Now in its eighth year and reaching 144 schools in 37 states, the Care Counts™ laundry program continues to grow and increase attendance rates across the United States.
BENTON HARBOUR, Mich., October 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — While students have returned to in-person learning for about a year, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to impact attendance rates nationwide. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 72% of US public schools reported an increase in chronic absenteeism among their students compared to the 2020-2021 school year.1. To continue its efforts to reduce truancy rates among elementary school students, the Whirlpool-branded Care Counts™ laundry program continues to provide washers and dryers to select schools nationwide with high percentages of truancy rates. absenteeism. Therefore, 84% of participating high-risk elementary students2 enrolled in the program were reported by teachers as feeling connected to their school in the 2021-2022 school year.
With the support of longtime collaborator, Teach For America, the Care Counts™ laundry program works with participating schools to find ways to ensure children have access to clean clothes throughout school. school year. Over the years, the program has contributed to decreasing chronic absenteeism and increasing attendance rates, grades and engagement levels among participating at-risk students. By analyzing the most recent data from the 2021-2022 school year, the Whirlpool brand found that:
- Nearly 70% of participating high-risk elementary students3 saw its attendance increase.
- Participating high-risk elementary students4 experienced an average increase in attendance of 12 days more than the previous school year.
- Nearly 60% of participating high-risk elementary students5 decreased their level of chronic absenteeism while participating in the Care Counts™ laundry program, and 30% of participating high-risk students6 were no longer at risk of chronic absenteeism at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year.
“We are proud to continue to grow the Care Counts™ laundry program, especially at a time when we see the detrimental impact the pandemic continues to have on our young students’ ability to attend school,” said declared Nelly Martinez, Senior Brand Manager for the Whirlpool brand. “We are extremely grateful to the headteachers and volunteers across the country who are an integral part of running this program, keeping in touch with students and their families, and providing the most vulnerable with access to clean clothing. .”
Now entering its eighth year, the Whirlpool-branded Care Counts™ laundry program has expanded its presence to five new states in the 2022-2023 school year: Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Virginia, Delaware and Hawaii. It will continue to work with schools participating in a second year of the program in five regions: Idaho, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
“The impact of the washer and dryer is truly amazing,” said Krishna Barrosodirector of the AVON Avenue school in Newark, New Jersey. “These two simple machines that most people take for granted provide essential access to clean clothes, which builds pride, confidence and improves attendance in our students.”
The Whirlpool-branded Care Counts™ laundry program is designed to remove a small but significant barrier to attendance — access to clean clothes — by installing washers and dryers in select schools nationwide. To learn more about the Whirlpool brand Care Counts™ laundry program, visit https://www.whirlpool.com/care-counts.
About the Whirlpool brand
For over a hundred years, the Whirlpool brand has been inspired by the way people take care of their families. The Whirlpool brand designs home appliances that aim to improve the way families give and get the care they need through the latest technology and innovation – whether it’s flexible fridge storage for all types of family needs, induction technology for efficient cooking and easier cleaning, or pairs of linens that detect and adapt to clothes with the latest connected technologies. The Whirlpool brand created and continues to exceed the goals of its Care Counts™ laundry program, through which the brand is committed to helping create equality in education by installing washers and dryers in schools to help remove a small but important barrier to attendance: access to clean clothes. The Whirlpool brand is part of Whirlpool Corporation, a leading appliance manufacturer committed to being the world’s best kitchen and laundry company, with the constant goal of improving life at home. For more information about Whirlpool, please visit whirlpool.com or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/whirlpoolusainstagram at @whirlpoolusaor TikTok on @whirlpoolusa. Additional information about the company is available at whirlpoolcorp.com.
1 Source: https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/07_06_2022.asp
2 High-risk elementary students are defined as elementary students who are at risk of missing 10% or more school days during a reporting period
3 High-risk elementary students are defined as elementary students who are at risk of missing 10% or more school days during a reporting period
4 High-risk elementary students are defined as elementary students who are at risk of missing 10% or more school days during a reporting period
5 High-risk elementary students are defined as elementary students who are at risk of missing 10% or more school days during a reporting period
6 High-risk elementary students are defined as elementary students who are at risk of missing 10% or more school days during a reporting period
SOURCE Whirlpool Brand
