BrightStart Classics Vault - BrightStart Pediatrics PPEC

Welcome to the BrightStart Pediatrics PPEC Classics Vault!

You can take a click down memory lane to your favorite photo gallery or video, or browse by year.

If you’re looking for things that have happened this year, head on over to the What’s New page.

2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015

2023

December 21 Santa Brings Cheer as Holiday Nears
Patients Wild About Mingle With Kringle Oh what fun it is to be a BrightStart Sanford patient! With only 72 hours left before his epic annual 218 million mile joyride across the globe, Santa Claus stopped in at BrightStart Sanford, bringing gifts to the children and some holiday education for the staff. It seems there…
December 20 Santa Makes Haste to Southchase
BrightStart Patients Enjoy Pre-Christmas Visit How do you warm up a slight Florida chill at BrightStart Orlando? With a visit from Santa Claus! Here we go again, let’s see what’s behind these doors … surprise! It’s nursing, therapy and love! Wednesday saw the grand entrance of Santa, who brought gifts to his very special friends…
December 19 2023 Holiday Glee
Santa Lights Up BrightStart Winter Garden Less than a week from Christmas, BrightStart Winter Garden patients welcomed Santa Claus for a visit! Santa admitted that an unnamed source tipped him off about the Winter Garden center’s planned holiday party, and it seemed an appropriate time to make an appearance. He thanked everyone for last year’s…
December 7 2023 Holiday Message from Linda
Here’s a little BrightStart cheer for you – a message from Linda!
November 9 Pediatric Resident Brings Heart to BrightStart
BrightStart Pediatrics in Winter Garden has been hosting visits from the Pediatric Residency Program at AdventHealth this year. Our most recent guest was Dr. Richard Ulangca, who made friends quickly and was made an honorary member of the Winter Garden Playground Gang. Visiting BrightStart allows physicians to see the benefits of the PPEC program for…
October 31 BrightStart Patients Preen for Halloween
Scary & Sweet Treats in Sanford It was a bright and mild Tuesday … the kind of day that makes you think of … Halloween! Actually things started out good and spooky with lots of fog, but it was all sunshine and lollipops by the time patients at BrightStart Sanford started their Halloween Parade. It…
October 27 BrightStart Horde Seeks Orange Gourds
At the Patch, ‘Natch! Patients from BrightStart Orlando took in the sunshine and blue skies for a field trip to the pumpkin patch on Friday. The fine selection was available at the Central Parkway Baptist Church. October has been busy for the Orlando center with a variety of creative projects for decoration. Picking out pumpkins…
October 24 The Great Pumpkin Day
Open Season on Fall Fun Patients at BrightStart Winter Garden got into the October groove with The Great Pumpkin Day and October Obstacle Course. Who knew that there were so many little pumpkins hiding at Winter Garden? It happened that the whole place was teeming with enough specimens for every BrightStart kid to catch their…
October 10 Healthy Start Meets BrightStart
Nursing, Therapy & Love: The Experience BrightStart Sanford kicked off October with visitors! Monday and Tuesday of this week saw the staff from the Healthy Start Coalition of Seminole County tour our Sanford center. BrightStart President Linda Brown gave a guided tour of the Sanford center and fielded questions. While some of the guests may…
August 31 Dance. Jump. Smile. Repeat.
New Video from 2023 End of Summer Bash It’s been a busy, crazy week – how about a little dance party? As school got started earlier this month, BrightStart centers celebrated with themed dance parties for an End of Summer Bash. Make sure you check out all the great themes in the photo galleries. In…
August 8 Sanford Summer Celebration
Patients Get Big Kicks From Party Mix What’s your style? Classic 50s rock ’n roll? 70s anthems? 80s pop? You’re in luck, because we’ve got it. All of it! Tuesday saw BrightStart Sanford celebrate their end of summer bash. Multi-colored lights, glow sticks and mirror balls provided the backdrop. Patients and staff picked their own…
August 7 Winter Garden Disco Day
Dance Fever No Cause for Nursing Alarm How often does BrightStart get excited when everyone has a fever? Well, only when it’s Disco Fever, of course! In fact, it’s the only time in BrightStart history when patients and staff had to show symptoms in order to gain entry to the Winter Garden center. Monday saw…
August 4 Let’s Glow Crazy in Orlando
