The UK arm of the company, which took over Kinderquest, Nurseryworks and Red Apple, previously operated under a variety of names. It will now be known as Bright Horizons Family Solutions. Individual nurseries in the 70-strong chain will retain their existing names as they reflect the identity of the employers who sponsor them.
The new corporate identity was revealed to more than UK 100 nursery managers at a conference in Daventry last month. Bright Horizons' chief executive David Lissy told the delegates, 'Since we began operations in the UK, it has always been our mission to create a culture in which all Bright Horizons team members feel a part of one community and one family.'
Some of the company's UK nurseries are to pilot a new curriculum, entitled The World at Their Fingertips, developed in the US. According to the company, the curriculum 'lets teachers encourage children to learn and grow and explore at their own pace and in a way which meets their individual needs, (and) also demonstrates to parents how young children develop complex skills through play and even routine activities'.
Rosemary Quint, manager at the Tiny Toes nursery in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, which Bright Horizons runs on behalf of the oil company BP, saw the curriculum in action during an exchange visit to a Chicago nursery this summer. She said, 'It is a really excellent programme, very child-oriented. I'm sure it will be a major step forward to have it introduced over here.'
Ms Quint also visited childcare centres in the city, including one catering for 400 children. She said, 'The sheer size of these places was mind-blowing because we have nothing on that scale in this country. It was like a mini-community in itself. It made me realise just how big the company's operations are and it's exciting to see many of the things that they do being integrated into nurseries over here.'
Bright Horizons runs more than 480 childcare centres across the US, UK, Ireland and Canada. Other UK clients include Sainsbury, Microsoft and Land Rover.
