By Miriam Finder Annenberg | Staff Writer
November 15, 2017
New Eastside’s Bright Horizons preschool kicked off a partnership with the Maryville Mom’s Recovery Home in West Town on October 21 during Bright Horizon’s Fall Fest.
The festival invited families from the neighborhood to the field in Lake Shore East Park for face painting, pumpkin decorating, and games, with all proceeds aiding in the creation of a Bright Space at the Recovery Home, scheduled to open in December.
Bright Spaces are part of Bright Horizon’s mission of supporting childhood education and development. The warm, inviting spaces, situated at a local non-profit,, feature reading spaces and arts-and-crafts areas for children.
Jennifer Smith, Assistant Director of Bright Horizons at Lakeshore East, called the project an exciting partnership that she and school director Amber Rue looked forward to initiating.
The Maryville Mom’s Recovery Home opened last year with the goal of keeping families intact while mothers deal with mental health and substance abuse issues. Mothers live in the center with their children as they undergo onsite sobriety and mental health treatment, while also developing parenting skills and occupational training.
Bright Horizons gathered proceeds through ticket sales, used for games and activities at Fall Fest.
“Jennifer and I got together and thought it would be wonderful to have a space that fostered loving relationships,” says Katrina Ivory, Parent Educator at the Recovery Home. “We’re all hoping it all pulls together in mid-December.”
Once completed, the Bright Space will give residents a place to come together and relax, play, and bond.
“It’s just really one of those collaborations where it…encourages children’s growth,” Rue says. “The right people are in place.”
Moving forward, Rue said Bright Horizons plans to continue the partnership with Maryville Mom’s Recovery Home, possibly by offering a cooking class or bringing families from the two organizations together for an art night.
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