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 The Healing Place of Wake County |
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April 4, 2006 |
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BRIGHT SPACE OPENS TO GIVE RALEIGH’S HOMELESS CHILDREN A DEDICATED PLAY AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Cisco Systems and The Healing Place of Wake County Support City’s Homeless Children
Raleigh – Fred Barber, Founding Chairman of the Board and Dennis Parnell, Executive Director for The Healing Place of Wake County women's facility joined with members of the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children and Cisco Systems today to officially open Raleigh’s newest Bright Spaces for homeless children at The Healing Place of Wake County women's facility. Bright Spaces are designed to provide homeless children in shelters with a dedicated warm, enriching area to play and learn.
Bright Spaces Enable Homeless Children to Discover the Magic of ChildhoodStudies have shown that children of all ages thrive when they have a safe place in which to explore the world around them, filled with books, toys and activities that are developmentally appropriate. However, the reality for homeless children is that they do not have access to the space and equipment necessary to develop social, cognitive, gross motor and language skills, which are so critical for success later in life.
At homeless shelters, it is a challenge simply to find a room to sleep in. Having toys to play with, comfortable chairs to sit on, or books to stimulate the imagination is not a reality for most homeless children. When children are in a homeless shelter, it is difficult for them to discover the magic of childhood.
The Bright Horizons Foundation for Children, the nonprofit organization of Bright Horizons Family Solutions, the leading provider of employer-sponsored child care, early education, and work/life solutions, established the Bright Spaces program to create appropriate play and learning areas for children of all ages living in homeless shelters.
In a Bright Space, the well-worn children’s space in many shelters is transformed by a team of early education and design professionals to create a warm, inviting area with where homeless children can simply be children.
“The Healing Place of Wake County is very fortunate to have Cisco as a strong community supporter,” Robert Bilbro, chair of The Healing Place Board said. “Their donation of a Bright Spaces room at the women's facility will be a tremendous resource when the children are reunited with their mothers.”
Cozy nooks are strategically placed around the room to give children of all ages a comfortable place to explore and shelves overflow with award-winning children’s books, educational toys and games and soft toys. Dramatic play areas are set up so children can act out their fantasies and learn to socialize with their peers. Each Bright Space is designed specifically for the individual shelter by early education professionals from Bright Horizons, who create the Bright Space to help meet the needs of the children living in the shelter.
Many teachers and employees of the Bright Horizons Imperial Center and Bright Horizons Raleigh Corporate Center volunteered countless hours to making the space special for the children, lending their professional expertise in designing and decorating the Bright Space to give it a homey environment. They created several different areas where children and their mothers can sit quietly to read a book, work in the art center to create a master piece, pretend play in housekeeping or sit down together to have a family meal.
“We are inspired and energized by our work with Cisco Systems and The Healing Place to provide engaging and educational places for homeless children to play, learn and find security and warmth. It is our mission to raise the bar for the quality of care and early education for young children across this country, and this partnership ensures that children in need in Raleigh get an early start and opportunity to begin a never-ending journey of success in school and life,” said David Lissy, CEO, Bright Horizons Family Solutions and Member of the Board of the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children.
“Cisco's philanthropic efforts are focused on providing basic human needs to those who might otherwise go without,” said Ed Paradise, Site Executive and VP/GM of Cisco’s Mobile Wireless Group. “One of these basic needs is access to safe and caring environments for children of families in crisis. Through our work with Bright Horizons we are pleased to help create this Bright Space within the women's facility of The Healing Place of Wake County.”
About The
Healing Place of Wake County About
Cisco Systems About
Bright Horizons Family Solutions and the Bright Horizons Foundation for
Children
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