Bright Beginnings is the fulfillment of a dream.  Shirley Herndon, the director and co-owner, retired from the Wake County Public School System following a rewarding 32 year career as a teacher and assistant principal.  During her tenure, Shirley came to realize that her most confident and successful students shared one thing in common – early in their lives they were lovingly taught, encouraged and often challenged by a variety of new exposures and learnings.

Her experiences became her motivation for creating a haven where preschool children could “jumpstart” a new lifetime of learning prior to stepping into the new world of elementary education.  Along with her co-owner husband, also an educator with 38 years of experience as a
teacher, assistant principal and principal, she opened her labor of love, Bright Beginnings Child Development Center, in May of 2000.

A mother and grandmother, Shirley’s philosophy is founded on one simple premise, that all children have strengths. The goal of Bright Beginnings is to help children begin to discover their strengths and interests through a variety of playful, social and instructional interactions. 

A grandmother’s loving touch combined with an educator’s thirst for teaching . . . a combination that makes Bright Beginnings the place “Where love and learning go hand in hand.”

Operations

Bright Beginnings is a 5-star rated child care establishment offering full-time child care for children age 3 months to 5 years.  Our hours of operation are from 7am to 6pm, Monday through Friday.

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Curriculum

Bright Beginnings utilizes the Creative Curriculum® program in its classrooms.  Creative Curriculum® is a comprehensive program of study that includes a framework for decision-making along with a focus on interest areas.  The eleven interest areas – Blocks, Dramatic Play, Toys and Games, Art, Library, Discover, Sand and Water, Music and Movement, Cooking, Computers and Outdoors - offer multiple opportunities for children to explore, discover and grow.  We have found this curriculum to be an ideal complement to Shirley's emphasis on helping children become more confident, curious and independent.

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Security

Nothing is more important than our children’s security.  That’s why at Bright Beginnings, we only allow parents and visitors to enter the center through the locked front entrance.  Once in our lobby, a Bright Beginnings staff member is present at all times to meet, greet and ensure that no person is allowed into the center who has not been approved beforehand.  As an additional security measure, we require all parents and/or guardians to electronically sign in and sign out their children during drop offs and pick ups. 

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Student/Teacher Ratios

Bright Beginnings maintains lower than required student to teacher ratios to ensure all of our children receive the attention and support they need.  The ratios for each of the classrooms are listed in the Our Classrooms section.

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Parent/Teacher Relations

Since most of our teachers have children, we understand the needs of our parents.  Parents are welcome to visit us anytime to meet with Shirley, volunteer in our classrooms or simply observe their children.  We schedule two parent/teacher conferences during the year for more in-depth conversations.  On a daily basis we provide our parents with a brief note describing their child’s activities for the day. 

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Diversity

We strongly believe that diversity of thought, race, gender, socio-economic level and appearance are critical to a child’s educational experience.  Therefore, we strive to ensure our students and staff represent the wide variety of people our children will come in contact with beyond Bright Beginnings’ walls.

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Master Teacher

Bright Beginnings was inspired by a woman who dedicated her life to brightening the days of countless children. With an ever-present smile and a gentle touch, Bertha Scott Herndon, the “Master Teacher”, taught elementary education in the Chatham County Public School system for 38 years. Her love of teaching influenced her three children to follow in her footsteps and become educators, as well.

As a testament to Bertha’s vast impact, Bright Beginnings was erected on her Cary, N.C. property in 2000. Although she departed this life in November of 2002, Bertha Scott Herndon’s legacy will forever live on at Bright Beginnings Child Development Center.

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Family Affair

Co-owners, Leon and Shirley Herndon founded Bright Beginnings with family in mind. Two of their children, Lisa Ware and Linwood Herndon, play prominent roles at Bright Beginnings as Assistant Director and Marketing Director, respectively, while all seven of their grandchildren attend or have attended Bright Beginnings over the years.

The boundaries of the “family”, however, extend far beyond Leon and Shirley’s children and grandchildren. All students, parents and staff are considered a part of the Bright Beginnings family and are welcomed with smiles and hugs. The approach is simple . . . the more inviting and family-like the environment, the more productive and successful all children will be.

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