We are grateful for the generosity of our Bright Beginnings community. This year, despite a pandemic, we were able to donate over 7 boxes of essential supplies for the NICU at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago. These supplies included sleep sacks, onesies, preemie diapers, blankets, bottles and more! Thank you and we look forward to continuing our efforts in helping those in need.
A BRIGHT BEGINNINGS CALL TO ACTION
Bright Beginnings Early Learning Center is proud to be Black-owned, Black-directed (under the leadership of Ms. LaDoris Lee, who has been our director since we opened in 2017) and Black-staffed. We know that Black Lives Matter is more than a trend or a poster in a window, but rather an everyday movement at the heart of Bright Beginnings’ existence.
The focus and plight of Black Lives Matter has been to continue to fight for and secure equal rights for black people. While black people have been fighting this movement for hundreds of years we are hopefully in the midst of a powerful moment in our nation’s history, a time in which great change is possible, given the collective power of unity.
This is a time for reflection, introspection, self-awareness, acknowledgment and empowerment….all of which can help lead us to a better society in which black people can be treated fairly and respected equally. This process begins with our youngest members of society. As such, diversity is one of the foundational values that Bright Beginnings Early Learning Center was initially built upon. We continue to embody this value within our daily structure via our leadership, staffing and learning opportunities that are afforded to our students.
We continue to emphasize and foster the important components of social and emotional health, which promotes a strong foundation for our children to learn to love and treat individuals of color equally, fairly and with compassion.
We continue to stand behind the Black Lives Matter movement and remain invigorated and impassioned by the power of a united human race. We also know that systemic racism is real and the terrible treatment of black people that we have recently witnessed does not compare to the atrocities throughout history.
Going forward, we wish to have ongoing conversations with our team and families in order to partner together and be allies for the black community. We are a community of opportunity and will continue to engage in meaningful action that stands behind what we represent and who we are. We do this through volunteering, community donations and working to create tuition scholarships for the black community. Please help us make a better future for black lives by becoming part of the conversation. We invite dialogue, action, and reflection. We also encourage everyone in the Bright Beginnings community to further educate themselves on racial matters to ensure that each black life truly does matter.
Dialogue can begin using the comment section (located under the blog), action can be achieved by clicking our ‘call to action’ buttons, and reflection can begin internally and with a trusted partner/friend/family member.
BLACK LIVES MATTER.
We encourage all parents to discuss and expose young children to diversity and issues of race by reading books, watching videos and engaging in conversations. Please click below to begin the process…
WELCOME BACK! RE-OPENING JUNE 8, 2020
To our Bright Beginnings Community,
We are excited to re-open and be with everyone again! This has been an experience that we will never forget and we are thankful that we have weathered this storm together. We appreciate all of your check-ins, patience and participation in our distance learning during this time. In accordance with IDPH, CDC and DCFS, we have compiled a list of safety protocols that will be implemented upon re-opening. Please keep in mind that the safety protocols are required by our regulating authorities and subsequent changes to our programming stem from those new measures. They are geared with the best interest of the children in mind and will be in place until further notice. The goal is that Bright Beginnings will continue to provide the best programming and safest care for your children. We must also talk to our little ones to help them feel secure, stable and assured that Bright Beginnings remains a safe and trusted place for us all. Our programming has not stopped, even with temporary closures, and we will continue to have fun, learn and love each other as a family. We appreciate your collaboration as we continue to work diligently to ensure the safety and well-being of all our children enrolled at Bright Beginnings Early Learning.
