Weekly testing required for those not fully vaccinated
As COVID-19 continues to surge across the country due to the Delta variant, Bright Horizons (NYSE: BFAM), which employs approximately 17,000 people in the U.S., today announced that beginning in September it will require all employees working in its child care centers across the U.S. to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Those who are not fully vaccinated will be required to undergo weekly at-home testing. These new requirements, combined with the company’s existing health and safety protocols, is another layer of protection against COVID-19 within its centers across the country.
“We are living in uncertain times with many variables that are outside of our control and our role as a responsible employer is to encourage our employees to get vaccinated – for the health and safety of everyone,” says Stephen Kramer, Chief Executive Officer at Bright Horizons. “Our utmost responsibility is keeping our teachers, staff, and children safe and healthy, and we believe this extra protection will help us lead the field and succeed in that mission.”
Bright Horizons will continue to offer a $100 incentive for its teachers and child care center-based employees to get vaccinated as part of its comprehensive education and awareness campaign to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations and maintaining healthy workplaces. The vaccine and testing requirements also apply to all Bright Horizons employees working in the company’s U.S. offices. Bright Horizons will provide self-test kits to employees who are not fully vaccinated on a weekly basis.
In addition to these new requirements, Bright Horizons will continue to implement stringent health and safety protocols across its child care centers, including daily health checks for adults and children and masks for all adults in the centers, including staff and parents. Masks are also strongly recommended in the centers for children over 2 years old. The company continues to revisit and evolve these policies through consulting with a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital and through guidance from the CDC and local health authorities.
The company has been a leader in research to understand the lasting impacts of COVID-19 on working parents and their children’s development. The latest research can be found here.
About Bright Horizons
Bright Horizons® is a leading global provider of high-quality early education and child care, back-up care, and workforce education services. For more than 30 years, we have partnered with employers to support workforces by providing services that help working families and employees thrive personally and professionally. Bright Horizons operates approximately 1,000 early education and child care centers in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and India, and serves more than 1,300 of the world’s leading employers. Bright Horizons’ early education and child care centers, back-up child and elder care, and workforce education programs help employees succeed at each life and career stage. For more information, go to www.brighthorizons.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005802/en/
Contacts
Kristen Raymaakers
kristen.raymaakers@brighthorizons.com
