Bright Horizons and Workplace Connections share a similar philosophy about the importance of high-quality child care, and we have always admired each other’s contributions to the field of employer-sponsored child care. In fact, when we were first starting Bright Horizons and wanted to see a high-quality child care center, Workplace Connections’ center at Prospect Hill was the first center we toured. Our shared dedication to providing high-quality child care made the decision to integrate our operations seem like a natural one, and we look forward to warmly welcoming Workplace Connections’ families, children, faculty and clients to the Bright Horizons family, said Bright Horizons Chief Executive Officer and founder Roger Brown.
After more than 45 years in service to the education of young children, I can think of no one better than Bright Horizons, and its co-founders Roger Brown and Linda Mason, to continue the mission of Workplace Connections’ child care centers. Bright Horizons has the dedication and commitment to meet the needs of our children and families. At the same time, they have the experience and flexibility to meet the needs of our clients who are aiming to provide their employees with the very best in work/life solutions, said Workplace Connections Chief Executive Officer and founder Eleanor Nelson.
The venture brings in many of Boston’s most prestigious employers to Bright Horizons’ already-extensive client family. Bright Horizons will now operate Workplace Connections’ four full-time centers in Greater Boston for Blue Cross Blue Shield, Phillips Academy in Andover, Haemonetics, which also houses a back-up care program, and The Children’s Place at Prospect Hill in Waltham.
In addition to the full service centers, the acquisition will also add Workplace Connections’ pioneering back-up child care centers to Bright Horizons’ Back-Up Solutions Division, the largest provider of back-up care in the nation. These include back-up child care programs in the heart of downtown Boston at Exchange Place, 150 Federal Street and 60 State Street, as well as one in Methuen. These centers serve a variety of clients in the legal, financial services, technology and other industries, including Reebok, State Street Bank, Goodwin Procter, Fidelity Investments, Hale & Dorr, Bingham Dana, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Putnam Investments, Zurich Scudder Investments, and Agilent Technologies. Bright Horizons will also now operate Workplace Connections’ drop-in child care center serving families with business at the Edward W. Brooke Courthouse downtown.
The nine Workplace Connections centers will join Bright Horizons’ more than 30 other child care centers in Massachusetts and more than 360 child development centers worldwide. In addition, the new clients will join the company of other Bright Horizons clients in New England, including EMC, Staples, Timberland, Pfizer, Beth Israel-Deaconess, Faulkner Hospital, Children’s Hospital, New England Medical Center, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Bright Horizons plans to retain all the faculty and staff at Workplace Connections’ nine child care centers. The company will also maintain all current programming provided to families in those child care centers and anticipates little if any transitional impact on the centers.
