WQLN PBS Book Nooks

WQLN started installing Book Nooks or Reading Houses at local nonprofits who serve kids living in marginalized communities, such as Booker T. Washington Center, Martin Luther King Center – and the most recent, Mercy Center for Women. These book nooks stand about 7 feet tall, and 6 feet wide. Kids from two to eight years old enjoy PBS Kids books and PBS KIDS Playtime Pads.

Through our book nook initiative, WQLN Education delivers high-quality resources to communities with the greatest need. Our book nooks are filled with our beloved PBS KIDS character books and books celebrating diversity to spark the reading interest of all children.

These cozy safe spaces are filled with bright and cheerful colors, comfy seating, shelving to store numerous books, a white board, flat screen TV (set to WQLN - PBS KIDS 24/7 channel), all designed to encourage children to read, explore and learn! Thanks to Hooked on Books for Kids Erie, all books are available for children to take home to build their home libraries.

Wash & Learn

Wash & Learn is a program where a small space inside laundromats located in urban communities are transformed into an informal "pop-up library" or a learning space where children have access to high-quality literacy, books, and materials, as their parents wait to wash and dry their clothes.

Clients return weekly and wait an average of 90 minutes for their clothes to wash and dry. Laundromats are open almost 24/7, making it the ideal space to learn. Many parents work second and third shift jobs, including having to work weekends, and are often unable to take advantage of their local library services.