UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In December 2018, Penn State transitioned management of the Daybridge Child Care Center, located at Innovation Park, from KinderCare to Bright Horizons Family Solutions. This transition marked the second Penn State child care center to do so within the last year. In August 2018, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine transitioned their on-site child care center to Bright Horizons with a change in name to First Discoveries at Bright Horizons. As part of the transition, both facilities moved to University ownership; minor renovations and upgrades were completed; and all new furniture, equipment and supplies were purchased.
“Our primary concern during both changes in management was to ensure a smooth transition for children and their families,” said Holley Rochford, director of Early Child Care Programs and Services at Penn State.
The majority of employees at both locations were retained and center enrollments remained consistent. Penn State will continue to invest in both programs to support the needs of faculty, staff and student families. Under the new management model, Penn State also will have greater oversight and impact on quality programming.
“Transitioning management of the two centers from KinderCare to Bright Horizons presents an opportunity for greater consistency in the delivery of quality early child care services across the Commonwealth,” said Greg Stoner, interim vice president for Human Resources. “We believe that the centers will flourish under Bright Horizons’ management and will benefit from the leadership, resources and support that will be provided.”
Bright Horizons is the leading employer-sponsored child care center provider in the nation and is focused on early childhood education. Bright Horizons already manages child care centers at Penn State’s Erie and Harrisburg campuses, and Penn State Health-Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Reading. The partnership between Penn State and Bright Horizons is now stronger as five of the eight Penn State child care centers are managed by Bright Horizons.
Bright Horizons identifies its core priorities as having high standards for quality care and education, an enriching environment for learning, comprehensive training programs for staff, and a dedicated team of qualified staff members. The company operates more than 1,000 child care centers globally, of which more than 700 centers are located in North America and 61 centers in Pennsylvania.