Back-Up Bulletin
July 2013
for Bright Horizons® Centers
In This Issue
Policy Reminders
Provider Spotlight
Teachers Tote Bag
Responding to Care
Requests
BUCA Benefit for
Bright Horizons Staff
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Policy Reminders
Cancellation Policy
Families who wish to cancel a BUCA®
reservation must call the contact center
directly. Do not accept cancellations at
your center’s front desk. Please direct
employees to call BUCA themselves.
„„
Employees must cancel by 5:00
p.m. local time on the business day
prior to the day of care.
„„
If care is cancelled after 5:00 p.m.
local time on the business day
prior to the day of care, employees
will be charged the applicable
copayment as well as the use/
hours against their annual limit.
Late Fees/Activity Fees
Centers often ask about whether or not
BUCA clients should be charged fees for
late pick-up of a child or activities. Our
written policy states:
„„
„„
Employees are responsible for any
late fees incurred due to late pickup of a child. Fees should be paid
directly to the center.
Employees are responsible for all
activity fees/field trip fees. Such
fees should be paid directly to the
center. Families should be aware
of field trips/fees up front: please
advise contact center at time
of confirmation if a field trip is
scheduled on the day of care.
Please be aware that client employees
may not have read all of the policies. We
recommend reminding your BUCA families
of fees associated with late pick-up. If they
have not been reminded beforehand, a
warning (without a fee) after the first late
pick-up would be sufficient. Subsequent late
pick-ups would then be subject to a fee.
Provider Spotlight
Spotlighting Best Practices in Back-up care
Bright Horizons 410 Park Avenue
The Back-Up Care Advantage Program® relies on providers to deliver exceptional
care that both relieves parents of stress, and leaves them excited about using
the program again. We hear from our client families often through surveys and
testimonials. We’d like to share some of those testimonials with you.
Each newsletter will highlight one center that has done a great job wowing the
client and making the back-up care visit the best experience for the family.
We hope that these testimonials provide insight and lessons learned from
outstanding customer experiences. Maybe the next provider spotlight will be you!!
“I work at Sony Music and recently used Bright Horizons back-up care for the first time
and wanted to let you know how incredibly impressed I was with the service at a local
center (410 Park Ave., NY, NY).
I am a first-time mom and left my three-month-old daughter, Sloane, at the center this
past Monday. This was my first time leaving Sloane with anyone other than family, so
I was feeling nervous, scared, sad, and every other emotion you can feel. The center’s
director, Jessica Spada, was easygoing and really set the tone for the rest of the day. But
it was the young lady who was in the baby room (I believe her name was Nicole) who
really made it such a great experience. She carefully explained her plans for the day
and how she would be caring for my little one. She called me within the first hour to
let me know how everything was going. I stopped by the center a few times during the
day and she was so accommodating. On top of such great care, she also put together
a booklet of my daughter’s first day with pictures and some artwork they did together.
I loved it.
Their customer service made a very difficult day a little easier. I can’t say enough good
things about the whole team at that facility and I really wanted to make sure I passed
along my praise.
Continued on page 4
All my best, Sara
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Teachers Tote Bag
Beach Ball Play
Beach balls aren’t just for the beach. They’re terrific learning tools,
too. Here are a few activity ideas that include not only gross motor
play, but cognitive and cooperation skills as well. Have a ball playing
one of these games with your back-up children this summer.
1. Beach Ball Math: Write a number on each section of the ball
with a permanent marker. Have the person who catches the
ball identify either the numeral closest to his body or the one
he touched with his hand as he caught the ball. Repeat an
activity such as jumping or clapping that many times.
2. Catch and Do: Write an action word (jump, turn, shake, etc.)
on each section of a beach ball. In groups or with partners, have
children roll or throw the ball to each other. When the child
catches the ball, ask her to see what word her hand is touching
and do that action. Have her pass the ball to another child and
repeat.
3. Footsie Beach Ball: Have everyone lie down on the floor with
their feet up. Hold the ball with your feet, and try to work
together to throw and catch it.
4. Musical Beach Ball: March around as the music plays. When
the music stops have children sit on their beach ball. When
the music starts again, call out a locomotor skill (walk, run, skip,
gallop, slide, etc.) for children to perform to the music. Change
the tempo of music to have children move at different speeds.
When the music stops, sit on top of the ball until the music
starts again.
5. Beach Ball Hot Potato: Pass around a beach ball to music.
When the music stops, the child with the beach ball tells
the class something about himself. Prompt the children with
questions such as, “What did you do last night?” “What’s your
favorite food?” A great circle-time ice breaker for a back-up child!
