The City of Newton and the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children have partnered to open a Bright “nook” at the Newton Police Department Headquarters. The space opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday afternoon with the goal of providing a space that is cheerful and safe for children facing crisis or trauma.
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller praised Lt. Amanda Henrickson for her work with the Bright Horizons Foundation to conceive the space. Lt. Henrickson said that the department often needs to care for children when their caregivers are being interviewed or in the transition time from an event to when they can be cared for by a support organization. In its final configuration, the space will have a partition to separate it from the larger multi-purpose room in which it resides and an open door to the adjacent reception desk.
Newton Police Chief John Carmichael drew the analogy of the role of NPD’s community resource dog, Officer Leo: “Leo assists with community engagement, and in assisting with very delicate traumatic situation we deal with day in and day out, we need a space here in Police Headquarters to help this most vulnerable 4-10 year-old age group — who have been exposed to some very traumatic situations – very delicate situations — and very often these children have to be here in headquarters for hours while waiting for support services. We noticed very quickly we don’t the space for that right now. It’s not a good environment for kids to be in a dispatch area or a break room, so having a space for a child, perhaps who have gone through the worst time of their lives, and take them away from that for a moment.”
The Bright Horizons Foundation has created over 300 Bright Spaces in the United States. According to Yvonne Lynch, Bright Horizons Foundation President, who spoke at the ribbon cutting, these spaces are typically one or more rooms, but for now, the Newton Police Headquarters configuration involves a “nook” in a multi-purpose room just adjacent to the reception desk where the person staffing the desk can also keep an eye on the children through an open door while they play.
The space, which targets 4-10 year-olds, has been stocked with a variety of toys, child-sized table and chairs, a cozy rug, and books. A cart was also donated so the staff can easily bring in things such as a children’s tablet and art supplies.
Joining Chief John Carmichael and members of the Newton Police Department to open the Bright Space was Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, Bright Horizons CEO Stephen Kramer, Chief Operating Officer Mary Lou Burke Afonso, and Bright Horizons Foundation President Yvonne Lynch.
“Bright Horizons was founded on the proposition of serving the children of working families, and it is part of our mission also to support the communities where we live and work. As part of the Newton community, Bright Horizons is honored to continue our partnership with Chief Carmichael and the Newton Police Department. We look to strengthen our connection to the community by supporting Newton area families and children in need with the opening of this warm and inviting Bright Space,” stated Bright Horizons CEO Stephen Kramer.
Last year, the Bright Horizons’ home office team created and donated duffel bags filled with toys, coloring books, crayons, and stuffed animals to the Newton Police for children in need. “Bright Horizons is a world leader in caring for youngsters,” said Mayor Ruthanne Fuller. “I’m so grateful they are bringing their expertise to Newton Police Headquarters, partnering with the Newton Police Department in support of our mission to serve our community with care and empathy.”
Full coverage of the ribbon cutting and press conference from NewTV:
