Visitors to the Dartmouth Laundromat, located at 710 State Road, may be surprised to see free children’s books now available.

The books and bookcase were put there by United Way of Greater New Bedford’s Women United, along with a desk for kids to sit at. The “Wash and Read” corner is meant to entertain and educate kids while their parents do laundry. 

Kids spend an average two and half hours at laundromats each week, according to Women United. 

“I think [the corner] probably provides a little sense of community, and that we’re providing something above and beyond the basic necessity of washing and drying your clothes,” said Al Amaral, owner of the laundromat. 

The Dartmouth Laundromat is the seventh location to receive a bookcase from Women United, not including a private laundromat at Crossroads Apartments in Dartmouth. The rest are in New Bedford. 

The corners have books in Spanish, English and Portuguese, and are restocked monthly. The books are not only meant to keep kids busy during the wash and dry cycle, but are also for kids to take home and continue reading. 

One of Women United’s missions is to encourage early childhood literacy. Women United Director Paula Montgomery said the bookcases are an effort to “meet families where they are.”

Amaral said he and his wife are both teachers and understand the importance of reading literacy, which inspired them to participate in the program. 

The New Bedford Free Public Library assists the Wash and Read program by housing books for Women United, that are used to restock the laundromat bookshelves. 

Some of the books are donated independently. For instance, Potter Elementary School and Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical High School both hosted book drives that donated to United Women. 

A small team of volunteers checks the bookcases monthly and updates them. Dartmouth resident Rosemary Neto Hazzard will be taking on Dartmouth Laundromat as her third volunteer location.