End of Summer No Bummer Here BrightStart Orlando patients stayed out of the heat with some heavy beats to celebrate the end of summer. Transformed into a kid friendly dance club, the Orlando center turned on the black lights and turned up the tunes. Nursing, therapy and fun were the headliners for this all-crew, all-access…
July 18 Prescribed Pediatric Extended Carnival!
Birthday Bash Brings Party For All The BrightStart Sanford center enjoyed a party of epic proportions on Tuesday! Thanks to the generosity of one of our BrightStart families, the entire crew enjoyed a ‘day out’ as the center was transformed into a carnival. Once you see what the therapy team can do with those games,…
June 8 Summer Splashdown at Sanford
100% Concentrated Fun. Just Add Water. Our PPEC centers have usually picked Wet Wednesdays for our water activities, but we’re giving fair warning that any day with sunshine will do. This week officially kicked off our summer of nursing, therapy and love, with Wet Wednesday rocking the Orlando and Winter Garden centers. Just because they…
June 1 Bright All Over
We’re pleased to feature with our friends at Bright Feats in their latest Early Childhood edition for Summer & Fall 2023. Have you met Bright Feats yet? Our names are similar and our missions are closely aligned. Bright Feats is the definitive online and print publication for families and loved one of those with special…
May 10 Just a few smiles
New video: BrightStart at Make ‘m Smile 2023 We hope you were able to enjoy the great day at Lake Eola last Saturday.BrightStart had a great time at the Make ‘m Smile event. If you haven’t seen our latest photo gallery, you’ve got some smiles coming your way. Here’s a quick video to get you…
May 8 Make ‘m Smile 2023
Sunny Day Gets Boost From BrightStart Saturday May 6th was the big day at Lake Eola in Orlando! Make ‘m Smile 2023, sponsored by Nathaniel’s Hope, drew a massive crowd of happy guests, families and friends.Now in its twenty-first year, the annual party celebrating kids with special needs has traditionally been held on the first…
April 27 Moving in the Bright Direction
Go Baby Go! Races to our hearts! A BrightStart Sanford patient is moving in a bright direction thanks to her participation in the UCF Go Baby Go! Program. Children with mobility issues are served through the UCF Go Baby Go! Program, which individually modifies ride-on cars to improve mobility. BrightStart Physical Therapist Amanda Kummer helped…
April 14 All Fired Up At Winter Garden
BrightStart Patients Get Ringside Seat for Training It was a red-hot Friday at Winter Garden! Patients at BrightStart Winter Garden got an unexpected treat when a crew from Station 22 conducted training at a newly constructed building just across the parking lot. Who doesn’t love fire trucks? Especially ones that send fire fighters way up…
March 16 Zoo With A View
Sunshine and Smiles for Spring Breakers The sun shines every day at BrightStart Pediatrics, but as a bonus we had lots of sunshine for Thursday’s Spring Break 2023 activity at Winter Garden. If any of these animals look familiar, it’s because this is the second visit from Noah’s Landing Petting Zoo… yes, it’s Petting Zoo,…
March 15 Nursing, Therapy, Love, Track and Field
BrightStart Patients Dominate & Celebrate The story of Wednesday at BrightStart Orlando begins on Tuesday. Tuesday saw the Orlando crew enjoying mild spring weather with a gardening day. Smiling faces and pretty little flowers! Then came Wednesday morning, and the rather brisk temperatures and flat, overcast skies had a chilling effect on attendance, leaving a…
March 14 Sanford Patients Do The Zoo
It’s PPEC. With an alpaca. BrightStart has always embraced the wild side of spring break, and for more than a decade (yep, you read that right) we’ve welcomed our friends from Noah’s Landing Petting Zoo as one of our activities. On Tuesday Noah’s Landing made landing at the Sanford center – make sure you check…
March 13 It’s on: Spring Break 2023!
Spring Break 2023 is here! We’re getting in touch with animals – literally, as we’ll have some special animal visitors this week! But Monday is more about play, and the theme is ‘Animal Talk All Day Long’. Patients and staff got right down to business in Orlando by making puppets, and we thought you’d enjoy…
March 8 All About Peds
BrightStart Winter Garden enjoyed a visit from Dr. Katelyn Hernandez as part of a rotation for pediatric residents from AdventHealth.
February 23 Now Serving: Nursing, Therapy & Love
Here’s what’s on the menu: Our skilled Pediatric Nursing gives medically fragile kids everything they need for a comfortable, healthy day in our Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care centers. The second part of the main course comes in Physical, Speech and Occupational therapies prepared to order for each patient. These year-round favorites are always fresh and…

