Bright Beginnings Inc

Programs: Education - bright beginnings, inc. Center-based program is a year-round program for children six weeks to five years old who are experiencing homelessness. The program supports children's progress and development through comprehensive services for children and families in the area of early learning, health, and family well-being. The overall goal of bright beginnings, inc. Is to provide children with a learning environment that helps them develop socially, emotionally, physically, and cognitively towards school readiness during their program enrollment. Our comprehensive, evidence-based services are built on the key principles of individualization and partnership with parents.

home based - the home based program offers services to children and their families in shelters and transitional housing programs. Many families enter the program while they await space in the center; this allows families to begin receiving bbi's comprehensive services and gives those enrolled first priority for transition into the center. During a 90-minute weekly visit, home visitors meet with parents and children in the family's home environment, coaching parents on strategies to be the child's "first teacher," screening and assessing the child, and providing family support services, including connecting families with workforce development, health, mental health, and disability services and collaborating with case managers and other service providers involved with the families.

therapeutic services - by providing early intervention to learning disabilities, delays, and health problems, bbi ensures that children enter kindergarten ready to learn. All bbi students receive therapeutic and health screenings within 45 days of enrollment at bbi. Our screenings help us develop individualized curriculum, health, therapeutic and social service plans for each child. Our free on-site therapeutic services detect and address developmental delays prevalent in homeless children. Bbi therapeutic service team includes clinical psychologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech/language pathologists- who work with our children, teachers, and parents to provide in-service training, classroom interventions and on-going consultations.

program expansion - bbi is opening a second site to serve an additional 100 homeless infants and toddlers and their families to bring high quality child development services closer to families in the greatest need family services - provide family services which include onsite crisis management and case management to homeless families. Specific family services include: parent services which stabilizes homeless families and include as well as support parents' education, training and employment goals, key referrals to social services, parenting, health, abuse/neglect and stress reducing training.