Bright Horizons Celebrates Class of 2025 Horizons Teacher Degree Program Graduates

June 26, 2025 – Bright Horizons recently held a virtual graduation ceremony for the class of 2025 graduates from the Horizons Teacher Degree Program. Over 430 graduates from across the country gathered with colleagues, family, and friends to celebrate their incredible accomplishment of earning either a CDA or college degree through the program this year.  

“This is a group of individuals who truly committed themselves and found a way to overcome, not just the everyday challenges of balancing work and school, but also the unexpected hurdles life can throw at us,” said Bright Horizons Chief Academic Officer, Rachel Robertson. “Each of them pushed forward to grow professionally in a field that means so much to all of us: early childhood education.”

Established in 2018, the Horizons Teacher Degree Program is the first-of-its-kind, free, CDA and college degree program offered to all full-time employees in the company’s early education centers and preschools. Employees participating in the program can earn a CDA, an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree and do not have to pay for any expenses out of pocket, including tuition, fees and books. 

During the virtual ceremony, graduates heard remarks from their peers, host Bright Horizons Chief Academic Officer Rachel Robertson, Bright Horizons Chief Operations Officer Mary Lou Burke Afonso, Bright Horizons Chief Human Resources Officer Mel McDuffie, Bright Horizons CEO Stephen Kramer, and Andrew Davis, COO of the Council for Professional Recognition. 

To learn more about the Horizons Teacher Degree Program, visit here.