4 minSociety
Bright Horizons faces scrutiny over quality as employer-sponsored childcare demand surges
As demand for employer-sponsored childcare benefits grows, Bright Horizons has expanded its backup care business. But recent abuse allegations and complaints at its centers raise questions about the quality and oversight of large, profit-driven childcare chains.
For many working parents, the promise of subsidized childcare through their employer has become a lifeline. Katie, a financial services employee who asked to use a pseudonym, relied on a Bright Horizons center in her office building for a full month when her daughter’s regular day care had no opening. The arrangement allowed her to keep working without missing time, a benefit she described as “really, really valuable.” It is exactly this kind of convenience that Bright Horizons sells to the more than 1,450 companies it serves worldwide.
Bright Horizons, based in suburban Boston, is the dominant player in employer-sponsored childcare. More than 220 of the largest U.S. companies by revenue, including AT&T and JPMorgan Chase, provide subsidized care to their employees through the company. Its network includes more than 1,000 facilities across five countries, and its backup care business — which provides temporary care when regular arrangements fall through — has grown rapidly. In 2025, demand for backup care surged by 19%, and the segment now accounts for one-quarter of the company’s total revenue, nearly $728 million. The backup care business is largely responsible for the company’s operating income, which crossed $314 million in 2025.
But the company’s expansion has coincided with a series of troubling allegations. Last year, child abuse charges at a Bright Horizons center in New York City led to the location’s shutdown. As part of a settlement with the city, the company was restricted from opening new locations until early 2027. The incident also revealed dozens of recent complaints involving Bright Horizons centers across the city, ranging from allegations of inappropriate discipline to claims that workers had lost track of children. One substantiated complaint described a child being “aggressively” grabbed and “forcefully” made to sit down.
Reports have also alleged that the company cut corners when vetting and training staff at some New York locations, hiring people with minimal childcare experience. A Bright Horizons spokesperson said the company requires thorough background checks and five days of onboarding and training before an employee is placed in a classroom. Still, allegations of mistreatment have surfaced in multiple states and abroad, pointing to what critics describe as a broader lack of oversight.
Working parents interviewed for this story shared mixed experiences. Some were pleasantly surprised by the quality of care, while others felt misled by the company’s reputation. Multiple parents said availability was a recurring issue, and nearly all expressed frustration with the compromises they had to make to secure childcare that is not prohibitively expensive.
The concerns extend beyond Bright Horizons. Other large for-profit chains, such as KinderCare, have faced their own allegations of mistreatment, prompting an investigation by Senator Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, into the role of private equity in the childcare industry. Elliot Haspel, a childcare policy expert, noted that there is no evidence suggesting investor-backed, large for-profit childcare chains are inherently dangerous. But he added that the profit motive in such companies is distinct, and it is hard to imagine a company whose CEO must deliver quarterly earnings reports being solely focused on the well-being of children.
