United Way of Lake County announces new partnership with Bright by Text

GURNEE – United Way of Lake County announced it has teamed up with Bright by Text, a national parent texting program, to put expert tips, games and child development information in the hands of parents and caregivers.

During the COVID-19 crisis, United Way of Lake County is proud to offer a unique resource such as Bright by Text while children are learning at home and families are facing new challenges to support their children’s health and learning.

The texting service includes topics such as brain development, games and activities, health and wellness, STEM, safety and more. Bright by Text partners with experts such as PBS, Vroom, Sesame Street, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others to develop content for families with children ages prenatal to 8.

“We are pleased to be able to offer Bright by Text’s early childhood education and development tools free of charge to local families with young children,” said Rosa Herrera, Success By 6 program manager for United Way of Lake County. “This service is a wonderful complement to our ongoing early education programming ensuring Lake County children and families succeed together.”

Bright by Text helps parents and caregivers make the most out of time at home with their children by illustrating fun and easy activities, providing positive parenting tips and resources, and offering video content to guide a child’s development. The program has been proved to build nurturing caregiver-child relationships and positively impact a child’s health development and school readiness.

Innovative services such as Bright by Text help provide equitable solutions to early education while schools remain closed.

“These partnerships are vital for early education and caregiver support while schools, libraries and child care centers may be closed,” said Jean McSpadden, president and CEO of Bright by Text. “Because we use text messaging, all the content is easily accessible to anyone with a mobile phone. We know this method works. 95% of Bright by Text subscribers say it makes them a more confident caregiver.”

To sign up, parents and caregivers with children under 8 can text the word “UWLC” to 274448. They will receive two to four text messages a week. Each message includes a link to a landing page with more details, short modeling videos and links to related resources.

For information, visit LIVEUNITEDlakecounty.org/bright-by-text.