Barbershops and Laundromats May Help Your Child Learn to Enjoy Reading

There are a plethora of benefits to reading more, but try explaining that to your child. You’ll probably get eye rolls and a few sighs. Attempting to get your child to enjoy reading in adolescence can be difficult. A new effort may be able to help.

How Reading Impacts Your Finances

Encouraging your children to read more can impact their financial security in the future. For the most part, people need to read more about finance to really get a good idea as to how to handle managing their money. Even though personal finance topics can be boring to read about (especially for beginners), they can make a world of difference.

Kids who are encouraged to read in order to prepare for tests and exams are more likely to also adopt the habit of reading as an adult. Additionally, starting out with novels or fiction books can help transition your child into reading about more complex content, such as personal finance. Teaching your child ways to enjoy reading can provide financial security and understanding for years to come.

Barbershops and laundromats may be able to assist parents in encouraging their child’s reading habits.

Laundromats and Barbershops Help Kids Enjoy Reading

Dozens of barbershops and laundromats across the country have begun a movement to help kids enjoy reading. The idea behind the movement is to bring the books to the children instead of having kids seek out books themselves. It brings literature to places where children have nothing else to do and may have time on their hands.

It is supported by a number of nonprofit groups, libraries, community organizations, and entrepreneurs. For the most part, these “libraries” have begun to pop up in salons, barbershops, and laundromats in economically struggling areas of the United States.

In some cases, kids are encouraged to read their books aloud while getting a haircut or waiting on their laundry with their family. They’re typically offered snacks or a couple of dollars to read.

Barbershop Books

As mentioned, these are being established at places within the community that already serve as stop-in spots in the neighborhood. In Detroit, the owner of Cutz Lounge the Grooming Shop, Dante Williams, has a section of his business where people get together and chat. He’s placed children’s books, at eye level, to get kids to pick up one and read while they’re there.

“Sometimes you do have to purposely tell the kids, ‘Hey, grab a book,’” Mr. Williams said. “I like to put it in their hands and say, ‘Hey, look at this.’ It encourages them a little bit.”

Williams’ shop is supplied with books from Barbershop Books, a literacy program that began in Harlem in 2014. The founder of the program wanted to take advantage of the fact that barbershops and laundromats typically serve as meeting places in lower-income areas. Specifically, Barbershop Books hopes to help improve the reading rates among black children in the U.S.

The nonprofit group has supplied books in 185 barbershops (20 states and 44 cities). For business owners, the program also provides early literacy training for barbers. Barbershop Books is working on developing a similar program for beauty salons.

Libraries Without Borders

As mentioned above, laundromats are serving as another place where children will learn to enjoy reading. Most of the time, families will spend an hour or two at the laundromat. This provides the perfect opportunity to introduce books.

One of the nonprofit groups leading the literacy programs through laundromats is called Libraries Without Borders. The program is helped along with grants. Libraries Without Borders is also part of the Laundry Literacy Coalition. This coalition helps promote literacy through laundromats throughout the nation.

Its first program was launched in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn last year. What they saw was, when given the option, kids are more likely to pick up a book than toys. The coalition hopes to create spaces for reading in 30,000 laundromats and coin laundries in the U.S.

Amanda Blankenship

Amanda Blankenship is the Chief Editor for District Media. With a BA in journalism from Wingate University, she frequently writes for a handful of websites and loves to share her own personal finance story with others. When she isn’t typing away at her desk, she enjoys spending time with her daughter, son, husband, and dog. During her free time, you’re likely to find her with her nose in a book, hiking, or playing RPG video games.