Helping kids stay in school
Chronic absenteeism is on the rise.1 See how Whirlpool helps end the dropout cycle by providing access to clean clothes through the Care Counts™ laundry program.
Dirty clothes lead kids to drop out
When students don’t have clean clothes, they can face bullying and humiliation that keeps them out of school—and elementary students who are frequently absent risk falling behind.
1 in 5
1 in 5 students don’t have access to clean clothes,2 making them more likely to miss school.
7x
Kids who miss school are 7x more likely to drop out.2
Whirlpool is fighting student absenteeism by installing washers and dryers in schools
Over 80% of high-risk students who participated increased their attendance by an average of 12 days3
“Since the program has been in the school, my [student] attendance is consistent. We have over 90% all the time.”
Mia Love
Teacher at Moline Elementary, St. Louis, MO
“The program is giving us the ability to make [kids] not only come to school, but [help them] be successful when they get here.”
Martha Lacy
Principal at David Weir K–8 Academy, Fairfield, CA
See the impact so far
Whirlpool has been donating washers, dryers and laundry supplies to schools since 2015. Through a partnership with Teach For America, the Care Counts™ laundry program continues to expand to get even more kids access to clean clothes.
10,000+
loads of laundry washed
144
schools across 37 states
50,000+
students given laundry access
By 2028, Whirlpool is committed to expanding the Care Counts™ laundry program to all 50 states and doubling the number of participating schools.
Explore more
Additional support for teachers and students
Whirlpool is here to help teachers and students both in and out of the classroom. In appreciation of the hard-working education community, we offer special perks, including 15% off most products.4
Care for your family and beyond
See how the simple acts of cooking and cleaning with Whirlpool® Appliances help you care for your home and those you love.
How does the program work?
The Care Counts™ laundry program is committed to helping create educational equality by installing washers and dryers in schools to help remove one small but important barrier to attendance—access to clean clothes.
In every participating school, principals help identify a trusted teacher, administrator or parent liaison to act as a Program Leader. The Program Leader helps identify students to participate in the program and anonymously tracks their loads of laundry, attendance and grades throughout the school year. Knowing that every school is different, the process of laundering student clothes varies by school. For example, many Program Leaders ask parents to sign up for time slots, so they can come in to do laundry when it is most convenient for their schedule.
Whirlpool worked with school teachers, administrators and Dr. Richard Rende, Ph.D, an internationally recognized developmental psychologist and researcher, to draw research-based connections between access to clean clothes and attendance rates by creating the Care Counts™ laundry program.
All money contributed to the Care Counts™ laundry program is managed by the Whirlpool Collective Impact Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity. 100% of money donated will be used towards expanding the Care Counts™ laundry program to further the mission of helping families thrive by providing clean clothes to students in need. These donations are 100% tax deductible as part of Federal Income Tax.
The Whirlpool Collective Impact Fund’s principal place of business is at 2000 North M63 MD2611 Benton Harbor, MI 49022. Upon request, we will provide a financial disclosure statement and an estimate of the amount of funds that will be applied to the charitable purpose of the Care Counts™ laundry program.
1. National Center for Education Statistics, May 2022. Data were collected from a total of 846 participating schools between May 10 and May 24, 2022.
2. Based on a survey conducted by phone within the United States by Braun Research from April 25–May 8, 2019 among 600 public school teachers (18 years or older).
3. Data considers only 2021–2022 school year results according to Impact YOY data.
4. Discount taken off regular price excluding taxes, delivery, install/uninstall and haul-away. Only valid for new orders on whirlpool.com. Excludes parts and accessories.
