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Bright Start offers quality care for infants 6 weeks to children 13 years of age. Bright Start was established in 2003 in Homewood, Il. Each classroom, from infants to school-age children, has age-appropriate environments to encourage children to learn, play, and explore. Furthermore, we also strive to surpass the regulations mandated by DCFS. What makes us unique is our Christian based curriculum and the integration of the Bible and prayer. We strongly feel these are key aspects to introduce to children beginning at a young age. We are educational based and have the Illinois State Board of Education program integrated in our preschool classes.
Our Pre-K classes have experienced state certified teachers and we also have many degreed teachers that are full of enthusiasm and encouragement. Our staff are very professional, friendly and nurturing and by collaborating with parents, we celebrate the individuality of each child by recognizing their strengths and building upon them. Bright Start also looks to provide a safe and clean environment for your child always. Parents want the peace of mind of knowing that every effort is being made to keep their child safe, happy and healthy. We provide breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack, and all of our meals are nutritional and home-cooked by our wonderful cook. Please stop by for a tour today!
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Infant Program Highlights
- Hundreds of activities, including reading and singing to your child
- Weekly lesson plans which include age-appropriate activities designed to meet the individual developmental needs of your infant
- Activities to promote social, emotional, communication, and physical development
- Daily records that list the time and nature of all your infant’s activities – sleeping, eating, bowel movements and developmental milestones
Preschool Program Highlights
- Creative curriculum with learning activities that are completed throughout the entire day – this full-day child care program accommodates your schedule
- Includes A-Beka Curriculum activities to help reinforce phonic, reading skills, and writing skills
- Offers seven stimulating Learning Centers, including: Math & Manipulatives, Science & Sensorial, Reading & Listening, Writing, Dramatic Play, Construction & Design, and Creativity & Art
- Incorporates hundreds of new books that are used during group activities, as well as in the seven learning centers
- Illinois’ Early Learning Milestones span Oral Language, Phonological Awareness, Letter & Print Knowledge, Cognitive Skills, and Physical Development
- Ongoing assessments communicated to you twice annually via parent-teacher conferences to keep you informed of your child’s learning progress
- Portfolios and journals to help track your child’s progress throughout the year
School Age Program Highlights
- School-age kids and their parents know that Bright Start is a safe place to spend time before and after school. Kids can utilize energy outside, spend time reading, get help with homework, grab a snack, and meet new friends
- To engage your school-age child, Bright Start actively involves them in selecting themes and activities to complete throughout the year. In addition, your school-ager will help design and decorate the classroom environment, so he/she can enjoy the curriculum in a comfortable and stimulating setting.
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Toddler Program Highlights
- Engages your toddler in a more structured, academic daily schedule
- Age appropriate research-based activities
- Weekly lesson plans posted for your review
- Activities led by children’s individual skills and interests
- Promotes physical, creative, and social/emotional development
- Daily progress reports provide you with review of your child’s day, including diapering, naptime, and feeding.
Two Year Olds’ Program Highlights
- Lesson plan that provides continuity and structure – structure will prepare your child for the preschool experience
- Teacher-child interactions focus on talking, listening and expanding your child’s use of complete sentences
- Weekly lesson planning in which the teacher selects a daily focus for your child
- Portfolios kept for each child to gather and display all their work throughout the year — includes your child’s Developmental Progress Chart
- Age-appropriate activities to promote social, emotional, cognitive, verbal, and creative development
- Offers Interest Centers where your child can choose to participate in several learning-based activities – Book and Storytelling Center, Creative Arts Center, Water and Sand Center, Games and Puzzles Center, Dramatic Play Center and Block Center
Kindergarten Program Highlights
- Ongoing formal and informal assessments aligned with Illinois’ Kindergarten Learning Standards
- Full-day program incorporates individual, small group, large group and cooperative learning
- Smaller class sizes make for more one-on-one teacher/student interaction
- Monthly newsletter goes home to parents describing what activities the children participated in and activities they can look forward to for next week
- Concept calendars go home monthly that show all of the objectives that will be worked on throughout the month
- Journals and portfolios are always available for parents to review
- Parent-teacher conferences take place twice yearly
- Report cards are sent home three times a year
- Includes six learning stations that the children rotate through weekly. These learning stations include:
- Construction
- Writing
- Read & Relaxation
- Exploration
- Creation
- Imagination
- Each classroom utilizes a management system that encourages positive behavior and teamwork among the students
- A word wall that continues our focus on reading & writing by encouraging the students to read high frequency words everyday
- Hundreds of books from fiction to poetry and non-fiction are provided in all areas of the curriculum – math, science, social systems, etc.
