The Findings Graduates are well prepared. Graduates enter school prepared with social skills. Graduates have enthusiasm for learning. Teachers evaluate graduates higher than parents do in reading and math. While the majority of parents and teachers believe the Bright Horizons graduate is ready for reading and math taught in kindergarten, teachers have a more positive view than parents.
Graduates are often more ready for kindergarten than classmates, according to teachers.
Conclusions Parents and teachers say that Bright Horizons Family Solutions programs are doing a very good job preparing children for kindergarten in social and academic areas, including fostering children's enthusiasm for learning, thereby enforcing a solid foundation for success in school Teachers have a particularly positive view of their Bright Horizons graduates, asserting often that the children are better prepared than other kindergartners and believing they are well prepared in reading and math. The differences between teachers' and parents' perception of academic readiness suggest that parents could benefit from general information about child development and stages of learning along with better feedback from Bright Horizons about their child's progress. While the results of this study show that Bright Horizons graduates have a solid foundation for success in school, the organization realizes there is a need for continues measurement and formal evaluation of its graduates' school readiness to provide the data that will help improve programming. It is Bright Horizons' intention to conduct ongoing studies to ensure it is providing the very best education for young children. In addition to the quantitative data gathered in the study, anecdotal reports from teachers and parents indicate that graduates of the high-quality Bright Horizons programs are well prepared for kindergarten.