Cisco is supporting #FirstRespondersFirst, an initiative of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Thrive Global, and the CAA Foundation. The initiative takes a whole human approach to supporting first responder healthcare workers as they serve on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. #FirstRespondersFirst’s fundraising call to action helps provide essential protective equipment, accommodations, child care, food, mental health support, and other resources to this demographically and socially diverse workforce, ranging from minimum-wage hourly workers in home-care settings to social workers, nurses, physicians, and beyond.
As people are being asked to serve the public’s health by stepping back, frontline healthcare workers are being tasked with stepping forward. This partnership will open four new special child care hubs to meet the needs of our first responders who need, first and foremost, to respond to the needs of their own young children. Through #FirstRespondersFirst, Cisco is opening its San Jose HQ campus Building 25 Child Care Center, known as Cisco LifeConnections Children’s Learning Center, to the children of first responders, and is also funding three additional centers to open across the US.
The new Bright Horizons child care hubs will operate in Milpitas, California; Cary, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas; and Birmingham, Alabama, with special COVID-19 protocols in place, including limited capacity and small group sizes, enhanced teacher:child ratios, daily health checks for all staff and children on arrival, use of masks for staff, and intensive hygiene and cleaning practices. The centers will be staffed with expertly trained and experienced local Bright Horizons early educators. Care will be available for all children, from infants up through 12 years old and will open beginning April 27. Care will be free for first responders.
“We are proud to support first responders for their bravery and dedication during this pandemic,” said Cisco Vice President of Human Resources Global Benefits, Ted Kezios. “By helping to provide a stable, dependable facility for their children during this trying time, we hope to reduce the stress for first responders.”
“Cisco’s support for first responders and their children recognizes the magnitude of both the physical and mental toll they are experiencing during this unprecedented time,” said Arianna Huffington, Founder and CEO of Thrive Global. “Taking care of the children whose parents are at the forefront of the battle will provide first responders greater peace of mind and less stress so that they can continue taking care of others and saving lives.”
“Cisco has long understood the critical link between safe and nurturing child care and the ability of parents to be present and focused at work,” said Bright Horizons CEO Stephen Kramer. “It is incredibly meaningful and moving to extend our partnership with Cisco in the service of the health care workers on the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19. We are proud to have Cisco as a partner and a true leader in the mission to give first responders and their children the critical family support they need right now.”
The partnership with Cisco adds significantly to the first phase of the #FirstRespondersFirst Bright Horizons child care hubs. Testimonials from first responders currently using the initial Bright Horizons child care hubs, located in Washington, D.C., Seattle and Detroit, emphasize the need for high-quality, safe, and nurturing care for the children of first responders, showing it is essential to give these fighters the family support they need to get to work and peace of mind to focus on their critical jobs. One first responder, Angel Marino, in Detroit said: “It saved my world because I really don’t know what I would have done. I probably would have lost my job, and I fought too hard to get here to have that happen. When all of this is over, I still need to provide. This saved me — and the kids love it there, too.” Click here to see a video testimonial from one of the parents.
To access the child care services at the Bright Horizon hubs, click here to connect to a center.
Cisco LifeConnections Children’s Learning Center
A #FirstRespondersFirst Bright Horizons Child Care Hub (Funded by Cisco)
800 Barber Lane Milpitas, CA 95035
The Cisco Children’s Learning Center located on the Cisco corporate campus serves Cisco’s 20,000 employees and their families. Recognizing the need to support the first responder community during this challenging time, Cisco is opening its center to provide free child care to frontline healthcare workers in the San Jose community. The center is within close proximity to several hospitals including Kaiser Permanente, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, O’Connor Hospital, and Washington Hospital. The talented team of teachers at Cisco’s LifeConnections Children’s Learning Center is focused on inspiring learning and nurturing growth and development. Program features include an arts program that sparks creativity, a language program that fosters an interest in reading, a science program that stimulates curiosity, and more.
Bright Horizons at Harrison Park
A #FirstRespondersFirst Bright Horizons Child Care Hub (Funded by Cisco)
800 Weston Pkwy Cary, NC 27513
Bright Horizons at Harrison Park is located in close proximity to WakeMed, WakeMed’s Cary Hospital, UNC REX Hospital, and the Duke Raleigh Hospital. At Bright Horizons at Harrison Park, children will develop 21st-century skills in their STEM lab; explore the outdoors in the gardens, open-air learning areas, and natural playgrounds; and discover a love for books in the growing readers’ library.
Bright Horizons at Plaza of the Americas
A #FirstRespondersFirst Bright Horizons Child Care Hub (Funded by Cisco)
700 North Pearl St., Suite N101 Dallas, TX 75201
Bright Horizons at Plaza of the Americas is located within a mile of Dallas Medical Center, Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation, Baylor Medical Center, as well as many doctor’s offices and clinics. The center features a dramatic play area and outdoor amphitheater to encourage imagination, an outdoor garden and fish tanks to spark an appreciation for animals and the environment, a STEM lab for experimentation and a Movement Matters Zone where children can do everything from yoga, dancing, climbing and more.
Bright Horizons at BeKare
A #FirstRespondersFirst Bright Horizons Child Care Hub (Funded by Cisco)
2561 Acton Road, Birmingham, AL 35243
BeKare Child Development Center has been serving families in Hoover, Vestavia, Vestavia Hills, and Birmingham for more than 15 years. Located just off of I-459 and Acton Road, the center is nearby several hospitals including Grandview Medical Center, Brookwood Baptist Medical Center, Shelby Baptist Medical Center, St. Vincent’s Hospital and many more. The BeKare center features a STEM lab to encourage development of critical thinking, unique outdoor classrooms that introduce the concepts of science and nutrition through gardening, a mud kitchen to let children be messy scientists, and a reading nook that fosters a love of literacy.
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About #FirstRespondersFirst:
#FirstRespondersFirst, an initiative of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Thrive Global, and the CAA Foundation, takes a whole human approach to supporting first responder healthcare workers as they serve on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. #FirstRespondersFirst’s fundraising call to action helps provide essential protective equipment, accommodations, child care, food, mental health support, and other resources to this demographically and socially diverse workforce, ranging from minimum-wage hourly workers in home-care settings to social workers, nurses, physicians, and beyond, through its implementing collaborators Americares, Direct Relief, World Central Kitchen, and Bright Horizons, with additional support from Marriott International, IHG, Modelo, and Cisco, among others. Powered by Thrive Global’s behavior change platform, #FirstRespondersFirst also provides access to Harvard Chan School’s evidence-based content, specifically tailored to this critical workforce, to help improve the physical and mental well-being of healthcare workers. Dutch Bros Coffee, the country’s largest privately held drive-thru coffee company, serves as #FirstRespondersFirst’s premier corporate donor.