Mission Statement
The Bright Horizons Foundation for Children is a nonprofit organization focused on brightening the lives of children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness and other crises. We do this by creating and supporting Bright Spaces; warm, safe, enriching spaces in homeless shelters and other agencies for children and youth to build caring relationships, heal from trauma through play, and experience the joy of childhood. The Foundation believes that we can make the world a better place by engaging Bright Horizons’ employees, clients, families, friends, and community partners to strengthen families, support our communities, share our knowledge, and encourage others to join us in making a difference.
Description
Making a Difference
Bright Spaces are warm, safe, enriching places in homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, and other agencies for children and youth experiencing homelessness or other crises to:
build caring relationships,
heal from trauma through play, and
experience the joy of childhood.
In a Bright Space, children can play, families can gather, and agency staff can provide programming and services to families in need. Our goal is to create a safe, supportive atmosphere to instill positive self-concept and self-esteem that foster resiliency in children and build stronger families.
Today, there are 2.5 million children experiencing homelessness in the U.S. and at least 1 in 15 American children has been exposed to some form of family violence. The reality for these children is that there are fewer opportunities for them to develop the social, cognitive, language, and gross motor skills that are important for academic success. This has serious and long-lasting developmental outcomes, which often contribute to a cycle of instability that is difficult to break.
Our dream is for every Bright Space to be the place where children and families in crisis can find the safety and opportunity they deserve to experience enriching childhoods and strengthen the well-being of their families.
