WATERTOWN, MA (March 22, 2006) -- Bright Horizons Family Solutions, the world's leading provider of employer-sponsored child care and early education, today announced it will be launching the new Bright Horizons Back-Up Care Advantage Program in the summer of 2006, offering a comprehensive array of emergency care services to clients across the U.S.
Clients who participate in the Bright Horizons Back-Up Care Advantage Program will be able to offer to their employees a nationwide network of emergency child and elder care support. The network, the only one of its kind to include hundreds of Bright Horizons' own high-quality child care and early education centers, will be broadened with a select group of quality child care centers which are among the best in every region of the country. A nationwide pool of fully licensed and trained home health care providers who meet rigorous quality standards and provide care for well or mildly ill infant through school-age children in the comfort and security of their own homes will further enhance the network. In addition, new to Bright Horizons' offerings, the Bright Horizons Back-Up Care Advantage Program will also offer clients back-up elder care support, critical to the growing number of American workers facing the challenge of caring for aging parents while meeting their own family and work responsibilities.
"Employers are facing two emerging challenges in their work-life offerings these days: equity across their workforce and the need to support the growing number of employees with elder care responsibilities. The Bright Horizons Back-Up Care Advantage Program offers clients a solution to both by providing a comprehensive nationwide network of back-up care serving employees' child care and elder care needs. The Back-Up Care Advantage Program provides that solution to clients in a way that can be customized to meet their unique needs and with the same unmatched commitment to quality they have long been accustomed to with Bright Horizons," said Bright Horizons Chief Executive Officer David Lissy.
Bright Horizons clients welcomed news of the new Bright Horizons Back-Up Care Advantage program and the expansion of the high-quality dependent care options they can offer their employees. Shari Goldfarb, Vice President of Benefits for Bright Horizons client Deutsche Bank said, "Deutsche Bank is committed to supporting our employees with the highest quality solutions that help them balance their personal and professional needs. We have a partnership with Bright Horizons to provide back-up child care and are excited to be able to offer all employees across the US an equitable solution for their emergency child care and elder care needs. The services Bright Horizons offers are an important part of our overall portfolio of benefits."
Employees who find themselves without their routine child care or elder care arrangements will be able to access the Bright Horizons Back-Up Care Advantage Program and reserve either center-based or in home care through a telephone or Web-based support system. Knowledgeable care counselors will work with customers to understand their care needs, identify a variety of options for back-up care, and make those arrangements on their behalf. Bright Horizons has chosen Workplace Options, an established provider of work-life resource and referral services, to manage the reservations system and external network of providers.
"We are excited about working with Bright Horizons to complement their high-quality back-up care services with an expanded network supported by excellent customer service and dependent care counseling. We will be able to bring our experience and technology to the Bright Horizons Back-Up Care Advantage Program to ensure families a top-notch experience when they find themselves in need of a back-up solution," said Workplace Options Chief Executive Officer Dean Debnam.
The Bright Horizons Back-Up Care Advantage Program is Bright Horizons' most recent addition to its back-up care offering since acquiring ChildrenFirst in September, which brought together the nation's two leaders in back-up child care. The program enhances Bright Horizons' already strong network of more than 600 high-quality early care and education centers, including 70 dedicated back-up child care centers, serving more than 600 clients across the United States, UK, Ireland, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Bright Horizons Family Solutions (www.brighthorizons.com)
Bright Horizons Family Solutions is the world's leading provider of employer-sponsored child care, early education and work/life consulting services, managing 616 early care and family centers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada. Bright Horizons serves more than 600 clients, including more than 90 FORTUNE 500 companies and 65 of the "100 Best Companies" as recognized by Working Mother magazine. Bright Horizons is one of FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For."
Workplace Options, Inc. (www.worplaceoptions.com)
Workplace Options, Inc, located in Raleigh, NC, is a leading provider of work/life solutions to Employee Assistance Programs throughout the United States. It's Partnership Integration ModelSM, delivers the only truly integrated and completely customizable work/life product available to that market. WPO delivers its services exclusively through EAPs and other third-party organizations and has been providing affordable high quality services and ideas for more than 20 years. At Workplace Options quality, flexibility and affordability are the hallmarks of our service.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Bright Horizons Family Solutions' actual results may vary significantly from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors. These include the ability of the Company to 1) execute contracts relating to new commitments, 2) enroll families in new as well as existing centers, and 3) open new centers and integrate acquisitions, as well as other factors that are discussed in detail in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Media Contact: Ilene Serpa (617) 673-8044
iserpa[at]brighthorizons.com