Brightpoint IL

10/12/2026

💜 As Hispanic Heritage Month ends, we're reflecting on what it means to truly show up for the communities we serve.

For Brightpoint, that isn't limited to one month. It's bilingual staff and culturally responsive programming. It's showing up in the neighborhoods families call home. It's staff who reflect the communities they serve and bring their own language, culture and lived experience into their work every day.

We're proud to walk alongside Hispanic and Latino/a families, this month and every month.

10/08/2026

💜 " My heritage shapes not only who I am, but how I show up for the families we serve.”

This Hispanic Heritage Month, we're sharing stories from Brightpoint staff who reflected on what it means to see themselves in the communities they serve, and how their own backgrounds shape the way they show up for families every day.

Read their stories here https://www.brightpoint.org/beacon/reflecting-on-cultural-identity-mi-orgullo-y-razon/

For Hispanic Heritage Month, we reflect on our own cultural identity and experiences -- and what it all means for our work at Brightpoint.

10/06/2026

💜 Strong families start with support that shows up early.

Thank you to the United Way of Greater St. Louis for its partnership with Brightpoint Southern Region and to KSDK News for highlighting how that support helps families across our region.

Through this partnership, United Way helps us connect families with the resources and support they need, from home visiting and child care resources to youth services and adoption preservation. KSDK recently highlighted how United Way is supporting St. Louis-area nonprofits and strengthening family support, and we're proud to be part of that story.

Check out the full story: https://www.ksdk.com/article/sponsor-story/sponsored-united-way-aids-st-louis-nonprofits-boosting-family-support-with-brightpoint-partnership/63-3bbacb8e-d4d0-4d85-a7ae-12337261294e

Discover how Brightpoint's services in Illinois help reduce parental stress by connecting families with essential resources. Learn more and see how you can contribute.

10/05/2026

Head Start and Early Head Start do so much more than provide child care. They give children a strong start and provide parents and caregivers with crucial support, from job and food assistance to parent groups.

In a new op-ed in The Pantagraph, Mendy Smith, Brightpoint's vice president of early childhood services, shares why this program matters so much to families in McLean County and across Illinois, and why she's concerned about proposed changes to Head Start.

"It's not childcare — it's an entire village of neighbors helping neighbors."

Read her full op-ed: https://pantagraph.com/opinion/column/article_bf53d227-2143-4f02-86fe-5d5473354424.html?gift=1&gift_token=231d6e12-34de-486a-90a8-decdbecf6e55

Brightpoint’s Mendy Smith says proposed Head Start rule changes could increase child-to-staff ratios and reduce standards for families in central Illinois.

10/04/2026

Have you ever thought about becoming a foster caregiver, but weren’t sure where to begin?

Our foster caregiver info sessions are a warm, welcoming place to learn more. You’ll hear what the journey really looks like, get your questions answered and discover how you can make a meaningful difference in the life of a child who needs safety, stability, and care.

You do not have to have everything figured out to take the first step. Just an open heart and a willingness to learn.

Join us at an upcoming info session. We’d love to meet you and walk alongside you as you explore whether fostering is right for you.

10/03/2026

Head Start is so much more than preschool. 💜 It's mental health support, family services, health screenings and help finding resources, all in one trusted place.

Last week, we shared how Dharious learned to feel safe again after a fire because his preschool was also where he could see a therapist. Through our Bright Futures program, we bring therapy right into our child and family centers.

Now, proposed federal changes could roll back those standards, like low teacher-to-student ratios, while leaving providers to cover more of the cost.

Families are counting on these services. Can you make a gift today to help protect high-quality Head Start? 💜

👉 www.brightpoint.org/september

10/02/2026

💜 Hispanic and Latino/a culture is not one story, it's many.

31% of Brightpoint staff identify as Hispanic, and our staff trace their roots to countries across Central and South America, each bringing their own traditions, languages and perspectives to the work we do every day.

This map is a small reflection of the rich diversity within our own staff and within the Hispanic and Latino/a communities we're proud to serve.

10/01/2026

💜 October marks National Head Start Awareness Month — and this year, it arrives as the program itself faces new uncertainty.

WGLT recently spoke with Brightpoint's Mendy Smith, vice president of early childhood services, about proposed federal rule changes that would significantly reduce funding and weaken quality standards for Head Start programs.

Brightpoint's Mendy Smith spoke to WGLT about Head Start’s true impact on families across the state.

“The thing that always gets me is hearing the stories from families that have actually accessed the services and how them coming for one thing, education, has become so much more,” Smith said. “Finding out ways how they can get that job, to get that house, to put them in a better spot to be their child's biggest advocate — those individual stories of people that use the service actually are impacting our whole community, and our whole community gets the benefit of it.”

Read the full WGLT story here https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-09-30/head-start-under-threat-again-as-demand-remains-high-in-bloomington-normal

09/28/2026

💜 This month we talked about what kinship care really means — from the KIND Act removing barriers for caregivers like our own Jeanette Byrd, to the difference between formal and informal kinship arrangements, to the many well-known names who were raised by relatives themselves.

The through-line in all of it: kinship is the part of care that keeps a child safest.

But this isn't a month-only commitment for us. Supporting families and pursuing safe reunification, whenever it's possible, is one of our core beliefs at Brightpoint, all year long.

Thank you for learning alongside us this month. We'll keep doing this work in October, and every month after that.

09/27/2026

On Christmas morning, 3-year-old Dharious and his family escaped a fire next door. Everyone was safe, but the fear followed him home. Every time his mom cooked, he worried another fire would start.

Through Head Start and Bright Futures play therapy at Brightpoint, Dharious found healing, surrounded by people he already trusted. Today, he’s thriving.

Head Start is so much more than preschool. It’s a safe place for children to heal and grow. Will you make a gift today to help another child like Dharious? 💜

https://www.brightpoint.org/september