A Message from CEO Dave Lissy Regarding Hurricane Sandy

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Up and down the Eastern Seaboard, Hurricane Sandy has created chaos and destruction. Our hearts go out to our clients, families, and employees who continue to struggle and come to grips with the devastation caused by this storm.

Thousands of people are displaced, remain without power and in some places like New York and New Jersey, continue to be crippled by transportation closures. We know that many of you and your employees are also dealing with severe damage and may have even tragically lost your homes. As adults, we struggle to understand a natural disaster like this and its aftermath and for those with families, the impact can be even more acute as people try to rebound and children seek answers and comfort.

Children are as vulnerable as anyone else to the stress and anxiety brought on by the trauma their families have experienced and we know that many families and caregivers struggle with how to talk to children about natural disasters. In keeping with what we have done during other times of crisis, we have made our resources available to families to help those impacted by this terrible storm.  Please click here for information that provides tips for how to talk to children struggling to understand what happened to their home or community. It is based on a resource developed by our late SVP of Education Jim Greenman called What Happened to My World? Helping Children Cope with Natural Disaster and Catastrophe.

Additionally, through the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children, we are also creating the Hurricane Sandy Children's Fund and our Foundation will distribute the money collected to local relief organizations focused on children and families as well as our Bright Space partners in the affected areas.

We are pleased that we have been able to continue to offer back-up care for employees in impacted areas through in-home providers and by leveraging our centers that are open. We are so proud of our dedicated teachers and staff who are dealing with their own struggles and have remained committed to supporting children and families during this time. With their help, we are working to open centers that were forced to close as quickly as they become available. Please let us know if there is any other way that we can be supporting you or your employees and their families.

We will continue to keep you updated as our efforts evolve, and we thank you for helping us mobilize for children and families facing such incredible loss. Our thoughts will continue to be with everyone affected in the coming days, weeks and months as you seek to rebuild and recover. We are committed to supporting you and your employees in any way we can.

Sincerely,

David Lissy
Chief Executive Officer
Bright Horizons
About the Author
Bright Horizons
Bright Horizons
In 1986, our founders saw that child care was an enormous obstacle for working parents. On-site centers became one way we responded to help employees – and organizations -- work better. Today we offer child care, elder care, and help for education and careers -- tools used by more than 1,000 of the world’s top employers and that power many of the world's best brands
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