2022

December 23 2022 Holiday Video
What a great week it was! In a hurry? Here’s a really short video about our super-busy and great week of Christmas holiday celebrations at BrightStart Pediatrics! Sure, it’s fun to watch – but it barely tells the story of everything that happened. Make sure you stop by our photo galleries to see everyone and…
December 22 Santa Shocks, PPEC Rocks
St. Nick a Big Kick Before Christmas What’s this? A man in a red suit bustling into the BrightStart Sanford center, just two days before Christmas Eve? It’s Santa Claus, of course! Sanford made the most of their holiday decorating with a Polar Express theme, which ensured that no one missed their stop! Santa laughed…
December 21 Holiday Commando Stuns Orlando
Out with the blahs, In with Mr. Claus BrightStart Orlando paid attention to our last post – their lobby was decorated for a holiday treat spread, perfect to welcome the star of the holiday season, Santa Claus! With the busiest time of his season in full swing Mr. Kringle landed at the Orlando center with…
December 20 The name is Claus. Santa Claus.
Definitely No Time To Cry He’s back … and he’s jollier than ever! It really was no time to cry because Santa Claus appeared in person to visit with the patients at Brightstart Pediatrics Winter Garden. An overcast December day did not dampen any holiday spirits. The center was filled to the top with gifts…
November 11 Behind This Smile
BrightStart Featured in Early Childhood Guide We’re pleased to be in the spotlight with our friends at Bright Feats for their latest Early Childhood Guide. Our “Behind This Smile” article introduces you to one of our BrightStart families and gives insight into how our PPEC program is helping their little one. You can pick up…
October 31 BrightStart’s Twenty-Twenty-Boo Halloween
Little Pumpkins on the Loose in Sanford Just one more advantage to being a BrightStart Sanford patient – no waiting for sundown to get a Halloween party underway. A rowdy collection of little pumpkins, superheroes, and some visitors from Encanto took over the Brio Business Center for some fresh air and candy to celebrate Halloween…
October 28 Boo-lando Kicks Off Hallo-weekend
Making October Last Longer What’s yellow and orange, provides skilled pediatric nursing and therapy, and outshines everything around Southchase Plaza? It’s BrightStart Orlando, of course! We’re always one step ahead at BrightStart Pediatrics, which is why the Orlando center kicked off ‘Hallo-weekend’ on Friday. Patients and staff enjoyed a mild fright or two with healthy…
October 27 The Haunted PPEC!
Scary Dress Rehearsal for Halloween … and if you stay perfectly still, you can hear a voice, echoing down the hallways … … Nursing … Therapy … LOVE! Okay, so this is not a spooky haunted PPEC, but the crew at BrightStart Winter Garden went all out for a frighteningly good time in a pre-Halloween…
August 10 Back to Pool!
