Persistent concerns about income and social inequality have raised questions about how to address opportunity gaps in access to literacy learning for lowincome young children. Recognizing the need to strengthen learning opportunities, this study examines how specially designed hybrid spaces within the 'everyday' place of a neighborhood laundromat might support children's literacy development. Twenty laundromats in high-poverty neighborhoods from a large urban city participated in the research: 10 in which small spaces were reconfigured to create literacy-related play settings; 10, in which remained "business as usual" control sites. Conducted over two phases, the 7-month study examined changes in children's literacy activities resulting from the physical design changes alone, and subsequent changes when combined with a trusted messenger, a public librarian, who assisted in their activities. Results indicated that these hybrid spaces dramatically increased children's time on literacy-related activities, especially when given adult assistance, averaging 47-minutes per child of sustained activity. These results suggest that intentionally-designed everyday spaces may play an important role in increasing young children's access to resources and opportunity to learn. L iteracy learning for young children is not bound in time and space. Everyday events, from simple routines to errands and chores can become catalysts for children's word learning and literacy-related activity (Roskos et al., 2003). Initiated by the child or other people, these activities may include talking, singing, pretending to read stories, scribbling and drawing, and are likely take place across many different settingsat home, in childcare and in the neighborhood (Teale and Sulzby, 1989). In these informal, day-to-day places children may begin to discover the many purposes for literacy, long before they develop the technical skills associated with its development.Over 80% of young children's time is likely to be spent in these informal settings (Meltzoff et al., 2009), compared to the 20% time in more institutional-like learning contexts such as childcare or preschool. Yet the bulk of the research in early literacy has typically taken place in these institutional settings under the influence and guidance of adults (National Early Literacy Panel, 2008). Rarely, however, have we examined how children can propel their own development. In its absence, we miss the opportunity to investigate literacy learning when it flows from the initiatives of the learners themselves in contexts that may have personal meaning and value for them.It may also overlook the influence of these informal activities on children's verbal skills and subsequent school readiness in the early years. In an analysis of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development