(Toledo, OH May 31, 2015) – Brightside Academy collaborated with Toledo Public Schools and other community organizations hosting a Kindergarten Readiness event with the goal of informing parents of the registration process and available community resources. The event took place May 27th at Brightside Academy’s Toledo Regional Office.

Brightside Academy manages a portion of Lucas County’s Head Start program, enrolling over 400 children at their three locations across Toledo. Toledo Public Schools has additional slots for the Head Start program. Brightside Academy’s programs focus on kindergarten readiness through development of cognitive, social-emotional, and physical growth through age appropriate curriculum.
Dr. Romules Durant, Superintendent for Toledo Public Schools, and Dr. Amy Allen, Transformational Leader of Early Childhood for Toledo Public Schools spoke the event. Families had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the Catholic Diocese of Toledo and the Ohio Council of Community Schools.

Families were also given material on dental, medical and mental health services.  Not only are these services beneficial to the families in need, but the records of these services are also needed for Kindergarten registration.  The Dental Center of Northwest Ohio provided information on child dental insurance and finance plans for dental needs. The Dental Center has completed dental exams on site at Brightside Academy and will offer these services as the upcoming school year approaches.

“We were happy to offer the kindergarten readiness event to our families. This is an exciting time for them, but can also lead to anxiety due to the changes. We hope this event answered many of our families questions so they feel prepared for this transition on their child’s life,” stated Katherine Maccagnone, Executive Director of Toledo Head Start.

Brightside Academy is proud to partner with these organizations to provide education and services to strengthen the Toledo community. Families who are interested in enrolling their children to Brightside Academy can contact the company at 1-877-868-2273, visit brightsideacademy.com, or stop by a local academy for more information.

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Download News Release – Toledo Academies Partner with Toledo Public Schools for Kindergarten Readiness Event-NewsRelease-6.1.2015

(Philadelphia, PA, May 28, 2015) Children from Brightside Academy’s Philadelphia academies learn about healthy eating while taste testing food from a Novick Brothers Corporation’s urban farm. The farm is located at the company’s facility in Southern Philadelphia.

Brightside Academy’s Philadelphia Food Services Manager, Nancy Bellamy, developed the activity with Novick Brothers Corporation, Brightside Academy’s food distributor, to incorporate nutrition awareness into the curriculum. The program was launched in 2012 with the goal of teaching children the importance of nutrition as well as teaching the plant life cycle. The children complete pre-and-post trip activities that focus on Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards such as scientific thinking regarding earth sciences, agriculture, and ecology.

During the trip, the children learn about a variety of fruits and vegetables. They have the opportunity to taste test carrot based items; carrot sticks, carrot juice, and a carrot muffin to see the difference between each type of product. The trip concludes when the children put their handprints on the wall of the farm, pledging to promote nutrition at home and make healthy choices.

“The Novick urban farm has been a great way for us to give the children a hands on-experience with food and gardening. We discuss eating five servings of fruit and vegetables each day, so the children get nutrition material as well. The children really enjoy exploring the farm and getting to try the different types of food,” stated Nancy Bellamy.

The Novick Brothers Corporation urban farm was founded in 2012 by Gary Novick. Gary’s family established the business and created the farm to contribute to the community. The company uses the urban farm to educate children about horticulture, agriculture, nutrition, and sustainability. The farm is harvested in the spring and fall each year by local organization such as Urban Tree Connection and North East Treatment Centers. The produce is donated to food banks around Philadelphia.

Brightside Academy is proud to partner with Novick Brothers Corporation to educate and encourage healthy habits for their families. For additional information on Brightside Academy’s curriculum and events, visit BrightsideAcademy.com or call 877-868-2273.

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Download PDF – Novick Urban Farm Press Release 6.8.2015

(Bronx, NY, May 22, 2015) – Brightside Academy hosted a Family Health Fair in the Bronx on May 16^th at the 1336 Louis Nine Boulevard location. The academy hosted multiple community partners in the health and wellness industry and was able to provide over 70 families with materials and services.

Zeta Phi Beta sorority’s Stork’s Nest program supplied families with materials on prenatal care and healthy behaviors during pregnancy. The organization works with the March of Dimes Foundation to provide these services, and has over 80 Stork’s Nest programs throughout the country

New York Life also attended the event, and created child safe ID’s for the families in attendance. Lincoln Hospital provided blood pressure testing and representatives from their WIC department provided information for families and infants. Urban Health Plan’s Maternal and Infant Community Health Collaborative also educated families on the importance of healthy behaviors and eliminating risky behaviors.

“We had a great turnout for the event, and loved working with our partnerships to educate and serve our families. We want to provide more than just early education; we want to connect our families to resources and organizations for complete family health and wellness. Our families are already asking about the next event, and we look forward to strengthening our Bronx community,” stated Sharinatl Ingram, Academy Direct at Louis Nine.

Brightside Academy also had games and giveaways, raffling off two blenders and gift bags. The blenders were prizes for families that participated in the healthy eating workshop, which included recipes for smoothies. The families also enjoyed face painting, music and food.

Brightside Academy understands the importance of family health, and strives to bring awareness to the community.   The organization is proud to work with local partners to help families make healthy choices.

Families who are interested in enrolling their children to Brightside Academy can contact the company at 877-868-2273, visit brightsideacademy.com, or stop by a local academy for more information.

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Download News Release – Brightside Academy Hosts Bronx Family Health Fair

(Toledo, OH, May 15, 2015) – Brightside Academy’s Toledo, Ohio locations hosted a successful Friends and Family Festival on April 24. The company partnered with Acelero Learning in 2014 to provide Head Start and Early Head Start services to the area, offering full year programs with nationally recognized Head Start curriculum and family support.

Members from the Toledo Police Department attended the event, and provided information on Safe-T-City, a child pedestrian and traffic program course focused on real-life situations. A representative from Toledo’s Cradle to Career program through the Aspire organization was also in attendance. The Aspire initiative is built on the foundation of the StriveTogether Network, and has support from the United Way of Greater Toledo, the Toledo Community Foundation, and other Lucas County organizations focused on education and youth programs.

 “We were very pleased with the turnout at the event, and thankful for the organizations that attended our Friends and Family Festival. This was a great opportunity to meet with our families, and introduce new families to Brightside Academy’s programs and services,” stated Katherine Maccagnone, Executive Director for Toledo Head Start.

Brightside Academy continues to build partnerships in Toledo to better serve the families in the community. On May 27 Brightside Academy will host a Kindergarten Transition event at their Toledo Regional office, located at 300 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. The event will provide materials to parents with children transitioning to kindergarten in the fall. Representatives from Toledo Public Schools, Toledo Diocese, and Toledo Charter Schools will attend the event.

Families who are interested in enrolling their children to Brightside Academy can contact the company at 1-877-868-2273, visit brightsideacademy.com, or stop by a local academy for more information.

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Download the News Release – Brightside Academy Hosts Toledo Friends and Family Festival