Patients Soak Up August Sun & Fun For almost everyone in the area, Wednesday was all about back to school. At BrightStart Pediatrics Winter Garden, it was all about back to pool. For a variety of reasons the Winter Garden center’s water day (also known as Wet Wednesday) was exclusively a boy’s club, evidenced by…
July 21 BrightStart, Bright Summer
Patients beat the heat with nursing, therapy & love It’s been a busy summer at BrightStart Pediatrics with plenty of nursing, therapy and love to go around. While still carefully managing daily operations within changing COVID protocols, there’s also plenty of fun to go around. As some of our patients prepare to graduate to kindergarten…
June 7 Make ‘m Smile 2022
Back, big and busy! Has it really been that long? Yes it has! Make ‘m Smile, the premier event celebrating kids with special needs was back in downtown orlando on Saturday June 4th! The event is always billed as ‘rain or shine – excluding tropical storms and hurricanes’ – and this year brought a wet…
April 18 Shining Brighter!
BrightStart Featured in Early Childhood Guide We’re pleased to be in the spotlight with our friends at Bright Feats for their latest Early Childhood Guide. Our “Behind This Smile” article introduces you to one of our BrightStart families and gives insight into how our PPEC program is helping their little one. You can pick up…
April 14 BrightStart COTA Recognized
Congratulations! BrightStart Occupational Therapy Assistant Paola Mena received the 2021 Award of Excellence from the Florida Occupational Therapy Educational Consortium. Be sure to high-five her whenever you are visiting our Orlando center!
March 21 2022 Petting Zoo
A Quick Look at Spring Break Activity Love the idea of seeing BrightStart kids enjoying a petting zoo, but afraid you might have to help clean up? Well, we have just the thing for you – a quick video! Our video requires no hand sanitizer or weather precautions, allowing you to have fun in the…
March 17 BrightStart Spring Break 2022
‘Country Days’ Theme Grows Happy Patients BrightStart’s 2022 Spring Break took on a natural look as we celebrated Country Days. Our animal-centric theme welcomed back our friends from Noah’s Landing. Patients from all three of our centers had an opportunity to meet and greet some friendly feathers and furries. On Tuesday, BrightStart Winter Garden hosted…
March 3 Suess Boost for BrightStart Patients
Rhyme Time Suits Pediatric Patients Just Fine This week at BrightStart Pediatrics, we celebrated the birthday of Dr. Theodor Geisel, better known the world over as Dr. Suess. Books from Dr. Suess are practically universal in their appeal and early reading experience, and BrightStart centers carried on this tradition with activities for our patients. Our…
February 14 Happy Little Hearts at BrightStart
Feel the Love! Welcome to our first holiday of the new year – it’s Valentine’s Day! We’re taking a peek inside BrightStart Sanford, where the love-themed art shares wall space with the kid-decorated Valentine goodie bags. Burning question: Does Cupid fill these? BrightStart has love for our kids all year round – but this heartfelt…

