Blog Editor One of the most profound developmental tasks for young children is to understand who they are — to develop a sense of identity, including their gender. At Bright Horizons, we strive to create a safe and reflective space for children to develop their identities and to counterbalance gender stereotypes. One way to support growth and explore gender diversity is through reading. Below are several books chosen by our Education and Development Team to explore at home and in the classroom. Books about Identity & Gender Diversity “Sparkle Boy” by Leela Newman (Preschool and up) “Julia ..read more

Claire Goss Children (and adults!) love receiving compliments—a meaningful comment from someone can make you feel seen, special, and appreciated. Giving a child a compliment is one of the many ways caregivers build a solid relationship foundation and boost self-esteem. However, making comments or paying compliments on a child’s physical appearance or assumed gender identity can pin extra value on how they look, rather than on qualities they can control, such as their decisions or initiative.  While it is natural for young children to categorize and define themselves by physical characteri ..read more

Blog Editor Bright Horizons is a company of women supporting women—our corporate and center teams are made up of more than 90% women, from our leadership teams to the teachers and staff you see in our centers every day; and what we do through our commitment to education and care supports working women at every age and stage. We are passionate about educating the next generation, and so we know how important it is to highlight the contributions of women and girls. Women’s History Month offers parents a unique opportunity to uplift and amplify those contributions, and include your children in th ..read more

Claire Goss At Bright Horizons we strive to make our centers inclusive places of belonging for students and staff. Our homes can be also be an anti-bias space where we can strengthen family traditions while encouraging the respectful exploration of other cultures. But how do parents approach the holiday season in an anti-bias way? Ages and Stages When approaching the holidays and anti-bias work within your family, it is important to keep your child’s age and developmental stage in mind so you can adjust your expectations for behavior and understanding. For example, the excitement and busyness ..read more

Jeannie Krill The start of the holiday season is just weeks away, and your feelings about the end of 2020 might be all over the place. This November and December are sure to be different than in years past, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them — and help others enjoy them, too. Social distancing guidelines and business closures might have you wondering what you can do to give back, and we’ve got seven ideas that can help. 1. Donate goods. Whether it’s food, supplies, clothes, toys, or books, making donations is a great way for your family to contribute — and it’s easy. Find local bins or ..read more

Claire Goss I have been voting for over 20 years and I cannot remember an election cycle more contentious than the one we are all experiencing right now. Even for a young child, it is almost impossible to ignore the tension in our country and communities over the upcoming presidential election. Children do not need to understand the details about election season to know that adults are having big emotions (positive and negative) about it. So how do you talk to your kids about the upcoming election? Ask What They Want to Know A great way to start a conversation about any potentially difficult t ..read more

Blog Editor Today’s post was written by Julie Christensen, Senior Writer, Education & Curriculum. It’s likely that wearing masks will be a part of our lives for a while yet, and parents, educators, and researchers are all wondering what, if any, long-term effect this practice might have on children’s development, particularly their language and social-emotional development. The truth is, it’s too early to know definitively, although we’re carefully watching the research unfold. In the meantime, there are several things we do know with certainty about children’s development that can help us ..read more

Jeannie Krill When schools closed in March, many kids probably celebrated, thinking that the “early spring break” would mean more time to hang out with friends. But when COVID-19 restrictions put a kibosh on playdates and extracurricular activities, it left them longing for social interaction. Now, nearly six months into the pandemic, parents are scrambling to come up with fresh activity ideas, kids are going stir crazy (can you blame them?), and everyone just wants to go back to in-person interactions with others. Looking for help? Use these 10 ideas to keep your child connected to friends an ..read more

Blog Editor This post is courtesy of Scarlett Abraham Clarke, Senior Director, Diversity and Inclusion at Bright Horizons.  Imagine your child is learning a foreign language. It’s something you’ve always wanted for them, because you know it’s important and because it’s a skill you believe in, that you didn’t grow up with – but that you wish you did. So you send your child to learn this new, very important language. But there’s a problem – you don’t speak it routinely. It isn’t part of your child’s home, their experiences, their everyday life. So outside of class, it gets put on a shelf. I ..read more

Blog Editor It is so important that children grow up seeing all different types of people – both in their communities and in literature. It’s never too early to start conversations about empathy, equality, and good citizenship. For this post, we focus specifically on elevating black voices and characters in children’s literature. We’ve rounded up a list of books by black authors or illustrators, as well as books featuring black leading characters. We hope these books will help you cultivate a diverse library for your children, and will help encourage respect, awareness, inclusivity, and racial ..read more