In-School Laundry Gives Students Clean Clothes, Academic Success

FAIRFIELD (CBS SF) -- Laundry and school attendance. They might not seem connected, but one California teacher says they are closely linked.

Now, access to washers and dryers is helping students in Fairfield

"Our kids have a lot of challenges," said Principal Martha Lacy of David Weir Prepratory Academy in Fairfield.

Lacy shared with us a video of some of her students talking not about class, but clean laundry.

"When I wake up in the morning and I find I have no clean clothes I usually end up staying home," one student said.

"When I was homeless we had no clean clothes because we only had a little money and we use that for food," said another student.

The video is part of a pilot program sponsored by Whirlpool, linking clean clothes to student attendance and success.

"If you don't do well in school it's difficult to continue to want to get an education," Lacy said.

Seventh grade teacher Alison Gurnsey sometimes washed her students' clothes at home on her own.

She applied for a grant last year to get a washer and dryer for her school. She learned the district would be part of a pilot program and Whirlpool says it was Gurnsey who helped inspire the program.

"They offered it to ten of our sites and installed washer-dryers at all those sites."

Parents were approached delicately to become part of the program

"I'd say I noticed he's been coming to school and his clothes are clean and we have this great program and like to offer it to you," Lacy said.

The students get a laundry bag, they fill it up and drop it off. Teachers take turns cleaning and folding.

Many parents accepted the offer and the staff says things began to change.

Principal Lacy says a fourth grader from a family of six used to miss 40 to 60 days but after her family received their laundry back clean, the child was back to school.

"The little girl said 'we just put the clothes in the bag and they get clean.' She didn't miss any school after that," Lacy said.

Based on the success in Fairfield, the program is set to expand across the country this fall.