In a laundromat, a church and other community spots, 'learning hubs' created for young kids

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A St. Cloud, Florida, laundromat in a busy shopping center offers customers the usual commercial dryers and washing machines but also a case of children’s books in hope that parents with kids in tow might occupy them with story time instead of screen time.

The bookcase was set up by the Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County and is one of 12 “learning hubs” it installed in locations frequented by families with young children. Other locations include a hospital and a church.

The goal is to offer books and educational toys to young children who might otherwise be looking at phones or tablets or just getting bored. The coalition hopes the hubs, paid for by $650,000 in federal grants, will help boost early literacy skills and mean more Osceola children are ready for kindergarten.

At 1 Clean Laundry, the hub includes a kiddie-sized bench and a bookcase where children can grab titles like “Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?,” “It’s a Big World Little Pig” and “Fluffy Saves Christmas.”

“If you think about a space like a laundromat, where you’re there for probably an hour and a half, if there are things for you to do with your child that help with their literacy development, that’s just a tremendous opportunity,” said Sue Gaon, vice president of Lakeshore Learning Materials, where the coalition purchased most of the hub supplies.

Laundromat owner Edward Ellis said the hub has been getting steady use since it was installed about three months ago. And it is not always the parents guiding the reading.

“I’ve also had bilingual children teaching their parents English from the books, which is pretty neat,” Ellis said.

Children can take the books home if they want, as the hub project includes money to replace titles during the next three years.

At Solid Rock Community Church in Kissimmee, the new “learning hub” – the coalition’s largest – includes eight rooms in a large building on the church’s grounds.

It will open Sunday, but last week children attending the church’s vacation Bible school were given the chance to check out one of the playrooms, which offered a puppet theater and an assortment of costumes, including a police officer’s uniform, a doctor’s scrubs and a West African dashiki.

There is also a room with a toy kitchen and a reading room, among others.

Pastor Tiffany Jeffers said the congregation draws about 700 people to Sunday services, including about 150 kids. The church provides childcare but now volunteers can offer more educational activities to the children.

“I wish this was around when I was a young parent,” Jeffers said. “I could’ve sent my kids over to the learning hub and have them not just be babysat, but really engage with toys and activities.”

The rooms will be open to the public after school and on weekends, Jeffers said. And the church plans to host exercise, cooking and other classes to attract families whose children would then be invited to use the hub.

“We thought they were a fantastic partner to engage with because they have one of the largest African- American audiences in the entire Kissimmee area,” said Joel Rivera, a consultant who served as project director for the hubs.

The project wants to reach that community as it traditionally has fewer “options for learning opportunities,” he said.

The coalition is also stocking each hub with a children’s book set in Osceola County, an effort to connect children to what they’re reading. The books include images of palm trees, alligators and a theme park off in the distance.

“It’s pretty much them walking around their town and exploring what their town has,” Rivera said.

The coalition plans to open five more hubs in 2025.

“We need to continue to drive into those places where children and families just are naturally,” said Amanda Kelkenberg, CEO of the Early Learning Coalition.