Popping up among the washing machines, the dryers, the bottles of detergent and the dozens of laundry baskets at Wareham laundromats are new baskets filled with something other than clothing: children's books.

It's all part of a new campaign launched by Wareham Public Schools officials to encourage parents and children to read together. The initiative is called Laundromats for Literacy.

"Our main goal is to promote literacy in the community," said Mary Morgan, Student Services Early Education Coordinator for the school district.

Morgan and Wareham Public Schools Title 1 Literacy Specialist Kathy Minkle have been gathering books for months after hearing about a similar initiative in California. They slip information about literacy and tips for parents into each book, fill the baskets, and drop them off at the Wareham Laundry Center on Main Street and the Delken Professional Dry Cleaners and laundromat on Cranberry Highway.

"Ideally it's so the parent can read to the child and they can share in the moment," Minkle said. She stressed that parents should read to children often and that reading should begin when children are in the womb.

"We see students coming into school who have a lack of exposure" to reading and books, Minkle said.

That leads to limited vocabulary. Morgan said total vocabulary is a huge indicator of academic success. The average student learns 1,000 words per year. "It gets harder and harder to remediate" as children get older, she said.

The books are currently geared toward younger children, but Morgan and Minkle said they hope to expand the offerings with chapter books and books for young adults. The pair switches out the books periodically to keep the selection fresh.

The idea is to "get out to where people are," Minkle said, adding that today's busy parents may not have the time or the means to get to the library when it's open.

Moore and Minkle are looking for more locations for the baskets of books, as well as donations of new or gently used books. Donations can be dropped off at East Wareham Elementary on Depot Street or at the Everett Educational Center on Gibbs Avenue.

The initiative has been successful so far.

"We've had some books missing," Minkle said with a smile. Though taking the books isn't encouraged, she pointed out that the missing books must have been particularly enjoyed.

For more information about Laundromats for Literacy, contact Kathy Minkle at 508-291-3540, ext. 18 or kamoore@wareham.k12.ma.us.