2021

December 23 Santa 2021 Tour Video
Extra Holiday Cheer from BrightStart So if you didn’t have a ticket for the Santa Claus 2021 BrightStart Tour, and you saw all our photos and thought about how much fun it was … here’s an encore! Grab a cookie or something and have a peek at this quick video of highlights from Mr. Kringle’s…
December 16 Santa Fun in ’21
No Time To Pause … For Mr. Claus! He’s known by many names … he’s known all over the world … and this week, he has no time to pause. Because he’s Santa Claus! Makes sense that a man with his powers of travel also has unlimited energy. Our official Cheer-o-meter™ spiked at maximum when…
December 15 Joy For All Girls and Boys
St. Nick a Hit in Orlando ‘Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the BrightStart house … every patient was stirring with pure excitement! Holiday spirit decorated the doors and hallways on this busy Wednesday. Sure, a big celebrity was visiting, but it’s still the full portion of nursing, therapy and love on the…
December 14 Jingle, Jingle, It’s Mr. Kringle
Holiday Joy Takes Root in Winter Garden How does he do it? The Christmas holiday is more than a week away, and how could Santa possibly stop in the middle of his busiest time of the year and show up in Florida? It’s simple: He’s Santa Claus, he’s real, and this is BrightStart Pediatrics. Our…
December 13 2021 Holiday Message from Linda
Get some personal cheer! Here’s a holiday message from Linda Brown, President and Owner of BrightStart Pediatrics. Enjoy!
October 29 Bright To The Bone
Pint-Sized Pumpkins Leave Trail of Smiles Welcome to Friday at BrightStart Sanford! Patients and staff enjoyed such a wild party that we hope Halloween can live up to the hype this weekend! Looking for a variety of costumed cuteness? You’re in the right place. From tiny tots emulating Elmo to wild werewolves and fashionable Native…
October 28 Caring Without Scaring
BrightStart Kids Brave Rain for Goodies It was a dark and stormy morning … But a little heavy weather will never put a damper on a BrightStart party! The patients and staff at BrightStart Orlando had a fine time inside and outside, even while some rain postponed the plan to conquer the entire Southchase Village.…
October 27 Small Scares, Big Fun
Winter Garden Patients Haunt Neighbor Businesses Patients and staff at BrightStart Pediatrics Winter Garden got the jump on Halloween fun Wednesday and scared up plenty of treats to show for it. Some of our neighbors helped get our trick-or-treaters filled up during a trip around our area, with weather just warm enough to wear a…
June 14 Video: Water Day!
Hydration Can Be Quick and Fun! Too busy to look at a photo gallery, or just can’t get enough of those BrightStart kids? We have just the thing for you – push play and get to splashing!
June 10 Summer Activities Return
Sanford Patients Splash Up a Thursday Patients at BrightStart Sanford welcomed the return of Water Day, a favorite summer activity. Our centers usually have this rowdy celebration each week or so, weather and activities permitting. Today we’re giving you exclusive access so you can see how much fun you’re not having, if you’re at work…
June 7 Smile-Fari 2021
BrightStart helps enjoy wildest parking lot ever! While we wait for the Nathaniel’s Hope Make ‘m Smile event to return to Lake Eola in 2022, BrightStart spent a little time with the Smile Team at Wild Florida for their second day of Smile-Fari 2021. The event was arranged in lieu of the usual party downtown…
March 19 Spring Break Pizza Therapy
No Limits on Slices of Fun BrightStart has a long history of trail-blazing and innovation. Fun fact: Did you know our online galleries for Spring Break began all the way back in 2009? Fast forward to the future – that is, right now, when we’re about to go live with our Pizza Therapy Program –…
March 18 Superheroes Gone Wild
Spring Break Inspires Costumed Mayhem Patients at BrightStart Sanford revealed their inner superhero selves on Thursday. Spring Break 2021 was determined to be the cause for the toddler transformations. Fortunately the incredible BrightStart staff was on hand to help wrangle these energetic young characters. So incredible were the powers on display that an obstacle course…
March 17 Super Kids Occupy BrightStart
BrightStart League of Super Kids Established Look – there, in south Orlando! It’s the BrightStart League of Super Kids! To inaugurate and celebrate the formation of this group of super PPEC patients, BrightStart welcomed a dynamic duo from the Guardians of Justice: Nightwing and Wolverine! The formation of the BrightStart League of Super Kids was…
March 16 Wild Start for Spring Break
Patients Celebrate with Furry & Feathered Friends After most of 2020 was cancelled (you heard about that, right?) BrightStart Pediatrics was thrilled to welcome back a Spring Break tradition, our friends from Noah’s Landing. In fact, we doubled-down on the fun by hosting the zoo at two of our locations in order to get the…
February 8 Levitation Therapy at BrightStart
Activity Has Patients Walking on Air While we’re excited with our new and highly experimental Levitation Therapy, we caution you not to try this at home. BrightStart Pediatrics has been delivering our unique PPEC program to families in Central Florida for more than fifteen years – always with a cutting edge and very complex care…