Respectfully,
Your Bright Beginnings Early Learning Center Team:
LaDoris Lee - Director
Martese Amerson - Owner
Dr. Bob Hirsch - Owner
A message from the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Education, in collaboration with IDPH, DCFS, and IDHS:
“Illinois’ Day Care Licensing regulations are designed to keep children healthy and safe and to support their learning and development in family child care homes and centers. Strong infection control policies are not new to child care, but the current pandemic requires many new procedures and policies to protect the health of children, staff, and their families. In addition, limiting the spread of COVID-19 requires continued social distancing, which means that children and staff need to be in stable groups that are smaller than those normally permitted. To date, Illinois has not seen significant transmission of COVID-19 in child care settings, which is encouraging evidence that child care can be provided safely. Public health experts emphasize, however, that there is much we still do not know about this new virus, how it spreads, and what effects it has on children. Therefore, Illinois is implementing a cautious approach that appropriately balances the need to greatly expand child care with the need for prudent restrictions that lessen the risk of spreading the coronavirus. Recognizing children’s need for quality early learning experiences, providers will be expected to resume compliance with all licensing standards related to curriculum, learning environment, and staff qualifications.”
3 Year Anniversary
January 17, 2020 marked the 3rd anniversary of our opening! Time has certainly flown by, as we have gone through three very important stages: infancy, toddler and now our terrific threes! At each stage, we have grown and reflected upon how we can improve our methods and environment to perform best practices for our students. We have been fortunate enough to have a great team that has provided excellent care and fun educational activities for our students on a daily basis. We also cannot forget about the numerous community events that we’ve held, both on and off-site. A part of change is having to say, "see you later" to some of our Allomothers and students, whom have transitioned from our program. Those transitions have allowed us to welcome new additions to the Bright Beginnings family and we are thankful for their presence. Our vision for 2020 is to continue to be leaders in early childhood education, specializing in ages 6 weeks to 36 months. We will continue to build a strong team, striving to obtain passionate qualified Allomothers. And most of all, we will continue to make learning fun.
Thank you to our wonderful families that have rode the ride and supported us along the way, we cannot do this without you. Thank you to our students that give us reason every morning to come in and be our best.
Lastly, thank you to the owners, Dr. Bob and Martese, who have made this possible and that support us and pitch in on-site as needed.
We are very excited for the upcoming year!
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Ms. LaDoris/Director
Fall Fest 2017
We had our first Fall Fest at Bright Beginnings and it was a ton of fun!
Parents and children, in some imaginative and cute costumes, enjoyed socializing, snacks, hot cider and fun activities.
It was a great time and we are looking forward to the Thanksgiving Montessori-Themed Potluck Dinner in late November.
Toddler pumpkin decorating contest
OPEN HOUSE - INFANT PROGRAM EXPANSION
WE ARE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THE EXPANSION OF OUR INFANT PROGRAM. TO CELEBRATE, WE WILL BE HAVING AN OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY, JUNE 24TH FROM 10AM-12PM. THERE ARE A LIMITED NUMBER OF INFANT AND TODDLER SPACES AVAILABLE, SO PLEASE COME TOUR OUR BEAUTIFUL, INTIMATE CENTER, MEET OUR FRIENDLY STAFF AND LEARN ABOUT OUR EXCITING PROGRAM!
Bright Beginnings and Brightwheel...a perfect collaboration!
Parents deserve and require consistent and ongoing professional communications regarding their child's full experience while in our care. Bright Beginnings works to achieve this by utilizing Brightwheel, an App that provides the most efficient communication and collaboration between our Allomothers and each child.
Celebrating Black History Month
The infants and children at Bright Beginnings have been busy honoring Black History Month by celebrating compassion, kindness, diversity and creativity.
They've been doing this by giving lots of hugs and practicing gentle touches...
stimulating their ears and minds by listening to different genres of music, including jazz and blues...
using their senses to touch and explore bubbles, paints and shaving cream!
We are OPEN!
We are very happy and excited to announce that we are now open! We have immediate openings for our infant and toddler rooms. We proudly feature:
- healthy, organic catered meals
- Montessori and Reggio Emilia inspired teacher approaches
- child-guided, play-based curriculum
- ongoing consultations with our child psychologist
- free access to Brightwheel, providing parents with continuous updates, posts, pictures and messages regarding their child's experiences and development!
Call or email to schedule a tour!
