Child care breakdowns can pose serious challenges for working parents and can affect their productivity at work. Bright Horizons back-up care provides working parents with a safety net for those days when regular care arrangements fall through, helping employees balance competing personal and professional demands. Parents can use back-up care to address a variety of common child care issues that cause disruption in their lives, including:
- Family member or care provider vacations and sick days
- Changes in flexible work arrangements
- Stay-at-home spouse appointments
- Nanny turnover
- School vacations or days when a regular child care center is closed
- Infant transition after maternity or disability leave
- Business travel
- Relocation to another city
- School snow days
- Other work/life issues that parents may face
We design our centers to be comforting and nurturing, so that you can go to work knowing your child will have a wonderful day.
Bright Horizons operates a network of more than 80 dedicated back-up child centers and manages more than 45 back-up care programs within full-service centers. Our back-up programs were the first of their kind to be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and our company maintains the best accreditation record in the industry.
Our Approach
Back-up care is designed for children whose regular care has broken down and who, therefore, may be first-time or infrequent users of the program. Bright Horizons recognizes that back-up care is a special kind of care for young children. They need to feel safe and secure among people who understand what it is like to be a young child in an unfamiliar place. Our approach to back-up child care incorporates a particular emphasis on individualizing care to each child. Some of the features found in many children's museums are incorporated into the back-up center experience. Special features include:
A “Family” Approach to Care:
Providing a warm and caring experience for all ages, allowing opportunities for siblings to interact with each other - The family atmosphere also allows and encourages children of different ages to work and play together.
Welcome Back Greeting and Departure Rituals:
Each child and parent on return is welcomed back and departs with special rituals.
My Day:
Each child leaves with a daily experience sheet recording the day's activities. Older children document their own daily experiences.
What’s Happening Here?
Special learning centers designed for children in back-up care immediately engage the child.