School Laundry Program
Orange Sky’s School Laundry Program supports students with access to clean clothes. By providing on-site laundry facilities, the program helps young people succeed by improving attendance, participation and wellbeing, while building practical life skills.
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Students experiencing hygiene poverty miss an average of 13.84 more school days per year and demonstrate significantly lower engagement both in the classroom (93%) and during recreational activities (57%).
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This lack of engagement and high absenteeism leads to poorer academic performance for 61% of these students, potentially creating long-term deficits in their learning and future vocational opportunities.
Orange Sky’s goal is to ensure that access to clean school uniforms is never a barrier to education and wellbeing outcomes for young people. Which is why we’re excited to make this service available to all Australian schools.
We currently have five schools across Australia using this service, and since inception they’ve collectively delivered over 885 washes for students and families.
The Orange Sky School Laundry Program is designed to be simple, reliable and easy for schools to run. Added bonus: it’s totally free!
Orange Sky installs free, easy-to-use washing machines and dryers on school grounds, ensuring students can access clean clothes without needing to leave campus.
Orange Sky covers the full cost of the program, including machines, installation and wrap-around support. Schools don’t need to worry about upfront or ongoing expenses.
The program is delivered in a way that respects students’ privacy and independence. Accessing the laundry is straightforward, discreet and built into the school environment.
Clean clothes can make a real difference to how young people feel at school. By reducing stress and removing barriers to attendance, the program helps students participate more confidently in class and school life.
In the School Laundry Program, students can gain practical skills that support independence and confidence.
With 28% of those accessing specialist homelessness services under the age of 18, it’s vital that Orange Sky brings free laundry directly to young people who need it. Many young people can’t access Orange Sky’s usual services – they’re attending school, don’t have transport or can’t safely move around unaccompanied.
The School Laundry Program is delivered through an on-campus laundry facility. It is operated by the school staff and community, meaning there are no dedicated shifts and no volunteers.
Schools can express interest via the form above. We’d love to hear from you!
Schools will need an adequate space for machines and an assigned program manager to liaise with Orange Sky.
Orange Sky covers the entire cost of the School Laundry by supplying high-quality machines and wrap-around support. In depth onboarding and training with operating guides, scheduling support and promotional materials are provided to ensure operating the laundry is simple.
Easy to use guides have been created which are placed in the laundry room instructing on how to wash and dry clothes. Orange Sky also provides an online interactive course that instructs students on how to do their laundry (for older students).
