s all too common for kids with attendance challenges to be labeled as “troubled” or “lazy.” Many fortunate adults can’t fathom the difficulty of something as basic as laundry, nor do they take a moment to step into these kids’ shoes. For parents focused on keeping their children fed and safe, a two-hour laundromat trip often takes a backseat.

Kudos to Dr. Thompson and Whirlpool for taking the time to ask the important questions and provide a solution that helps these kids gain the confidence they need to show up at school. Their efforts highlight that sometimes the simplest solutions can yield the most significant impacts.

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Conclusion

In summary, Whirlpool’s Care Counts Program demonstrates how addressing basic needs like laundry can significantly improve school attendance, dispelling the myth that these issues are too minor to matter. By providing essential resources, they help empower students to face their educational challenges head-on.