Bright Horizons?

blondie10m

Does anyone here use Bright Horizons/know of its reputation?  I have never heard of the chain before but there is one onsite at our work.  It is pretty pricey, $334 a week is the current rate, which of course will go up by the time my baby would be going there.  Everyone at work I know who has a child there gives it great reviews but I was curious abou the chain in general since I know nothing about it.  I went on a tour today and it seemed pretty amazing, the infant director answered almost every question on my long list before I even had a chance to ask them!  I live in central NJ, which is a high cost of living area, but I have nothing to compare the rates to.  Is this around what others are paying?  Daycare at work would be super convenient and you can visit/breastfeed whenever you want.

TessieF

This is probably the center we will end up using - it's right next to my work and other moms at my work seem to love it.  The ones in my city (Boston) are ~$1800/month for infants so the price you were quoted seems good to me.

aglenn

We use a Bright Horizons center and I love it.  It is a lot more expensive than yours (closer to $500/wk for infant care), but I live in one of the most expensive areas in the country for child care.  Lucky me.  The cost is higher than that of neighborhood-type centers or home daycares, but to me the difference in what is offered to the kids is just night and day.  Especially in your case with it being onsite, that would be perfect. 

DallasLonghorn97

We had my daughter at a BH facility for a while (from 12 weeks until 16 months).  We choose it b/c it was onsite at my client and I was able to get my client's employer rate. We really liked the facility. The only reason we left is that we moved and with that move I started working from home. BH was not even remotely close to our new house.

My daughter is about to be five, so these rates are 4 years old...but I recall paying about $225/week (employer rate). The general public rate was around $250. This was in a Irving, TX (suburb of Dallas).

jenuine

It really doesn't matter what the chain is like. It matters what your particular location is like. The overall philosophy should be the same from location to location, but teachers are really what make a place great in my opinion.

That said, the Bright Horizons near me gets rave reviews by many parents whose reviews I can count on. Their kids are all doing great in elementary school now.

Getting high recommendations from other moms, being close to work are two HUGE plusses in my book. Check out another center or two to be more secure in your decision, but it sounds good to me.

Sam78

Bright Horizons in central NJ gets rave reviews (specifically the Skillman location).  We have used them for back up care and always been very pleased.

amr

Our DS has been in BH center since he was 8 weeks old.  We love it and so does he.  He gets so excited every morning when we walk in the door and I know he is getting wonderful care.  I know each location is different but I cannot say enough good things about BH.

Bubs06

jenuine:

It really doesn't matter what the chain is like. It matters what your particular location is like. The overall philosophy should be the same from location to location, but teachers are really what make a place great in my opinion.

I actually used to work for a BH outside of Boston (the price when I checked for DD was $2,100/month for full time infant care).  I agree with the above poster.  Bright Horizons as a company may have a good reputation, but the specific center you're looking at is important. 

One piece to look at is if there is a high turn over rate of teachers.  That can indicate a poor work environment, which ineveitably affects the kids.

barkers4jmm

Our BH center is very good.  Its cost is signficantly higher than the price you quoted. 

14years

My employer has a BH center, and we LOVE it.  Really love it.  The teachers and administrators are amazing, and their turnover is very low.  The facility is top notch.  I can't say enough about it, and all my co-workers whose children are there feel the same way. 

I am also in a HCOL area.  I pay $1705/month for an infant and a 2-year old, but can't remember the break down just for the infant room.  I think it's between $900 and $1000 of the total amount.  My employer subsidizes part of the tuition.  When I considered switching jobs last spring, all the comparable programs I found were way more expensive, so I think you are still getting a good deal at $334 a week for an infant.

flyer23

I've heard nothing but rave reviews for BH facilities.

I had a friend who used one in the San Francisco Bay Area. She raved about it.

I have a couple of co-workers in the Seattle area who use two different facilities. They rave about both of them.

DS is actually in backup care in a BH right now, here in the Dallas area. We've looked at this particular facility twice for DD, and it's always been a close second to what we ended up choosing -- but I do mean a CLOSE second. I've been tremendously impressed with them during DS's stay there. I've visited pretty much every daycare center in this area, since we're looking for a full-time place for DS starting in January, and BH is the only one that I'll consider.

I do agree that you need to check out the particular facility that you'd be using... but I would say that Bright Horizons has a stellar reputation as a chain. As opposed to, say, Kindercare, where some facilities are amazing and some are terrible.