AW Spotlight
Bright Horizons, Preparing Preschoolers for a Bright Future
By Krista Martinelli
The Bright Horizons Early Education and Preschool center opened recently in Wellington on State Road 7 (441), right next to the Renaissance School. I had the opportunity to chat with Director Penny Wenman and tour the new school which is bright, clean and beautiful. They will be celebrating their one year anniversary in November, and are planning a big birthday bash celebration on November 14th from 10am to 12pm.
“With our specially crafted curriculum, The World at Their Fingertips, students receive intentional guidance and rich experiences that move them along their journey by building upon individual strengths and talents.” says Wenman. “Our curriculum is based on an “emergent” approach where teachers plan activities and projects based on the specific group of children they are working with, taking into account their skills, needs, and interests. We are always formally and informally assessing children’s progress in the classroom through ongoing evaluation and documentation to ensure all of our Kindergarten Prep and VPK students are prepared for Kindergarten.” explains Wenman.
Bright Horizons at Wellington is currently preparing for their Curriculum Night, which is scheduled for September 17th. This is an opportunity for parents to learn more about the curriculum, explore the classrooms, meet the teachers and interact with currently enrolled families. Also during the week of Sept. 14th, families are invited to visit the preschool from 10am to 4pm for an open house. “Families can stop by any time during this week for a personalized visit,” says Wenman.
Why is play important?
“Play is how children start to discover how things work,” she explains. Play is important for discovering the properties of an object – it’s the scientific method in action. As children get older, “play adds a much-needed social element too, that begins with taking turns and sharing,” says Wenman. Play is considered a key component to children’s learning at Bright Horizons, and this is a good thing, as the amount of play time has been reduced both at home and at school in the U.S. over the last few decades. “Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength,” according to an American Academy of Pediatrics report.”
Cultivating Learning in Every Room
If you take a tour of Bright Horizons at Wellington, you will be impressed with the well-designed facilities. Here are some of the things you will see.
- A Media Room with SMART Board and Touch Screen Computers
- Inviting and engaging playgrounds, specific to each age group
- A Natural-Light Art Studio with covered Outdoor Patio
- A Movement Matters Zone with Rock Climbing Wall for Physical Education
- A Heated Swimming Pool for year-round Swimming Lessons
Nurturing Teachers
I asked, “What is the mark of a great preschool teacher?” At Bright Horizons, they seek out warm, nurturing, and passionate child development professionals who love and understand children. “Our teachers are highly engaged and trained professionals with extensive years of experience in the early education field.” says Wenman. Bright Horizons teachers have the opportunity to continue their education through Bright Horizons’ online Mary Ann Tocio University and tuition reimbursement benefits. This helps to ensure their teachers are current on research as it pertains to the early education field.
Health and Safety Practices
“At Bright Horizons, health and safety is our number one priority”, says Wenman. “Parents can be confident and secure that their children are well protected, classrooms are clean and safe, and that the center practices stringent health and safety guidelines,” explains Wenman. Not only are professional cleaners brought in each day to thoroughly clean and disinfect the center, but teachers help by educating children on health practices such as hand washing and covering mouths when coughing or sneezing. In fact, parents are required to wash both their hands and their children’s hands when entering the classrooms.
In addition, one of the curriculum components at the center is called Well Aware. Wenman explains, “Well Aware is a component of our curriculum, The World at Their Fingertips that fosters positive attitudes toward healthy living, physical activity, and nutrition through appropriate experiences that incorporate healthful habits into daily routines. For example, it’s important for children to know that some food grows in the ground,” says Wenman. It’s empowering for children to understand where their food comes from. Being disconnected from where food comes from is turning out to be a large problem among young kids in the U.S., as pointed out in Jamie Oliver’s (aka “The Naked Chef”) new series “Food Revolution.” There’s a lot that can be done at the earliest ages in learning about food. You can put a warm potato in a Zip Lock bag and give it to preschoolers to mash, says Wenman. Pretty soon, “you’ve got mashed potatoes.” This simple activity is like magic to the kids and it’s also a science lesson.
Preparing Children for Kindergarten
I asked Director Penny Wenman about how they prepare children at Bright Horizons to be ready for Kindergarten. See her response!
The FREE VPK Program
Yes, Bright Horizons offers a free VPK program for four-year-olds. There’s one class that runs from 8:30am to 11:30am, another
from 12:30pm to 3:30pm and an additional morning VPK class that includes wrap- around students. Just call Bright Horizons to ask about it and set up a tour. 561-753-9140
Bright Horizons, a Growing Company
Currently, there are almost 1,000 Bright Horizons schools internationally and they continue to grow. “We are the leading providers of early education,” says Wenman. “Each Bright Horizon school reflects its surrounding location,” she says. There’s an effort to incorporate elements of the town in its design and curriculum. Bright Horizons was started over 25 years ago by an entrepreneurial couple Linda Brown and Roger Mason. They were aiming for quality child care inside corporations, in order to make life easier for working parents. Bright Horizons is headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts. They have locations in England, India, across the United States, inside banks, inside hospitals and continue to grow throughout the world.
They also have a charitable arm of the organization, the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children®. Through their Bright Spaces initiative, they are able to brighten up and re-model homeless shelters, orphanages, foster care homes and other places in need of extra attention. Check out the “Shine a Light” video from the Today Show, showing the work of Bright Spaces to renovate a NYC homeless shelter. Willie Geist Reveals Bright Space for Kids in Homeless Shelter. See the video! Meanwhile, our local Bright Spaces organization is working to renovate the interior of Grandma’s Place, an emergency shelter for abused and neglected children. (An AroundWellington.com NewsSpot video is coming in the fall about this project and about a fundraiser for Grandma’s Place).
Here in Wellington
Here at the Wellington Bright Horizons, they are growing with new students enrolling every week. They are licensed for 198 students and excited to fill the center with eager kids. Bright Horizons is open from 7am to 6pm. They enroll students from 6 weeks old and up.
Here’s what one parent has to say. “The transition to daycare was scary for all of is, not just our son Everett. Miss Britany and Miss Laura (Penny and Jocelyn too!) made us feel at ease. They nurtured him during drop off and adapted routines throughout the day to ease his transitions. We feel very blessed to have found them!”
Bright Horizons at Wellington
3220 S. State Road 7
Wellington, FL33414
(561) 753-9140
Enrolling Now!
www.BrightHorizons.com/wellington
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