August 10, Hannah Wulkan
To address the shortage of pre-K options in Long Island City, Bright Horizons, a Massachusetts-based early education company, has opened an early childhood preschool center at 42-09 28th Street.
The new center, which is just steps away from the Queensboro Plaza MTA station, opened last month, and offers 104 seats for infants through pre-K.
Bright Horizons uses what’s referred to as “The World at Their Fingertips” curriculum, which “aligns our preschool program goals and practices with families’ expectations of educational excellence,” according to Bright Horizons Regional Manager Michelle Picard.
“Our preschool program is filled with investigation, exploration, and discovery, where active and enthusiastic children can refine and expand their skills and knowledge,” she added.
The director of the new Long Island City center, Cidney Bunson, hopes to emphasize the interior design and open spaces that it provides its young students.
“Bright Horizons provides a welcoming environment for children to grow and learn to be happy to come to school,” Brunson said.
The new center has a “Movement Matters Zone,” allowing children to get daily exercise and to “establish positive attitudes at an early age towards physical activity and its benefits,” she added.
The new facility also provides programs such as art, music and cooking.
“These early days are a time of remarkable growth, when children are experiencing rapid development, learning new skills, and progressing steadily toward physical, linguistic, and social-emotional milestones,” Bright Horizons Regional Manager Michelle Picard said.
She added that working with children through this extremely sensitive time in their lives is “both a privilege that Bright Horizons values, and a responsibility we take seriously.”
The opening of the new Bright Horizons center comes on the heels of a campaign by the Gantry Parent Association (GPA) that successfully led to the addition of universal pre-K seats in the area.
More than a hundred students were wait listed at the PS 78 pre-K program after round-one of applications, although spots have now been found for these children in the area following strong GPA lobbying.
The GPA received almost 1,000 signatures on a petition it launched in May demanding more pre-K seats in the neighborhood.
Since opening the doors of the new Bright Horizons center, “We’ve had a great reception from the community, and are even more excited to work with a lot of the buildings and companies in Long Island City,” Brunson noted.
Brunson said since the center opened a month ago, things are “So far, so good.” She added, “The teachers were very prepped to get the ball rolling, and we’re happy to invite the families in, the children are adjusting very well, and we’re just happy to have some smiling faces in here.”
On a personal note she told the LIC Post, “I’m very happy to be a part of Bright Horizons. I was born and raised in Queens, so it is exciting for me to be a part of this in my hometown, and I hope we will be here for many years.”
Bright Horizons in Long Island City is currently enrolling new students. For more information visit the website at:
http://child-care-preschool.brighthorizons.com/ny/longislandcity/licity/
