Nicasa, Abbott Fund and Bright Horizons Support Children of Mothers with Substance Abuse Problems NORTH CHICAGO, June 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mayor Leon Rockingham, Senator Richard Durbin, and Representative Kathy Ryg and members of the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children, Nicasa and Abbott, today cut ribbons to officially open North Chicago's first Bright Space for children of women with substance abuse problems at Nicasa's Women's Services. Bright Spaces are designed to provide children, many of whom are homeless, with a dedicated, enriching area to play and learn. "We are very pleased to have the Bright Spaces program at our Women's Services Center in North Chicago. The Bright Space will help children of women with substance abuse problems thrive. I cannot thank Abbott enough for funding the Bright Space at Women's Services as well as the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children for supporting the Bright Space," said Bruce Johnson, Nicasa's chief operating officer. Bright Spaces Enable Children to Discover the Magic of Childhood Studies have shown that children of all ages thrive when they have a safe place in which to explore the world around them, filled with books, toys and activities that are developmentally appropriate. However, often the reality for children living in substance abusing households is that they do not have access to the space and equipment necessary to develop social, cognitive, gross motor and language skills, which are so critical for success later in life. The Bright Horizons Foundation for Children, the nonprofit organization of Bright Horizons Family Solutions, the leading provider of employer-sponsored child care, early education, and work/life solutions, established the Bright Spaces program to create appropriate play and learning areas for children of all ages living in homeless shelters and other agencies. In a Bright Space, the well-worn children's space in many agencies is transformed by a team of early education and design professionals to create a warm, inviting area where children living in crisis situations can simply be children. Curtains are put up, cozy nooks are strategically placed around the room to give children of all ages a comfortable place to explore, and shelves overflow with award-winning children's books, educational toys and games and soft toys. Dramatic play areas are set up so children can act out their fantasies and learn to socialize with their peers. Each Bright Space is designed specifically for the individual program by early education professionals from Bright Horizons, who create the Bright Space to help meet the needs of the children at the facility. Abbott offers full-service child care for its employees through a child care center that is managed by Bright Horizons Family Solutions. "We are inspired and energized by this partnership with Abbott Fund and Nicasa to provide engaging and educational places for children to play, learn, and find security and warmth. It is our mission to raise the bar for the quality of care and early education for young children across this country, and this partnership ensures that children in need in North Chicago get an early start and opportunity to begin a never-ending journey of success in school and life," said Jim Greenman, Senior Vice President of Education, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, and Board Chair, Bright Horizons Foundation for Children. "Abbott is proud to partner with Nicasa and Bright Horizons to create Lake County's first Bright Spaces center to provide children with a better opportunity," said Jim Coppens, divisional vice president, Abbott. "As we celebrate the sixth anniversary of our child care center, we are proud to support programs designed to improve the lives of children in the community." About Bright Horizons Family Solutions and the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children Bright Horizons Family Solutions is the world's leading provider of employer-sponsored child care, early education and work/life solutions. The company operates more than 600 child care and early education centers across the United States, Europe and Canada. The Bright Horizons Foundation for Children was founded in 1999 to help forward the vision of Bright Horizons Family Solutions to make a difference in the lives of children and families. Bright Spaces is a program of the foundation, creating dedicated play areas in homeless shelters and other agencies that serve families in need. There are now more than 130 Bright Spaces in more than 30 states around the country, serving thousands of children each year. More information is at http://www.brighthorizons.com/foundation. About Nicasa Nicasa is a behavioral health and substance abuse treatment and prevention agency serving the Lake County area. Founded in 1966, Nicasa has been providing quality substance abuse treatment programming for more than 40 years. Our programs and services address both the causes and effects of substance abuse for men, women, youth, children, and families. They include in-school and after school programs, youth and family therapy, Teen Court, parent education classes, counseling, comprehensive women's services, and a residential recovery program. More information about Nicasa is available at http://www.nicasa.org/. About Abbott Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs 65,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries. Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's Web site at http://www.abbott.com/. DATASOURCE: Abbott CONTACT: Julie Herlocker of Abbott, +1-847-936-6116; or Leah Lesser of Bright Horizons, +1-617-673-8020; or Christel Tatro of Nicasa, +1-847-201-7072 Web site: http://www.abbott.com/ http://www.brighthorizons.com/foundation http://www.nicasa.org/

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