Overview

Pinwheel Playroom supports UCI's goal of preparing children for kindergarten on the way to third grade reading proficiency. Inspired by the Touch Talk Read Play parenting program at the Neighborhood Christian Centers and the innovative social service delivery model at the South Memphis Alliance's Social Suds Laundromat, UCI opened the first Pinwheel Playroom in 2016.

These cozy reading and play spaces for young children are located in places where families spend time waiting, such as laundromats and community health clinics. Colorful, welcoming, and child-focused, Pinwheel Playrooms are regularly stocked with new books for children to explore on their own or with a caregiver.

Each time families visit a Pinwheel Playroom, they are encouraged to take a book home to build their home library. Thanks to Porter-Leath's Books from Birth program and Literacy Mid-South, more than 8,400 books per year are distributed across the network of Pinwheel Playrooms in Shelby County!

If you'd like to make a contribution toward scaling and sustaining Pinwheel Playroom, please support Porter-Leath and Literacy Mid-South. Another way to engage is to become a site adopter -- see information at the bottom of this page.

FAQ: What is the significance of the pinwheel for an early literacy program?   For children and adults of all ages, a pinwheel represents joy and the freedom to learn and grow. It demonstrates power and movement through engagement and interaction.