BRIGHT HORIZONS FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Toxic stress experienced by children who are homeless or in crisis can affect their mental, emotional, and physical development. Play is therapeutic for these children, and the Bright Spaces we create provide a place for children in crisis to to build caring relationships, to heal from trauma through play, and to give them a place to experience something these children don't always have -- the joy of childhood
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Bright Spaces
Bright Spaces® are warm, enriching places in homeless shelters and community agencies that give children and families in crisis a place to play, learn and have fun. Bright Spaces are created in partnership with Bright Horizons employees, corporations, community agencies, and others. These bright, comfortable child-friendly rooms at a variety of agencies, primarily homeless shelters, are not only spaces where children can play, but also places where they are encouraged to have positive interactions with other children, their family, and supportive adults. These fully-furnished, bright, inviting spaces are conducive to supporting constructive behaviors and to encourage building bonds that strengthen the family, often in stressful or traumatic situations. Bright Spaces promote resilience and can alleviate the effects of stress that can have lasting developmental effects. In addition, these spaces are used for a variety of programs and services – provided by the Foundation or for the agency’s existing ones – such as early interventions, therapy, counseling, nutritional instruction, or parenting skills to improve parents’ long-term relationship with their children.
Where we work
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Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Today, there are an estimated 2.5 million homeless children in the U.S. and at least one in 15 American children has been exposed to some form of family violence. The Foundation focuses on brightening the lives of children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness and other crises. We do this by securing the funds to create and support Bright Spaces in homeless and domestic violence shelters, as well as other types of local agencies, across the U.S. Bright Spaces are warm, safe, enriching spaces that provide play areas and other types of spaces for youth and families in crisis that brighten the lives of children and families. Research on brain development suggests that many of the leading health and social problems have common origins in the enduring consequences of negative experiences during childhood. Early childhood abuse or trauma (caused by homelessness, for example) on brain functions and the stress response system have been shown to have lasting effects. The Foundation's goal is for children and youth to heal from toxic stress and trauma through play, building caring relationships, and experiencing the joy of childhood.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
At Bright Horizons Family Solutions – an international child care provider founded in 1986 – we possess a wealth of knowledge about children and families. Through the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children, we extend our extensive knowledge about early childhood education and commitment to all children far beyond the walls of our tuition-based child care centers and programs. Through the Foundation, our commitment is to serving at-risk children and families in the communities where Bright Horizons Family Solutions' employees live and work. By engaging thousands of Bright Horizons' employees, clients, families, friends, and community partners, we serve thousands of children in 39 states who are experiencing trauma and mitigate toxic stress, which is more likely to lead to negative developmental outcomes. We do this through employee volunteers at Bright Horizons Family Solutions' child care centers who raise funds, create, and support Bright Spaces with agency partners. Clients and employees are proud that they are able to fulfill the Foundation's mission to provide children and families with safe, nurturing, creative environments; instill a positive self-concept and self-esteem in children; and facilitate the development of strong families.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Bright Horizons Family Solutions' nation-wide network of dedicated employees, identify strong partner agencies across the U.S. where Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a presence. The Foundation's fundraising efforts secure the funds and the expertise of our Bright Space Team provides our employee volunteers with the tools to engage local, high-performing community agencies and create Bright Spaces. Based on trauma informed design, these spaces are hubs of activities where the agency can offer a diverse array of services to transcend trauma, develop resiliency skills, and strengthen the whole family. Our efforts fuel the building of better, healthier lives by establishing nurturing programs and comforting spaces for children and youth in crisis. Through encouraging others to join us to fund raise and volunteer, we are making a measurable difference in the formative development of healthy children and ignite their future aspirations.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have served hundreds of thousands of children in the past 19 years and have a presence in almost 300 agencies in 40 states. We also have more than 50 Bright Spaces in the U.K. The Bright Spaces provide a place in agencies where children can develop through play, have a respite from stress, and bond with parents, caregivers, siblings, and other children. We also offer the agency a place for a range of services such as early intervention, therapy, parenting training, arts activities, tutoring, homework assistance, and “home" visits. With homelessness and domestic abuse on the rise, we want to increase volunteerism and broad-based funding to create more Bright Spaces. We believe that all children and their families need safe, comforting places where they can grow, bond, and develop through play together, especially in times of distress, to reach their full potential.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
BRIGHT HORIZONS FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN
Board of directorsas of 12/07/2023
Yvonne Lynch
Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Term: 2022 -
Yvonne Lynch
Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Elizabeth Boland
Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Marguerite Kondracke
Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Stephen Kramer
Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Mary Lou Burke Afonso
Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
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