Creating safe play environments for kids where families already spend time.
See All Locations BelowPinwheel Playroom supports UCI’s goal of preparing children for kindergarten on the way to third grade reading proficiency. These are cozy reading and play spaces for young children 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. Families are invited each time they visit a Pinwheel Playroom to take a book home to build their home library!
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 at SMA's Social Suds Laundromat in 2016.
To create early literacy enrichment spaces with free books located where children and families spend time waiting across Memphis and Shelby County.
Increase opportunities for families to engage in early literacy activities as part of their daily routine.
Increase opportunities for nurturing social-emotional interactions with young children.
Increase opportunities for eligible families to enroll in Books from Birth.
Support Memphis' place-based literacy strategy, Read901.
Expand the reach of Pinwheel Playroom so these spaces are accessible to all families in Shelby County.
Memphis Health Center
360 E. E.H. Crump Blvd
Memphis, TN 38126
Site Adopter: Kifani Kids
Church Health Center
1350 Concourse Ave, Suite 142
Memphis, TN 38104
Site Adopter: International Dyslexia Association
Fresh Suds Laundry
3513 Ramill Rd
Memphis, TN 38128
Site Adopter: Literacy Mid-South
Read901 Raleigh Literacy Zone
Ed Rice Community Center - Memphis Parks
2935 Watkins
Memphis, TN 38127
*Site Adopter Needed
Shelby County Health Department - Millington
8225 US-51
Millington, TN 38053
*Site Adopter Needed
CCHS Clinic - Winchester
5366 Winchester Rd
Memphis, TN 38115
Site Adopter: Shelby Literacy Center
Shelby County Youth and Family Resource Center
3157 Powers Rd
Memphis, TN 38128
Site Adopter: Literacy Mid-South
Read901 Raleigh Literacy Zone
Raleigh Coin-Op
3211 Coleman Rd
Memphis, TN 38128
Site Adopter: Literacy Mid-South
Read901 Raleigh Literacy Zone
Ellie’s Laundry - Winchester
4430 Winchester Rd
Memphis, TN 38118
*Site Adopter Needed
Le Bonheur ULPS Clinic
51 N. Dunlap St
Memphis, TN 38105
Site Adopter: UTHSC Pediatric Interest Group
Ellie’s Laundry - Pauline
215 S. Pauline
St
Memphis, TN 38104
Site Adopters: Midtown Memphis Rotary Club and Kifani Kids
Shelby County Health Department - Main
814 Jefferson
Ave
Memphis, TN 38105
Site Adopter: UTHSC Pediatric Interest Group
Ellie’s Laundry - Waring
644 Waring Rd
Memphis, TN 38112
Site Adopter: Rhodes College Kinney Program
CCHS Clinic - Orange Mound
2569 Douglass Ave
Memphis, TN 38114
*Site Adopter Needed
CCHS Clinic - Broad Avenue
2861 Broad Ave
Memphis, TN 38112
Site Adopter: Shelby Literacy Center
South Memphis Alliance Laundromat
1048 S. Bellevue Blvd
Memphis, TN 38106
Site Adopter: Culture for Change (LeMoyne-Owen College)
The Urban Child Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Contact Us