Responding to
Care Requests
Problems with child care create stress and
distraction for employees. The Bright Horizons
Back-Up Care Advantage Program relieves that
stress, helping employees find quality care for
their children when regular arrangements fall
through. To ensure our clients receive timely
responses, we ask centers to adhere to the
following contact procedures:
„„
Please have a back-up contact available
at all times. Contact center consultants
rely on you and your staff to confirm
whether or not space is available at your
center. Please have someone in place
who can make this decision from early in
the morning until close.
„„
Respond promptly to contact center
calls and voicemails. Voicemails should
be checked upon opening in the morning
(to respond to requests from families
needing same-day care), in mid-morning
or early afternoon, and once again in the
evening.
6. Cooperation Carry: Pair two children and have them walk
across a play area carrying the beach ball together. First they
might use two hands, then one hand each. No hands?! What fun
and silly ways can they create to carry the ball? This is a great
social game that will help a back-up child make friends with their
new buddy!
Thank you in advance for your prompt,
courteous responses.
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Provider Spotlight
We followed up with Sara to further discuss her backup care experience. She continues to use the program as
she conducts a search for full-time care. Sara said she is
very impressed with the consistency of the back-up care
experience. Among the things she mentioned: the director
always greets her at the door and exudes a warm welcome
and she loves the art projects and pictures of her child she
receives when she picks her up. Sara is now a huge advocate
at her company for the program and encourages her
colleagues to register and use it as well.
JoJo Conlan, Sony Music Entertainment’s senior director of
human resources, calls the Back-Up Care Advantage Program
a perfect fit for first-time mothers like Sara. JoJo herself has
personal experience with BUCA: she used it for her four
children. She says, “Bright Horizons is the Cadillac of child
care, premium care for your children so you as a working
parent can be focused on your objectives at work.”
Such words speak to the best practices that the Back-Up
Care Advantage Program takes to heart. The employee felt
welcome; she knew the center was expecting her and her
baby; she benefited from a teacher who took time to explain
the day’s plan and what the baby would be doing, and who
proactively reached out during the first hour to let mom
Continued from page 2
know how everything was going. At the end of the day, the
employee was given a booklet describing her child’s day at
the center.
Such attention is built into the center, says Center Director
Jessica Spader. Jessica says she has trained her staff to be
sensitive to parents’ needs and to be aware of any anxiety
they may have when leaving their child. You can look in
parents’ eyes and see how they are doing, and that will be a
direct reflection on the child, says Jessica. Parents at Jessica’s
center all receive a business card with the number of the
center so they can call and check on their child if they wish,
and Jessica maintains an open-door policy so the parent
may visit whenever they can during the day to check in.
She points out the evacuation sites and takes the time to
answer any questions. It’s important to make parents and
children feel welcome, she says, to give them the individual
attention they deserve, and to let them know that their child
is important and will be well cared for.
We would like to recognize and thank the staff at Bright
Horizons 410 Park Avenue in New York City for being such
a great Back-Up Care Advantage Program partner. The good
work you do is appreciated by our clients, their employees,
and all of your colleagues at Bright Horizons.
BUCA Benefit for Bright Horizons Staff
Bright Horizons employees with child care breakdowns are also eligible for back-up child care. Back-up care may be used
only on days an employee is scheduled to work at a Bright Horizons location. Use of the Bright Horizons back-up care
benefit does not include summer enrollment, vacation programs, enrichment programs, or other temporary, non-emergency
enrollment, and is not allowed as a substitute for full-service care. The back-up care benefit may not be used for regularly
scheduled attendance in a full-service center/school. However, if an employee works on a day that is not included in his/her
normal schedule, he/she may use back-up care as available, subject to the limits stated above. Requests cannot be made for
more than five (5) consecutive days of back-up child care at a time.
Employees should register and reserve care either online at www.brighthorizons.com/back-up (Username: back-up / password:
BFAM) or by calling 877-BH-Cares (877-242-2737). The contact center will manage all payments from employees.
Provider Relations Team |
Contact us at: 1-866-312-4332
Jenni Holmes
[email protected]
Provider Manager
Ext 2306
Natalie Phillips
[email protected]
Provider Specialist
Ext 2308
The information contained in this newsletter is confidential and proprietary in nature. Providers may not share, disclose, or distribute the information
contained in this newsletter without the express permission of Bright Horizons. ©2013 Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC, All Rights Reserved
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