Our Child Care Model

At the Brightside Academy, we started our mission to bring the best early education and school readiness programs possible to the children of Northern Ohio and to inspire them through engaging lessons, integrated learning, and encouraging them to be their best every day. When your children come to Brightside in Toledo, Akron, Columbus, or Cleveland, they are being prepared to be lifelong learners and well-rounded individuals.

With programs that provide child day care, after school care, and summer camp, we can support children in their learning all the way from 6-weeks and up until they’re 12. Keep reading to find out how we model our program to have the structure and activities necessary to care for your child’s all-around well being in Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, or Toledo.

At the Brightside Academy, our teaching style is built on a two-part philosophy. Part one is that no child, regardless of their financial circumstances, should have to miss the chance to take part in early childhood education programs and to achieve school readiness by the time they get there. Part two, is that there’s more to life then the 4 or 5 main subjects that make up our educational system, that’s why we try to develop your child by providing care not only for their educational well being, but their personal and social well being as well.

Our child daycare and preschool programs focus on developing motor and fine motor skills first, learning activities that are engaging and that set the foundation for educational achievement, and activities that encourage active and positive communication with peers and adults. Here’s a little more about how we hold up our teaching philosophies.

CARING INSTRUCTORS

PROVEN CURRICULUM

HEALTH & WELLNESS

SOCIAL COMPETENCY

Our staff at the Brightside Academy, many of them are growing up in the area they work in, are second to none for child care that provides all-around development. Our staff knows the importance of nutrition, one-on-one attention, and healthy communication. We go out of our way to structure our academies so that they provide equal access to our services for all children, and to ensure that the children of our communities have a place where they are not just physically safe, but also cared for and nurtured.

No matter how engaging and effective the teaching methods, if your child isn’t eating right and getting the proper nutrition, they won’t develop as fast as they should. At the Brightside Academy, snacks and meals are included for every child. We provide healthy, kid-friendly options and encourage positive decision making when it comes to meals. By introducing a variety of healthy options in a positive manner, we can help set the foundation so healthy choices become their natural ones.

In order to make sure that children are in a healthy environment for development, there are a variety of factors to consider, but some of them are obvious when it comes to teaching. At the Brightside Academy, we try to make sure that all of our students are involved in age-appropriate groups and activities, and we keep our teacher to child ratio at a level that ensures one-on-one attention in a social setting.

Mixing in children that vary too much in age could cause developmental delays in some children, if they’re not stimulated enough by their peer group or activities or if they’re exposed to certain concepts too late or early. We do our best to make sure that children stay engaged by keeping them in group and class activities. While there may be some mixed free play time, children are otherwise kept in age groups that ensure they’re on a similar intellectual level as their peers. While we technically do provide day care, we go above and beyond to make sure that we’re doing more than just watching your children, and if they’re not engaged, then that’s all we’re doing.

Furthermore, humans have evolved to require a certain amount of one-on-one interaction as well as to interact with what would be considered large groups in the animal kingdom. Our class sizes and teacher to student ratio help ensure that no one is outcast or socially stunted because of a lack of interaction.

One of the biggest things that we know separates us from other child care facilities in Northern Ohio is our emphasis on the individual and developing self confidence that is built on healthy interaction and free expression. Encouraging your child to be themselves, try new things, and to follow their passions in the face of adversity can help them develop as healthy and thriving individuals faster.

Part of doing all we can to make our classes and programs available to everyone is providing as many payment options as possible. With this in mind, we accept OH: Title XX and Private Pay, as well as a variety of other childcare vouchers and subsidies. We also offer a variety of limited time and permanent incentives to help parents save money, like our referral program, where you could earn up to 600 dollars a year off child care.

After we’ve set the structure of our Ohio classrooms in a way that upholds our standards and is shown by the research to help children develop, the other major aspect that allows us to positively influence your child's development is our nationally recognized early childhood education curriculum.

Following the methods and guidelines laid out in The Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers, & Two’s, we provide a variety of activities and lessons that help grow your children as people and students.

When children come to us as infants, at as young as six weeks, the main focus is developing their basic motor skills and providing the interaction they need to start learning how to communicate. Before they develop into toddlers, our biggest focus is making sure that your children are with caring adults who talk, read, and sing to them daily. All of these activities help to model conversational skills. This is a very big focus for us, as the phase of our lives before we start talking is highly responsible for how we’ll receive both verbal and nonverbal cues in the future.

As your child gets older, we will continuously introduce new and age-appropriate opportunities for exploration. Children are naturally curious and open minded, we get them involved in games and activities that engage their critical thinking and help them build the analytical skills they’ll need for math, science, and everyday problem solving. This involves activities that range anywhere from matching and word games to field trips and purposeful play.

You may be asking yourself what purposeful play is, as most people’s definition of play might include that it is frivolous or generally pointless, but to some extent it is all purposeful. More and more research in pediatrics shows that play is a very important developmental tool for children, and even in settings with adequate resources, our increasingly hurried lifestyles may threaten that for much of today’s generation.

At the Brightside Academy, we’re dedicated to keeping free and purposeful play in the lives of the children we teach, because all forms of play are useful. The problems and situations that arise in play, both real and imagined, help develop your child’s future communication skills and problem solving ability.We’ll encourage your children to take part, to explore the activities they like doing, and to be confident and kind in their interactions.

For the youngest of children, most of their learning takes place in their interactions with adults. We provide this to your child every day in a personal, caring, and calm manner. We help them take joy in their discoveries and develop positive relationships with the world around them.

Not only does socializing engage critical thinking and emotional responses that children may have not experienced before, but it is an essential part of how humans have shared ideas and heritage. Getting to know your peers always helps to improve your overall perspective on the world, and is essential for those who want to get the most out of life. We’ll help give your child the tools they need to identify opportunities, overcome interpersonal conflict, and to develop a strong support system derived from their own confidence and the relationships they’ve positively nurtured.

Find Your Location

Akron  |   Cleveland  |   Columbus | Toledo

Find Your Program

Infants  |   Toddlers  |   Preschool  |   After School  |   Summer Camp

We want to hear from you! Complete this form to learn more, schedule a visit and have Brightside Academy contact you. You can also give us a call at (216) 777-3505 or email us at enrollment@brightsideohio.com.