Bright Horizons Celebrates 25 Years of Growing Readers with Nationwide Campaign to Expand Access to Books
The company aims to collect 25,000 books to be donated to deserving programs that support families and children to build a lifelong long love of reading
August 19, 2025 – In celebration of the 25th anniversary of its Growing Readers program, Bright Horizons, a leading education and care company, is launching a nationwide initiative in partnership with the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children to empower families, expand access to books, and help children build a lifelong love of reading.
Research from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that access to books and early literacy experiences promote early brain development and lay the foundation of lifelong language and literacy skills. To help foster a nurturing, language-rich environment, Bright Horizons has set a goal of collecting 25,000 high-quality children’s books through book drives taking place at all Bright Horizons centers across the U.S. and online through JustGiving.com. The books will be donated to programs where its employees live and work.
Bright Horizons will also collaborate with The Book Vine for Children and local community partners to ensure diverse, high-quality, developmentally appropriate books reach the children who need them most. Many of these donations will benefit local community partners and Bright Spaces, safe, enriching play and learning spaces created by the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children for children experiencing homelessness or trauma.
“Books open a world of possibility and help build empathy, inspire curiosity, and deepen connections between children and their caregivers,” said Rachel Robertson, Chief Academic Officer at Bright Horizons. “Through Growing Readers, we’re not only giving families access to books, but sharing tips and tools that make reading together joyful and foster a love of learning from an early age. We’re proud to celebrate 25 years of this program by expanding access and supporting communities that need it most.”
From August through December, select Bright Horizons childcare centers will also host community literacy events featuring author visits, live story times, and book drives. Growing Readers events will kick off in Chicago, IL in late August with additional events scheduled in Atlanta, GA, Oakland, CA, New York, NY, Boston, MA and Charlotte, NC through the end of the year. Special guests will include celebrated authors such as Candace Fleming, Gianna Marino, Lola Schaefer and Peter Reynolds.
Bright Horizons’ Growing Readers program, launched in 1999, helps children explore the world through books. Each month, Bright Horizons education experts curate a selection of children’s literature highlighting emerging authors and illustrators and offer storytelling tips for both families and educators. Over the last 25 years, they have reviewed more than 1,250 books and spent over 2.300 hours planning, reviewing, and writing to ensure each selection is engaging and developmentally beneficial.