A trip to the barber usually comes with a bit of conversation while you’re in the chair. But one barber in Iowa decided to swap the usual small talk for something that could make a genuine difference to children in his community.

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Courtney Holmes, a hair stylist from Dubuque, offered youngsters a simple deal: read a book out loud while getting their hair cut and the haircut would be completely free, per TODAY.

Holmes was taking part in the Dubuque Black Men Coalition’s second annual Back-to-School Bash, an event created to provide families with educational resources, school supplies and support ahead of the new school year.

As a member of the coalition and a father of two young boys himself, Holmes was keen to get involved when event organiser Anderson Sainci approached him with the idea.

Throughout the event, he provided nearly 15 free haircuts to children ranging from kindergarten age through to middle school.

While Holmes got to work with his clippers, the children worked their way through books covering subjects including “Big Hero Six”, superheroes and sports.

And getting them to participate apparently wasn’t difficult.

“They were excited. They wanted a haircut and they didn’t have a problem reading to me,” Holmes told TODAY Parents. “And the parents — they liked what I was doing. They, of course, wanted their kids’ hair cut, but they also liked that we were having them read.”

The initiative was about considerably more than simply keeping children occupied in the barber’s chair.

“And that’s what we wanted to do — to reach not only the kids, but the parents,” he added, “to let them know that we are there for them and have support systems for their kids who may not have access to reading assistance or books.”

The coalition partnered with local organisation Every Child, Every Promise, which supplied books for children to read during the event as well as books they could take home.

Holmes also wanted the children to properly engage with the stories rather than simply reading the words aloud.

“At the end of the haircut, I’d ask them, ‘What’s the book about?’ I made sure they read the cover of the book before they started, so they would know what they were reading — and afterward I’d make them answer questions and tell me about what they’d read,” said Holmes.

Having cut hair for 15 years, Holmes could now take the concept beyond the Back-to-School Bash, with discussions taking place about potentially holding similar monthly events at Spark Family Salon, where he rents a chair.

For Sainci, the response showed exactly why the initiative mattered.

“We’re trying to not only impact our community, but to really impact the kids who are low income, and try to paint this picture to them where you can be successful through reading.”

Featured image credit: izzet çakallı / Mikhail Nilov / Pexels