Enjoy the slide show below
INFANT ROOM OPENING JANUARY 17, 2017
WE ARE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THE OPENING OF OUR INFANT ROOM. A FEW SPOTS REMAIN, SO PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL TO SCHEDULE A TOUR!
WE'RE HAVING AN OPEN HOUSE! Come join us Saturday, November 5th from 3-5pm
The time has finally come! A November 2016 opening is now a reality and we invite all interested parents to come check-out our new center. We'll be having an Open House Saturday, November 5th from 3-5pm. Feel free to stop by, bring the whole family and check out our new center. Can't make the open house? Please give us a call or email to schedule a tour…hope to see you soon!
Pre-Enrollment Form
We are now ready for pre-enrollment! By completing this brief form, you'll be among the first to be invited to our Open House that is scheduled to occur soon!
http://goo.gl/forms/Eq7wZkRDru742Ex03
JOIN OUR TEAM!
Bright Beginnings Early Learning Center is looking to open this summer and we are now accepting applications for all teaching positions (full and part-time) for our infant, toddler and child classrooms.
Truly special applicants are desired! Applicants must be energetic, warm, caring and passionate individuals who have a genuine interest in working with infants and young children. Enthusiasm and willingness to collaborate with fellow staff and parents is essential, as are strong interpersonal skills and the ability to help promote a safe, trusting and engaging environment for each infant/child and their families.
To apply, please email a cover letter, resume and at least 2 letters of reference to info@brightbeginningschicago.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Survey says…!
Bright Beginnings Early Learning Center is in midst of construction and licensure process. Staying true to our parent and community-focus, we'd like to invite all parents to complete a very, very brief pre-enrollment survey. The information from this survey will assist us in developing the program and tuition rates. As always, please do not hesitate to contact us directly with any questions or for further information. Here is a link to the survey:
Let's Get to Work!
Bright Beginnings Early Learning Center has some exciting news...
We obtained our building permits and construction is under way!
We look forward to providing more updates over the next few weeks. We also look forward to talking more at length with those who have expressed interest in our learning center. Don't hesitate to reach out if you haven't done so already.
Breathe in… Breathe out…
Feeling like a monster? Colbie Caillat and Common recommend a calming breath.
As we continue waiting patiently for our construction permits, we are reminded of the importance of deep breathing as a way to keep us calm and relaxed. Patience is a key virtue that Bright Beginnings finds necessary to help promote in young children, as it is certainly not a given and requires much practice. Patience helps children develop the ability to think through situations and resolve problems more rationally. It can successfully counteract impulsive and acting out behaviors, as it promotes a sense of inner calmness and control of oneself. We are excited about our program philosophy, as its led by a licensed child psychologist who understands the importance of promoting character development in young children, including the fine art of patience. Resiliency, self-regulation and self-soothing skills are by-products of this virtue.
In fact, two well-known musicians, Common and Colby Caillat, along with everyone's furry friend Elmo, have mastered the technique of deep breathing. We invite you to watch the video, share it with friends and sing along as we all continue to exhibit great patience during this development process!
A Day in Avondale
We are very excited to partake in 'A Day in Avondale,' the 4th annual street festival that showcases local artists and small businesses to be held, Saturday, September 26, 2015. The free and family-friendly event runs along Milwaukee Avenue, between Kimball and Belmont.
This will be our first time at the festival and we couldn't be more excited to meet new friends and neighbors. We are equally excited to partner with Ms. Anna Todaro, an artist, illustrator, and self-published picture book author. Ms. Anna also offers face painting and will be showing off her skill during the festival, along with a reading of several of her books, including “Everyone Can Hula Hoop But Me.”
We will also be available and more than happy to answer any and all questions you may have about our early learning center! Please stop by to visit us anytime during the festival, between 11am – 6pm.
Here We Come!
In a few weeks we look forward to receiving our permits and beginning the wonderful transformation of our beautiful space! This process will truly be remarkable and we can't wait to share the process with you, milestone by milestone. Keep in touch by visiting our website often and by friending us on Facebook.