2020

December 22 Video – Santa at BrightStart
A glimpse of holiday magic Another holiday treat for you – take a peek at some scenes from holiday celebrations as Santa Claus visits with BrightStart patients! Santa has a special message recorded on December 17th as he wrapped up his tour and prepared to return to the North Pole. Watch carefully and you can…
December 17 Frenzied Welcome For Santa Claus at BrightStart
Third Day of Holiday Madness Grips Sanford Who was that masked man? For little veterans of the holiday season at BrightStart, that’s an easy answer, but you must shout it out as loud as you can and squeal with joy: It’s Santa! Indeed, Mr. Claus received a warm and wild welcome at BrightStart, capping off…
December 16 Happy Children at BrightStart: Santa Claus Arrives!
Patients and Most Staff Make ‘Good List’ Never mind the mask – it’s the man with the bag! Patients and staff at BrightStart Orlando got a holly jolly kind of mid-week bump with a visit from Santa Claus. With the help of a designated Safety Elf as well as holiday cheer-leader Linda Brown (see what…
December 15 Joy and Cheer Greet Santa at BrightStart
Winter Garden Patients Erupt in Celebration Best way to spend a Tuesday in mid-December 2020? A visit from Father Christmas himself – Santa Claus! What a wacky year it’s been for the patients at BrightStart Winter Garden, but through it all they maintained premium spots on Santa’s Good List™. It was only fitting then that…
October 30 BrightStart Centers Enjoy Trick-or-Treat
Masks may be common this year, but they can’t stop fun, which is very contagious Here is a scary thought: Some kids might not enjoy all sorts of trick-or-treat fun this year! BrightStart Pediatrics isn’t about to let global events get in the way of a chance to party. Our patients need costumes and fun…
October 23 Power Couple, Heroes & Icons Shine
Buffet of Fun Entertains Patients at BrightStart Orlando Just when you think it might cool down, the fun was heating up at BrightStart Orlando on Friday. Our friends from the Guardians of Justice went deep into their roster for a mix of iconic characters who visited with patients and staff. Many of BrightStart Orlando’s patients…
October 20 Girl Power at BrightStart Sanford
Dark Night Accompanies with Bat-Chivalry Wait a minute – is it nearly Halloween, or is it just Tuesday? Yes, it’s just Tuesday at BrightStart Pediatrics Sanford, where our patients enjoyed a continuously sanitized visit from members of the Guardians of Justice. Girl power was on display. Managing an always-busy schedule, Supergirl flew in from National…
October 13 BrightStart’s 2020 Halloween Trailer
Stuck inside this year for trick or treat? Might as well scare yourself silly with our Halloween message!
September 17 Just what we needed: Superheroes!
Our fun sense is tingling. Here it is, September already, and you must be wondering: Where is all the fun? It just so happens that the fun was at BrightStart Winter Garden this week when our center had a surprise visit from Spiderman and Batman! Our friends at the Guardians of Justice put the call…
August 17 We’re open, we’re safe, we’re happy.
It’s all about safety. We’ve been working with our Medical Directors to develop, review and implement new infection control protocols. These comprehensive changes ensure the best possible environment for patients – from the check-in routine to daily cleaning and disinfecting for each center and transport vehicles. Thanks to the unique design of our centers, kids…

2019

December 19 Holiday Magic Unwrapped at BrightStart Sanford
What do you know – Santa did have one last stop on his way to the North Pole, and it was at BrightStart Sanford! With a group of elves (fresh faces & veterans) the man in red brought gifts for the girls and boys, and had a chance to chat with them. We were fortunate…
December 18 Santa Puts ‘Oh!’ in BrightStart Orlando
A stormy Central Florida Wednesday could not keep away the holiday cheer – Mr. Kringle and his elves paid a visit to BrightStart Orlando! The always hospitality-ready Orlando crew, celebrating their annual holiday Pajama Day, laid out a cozy reception with treats and genuine holiday fireplace video in the lobby. (Yes, we know – pretty…
December 17 BrightStart Winter Garden Wonderland
Maybe it was just another Tuesday for most people – but for BrightStart Winter Garden, it was a big red deal! Santa Claus arrived with an army of elves for a visit with patients, their families and staff. We’ll leave you to guess which of our gang loved the experience or those who weren’t quite…
October 31 Halloween at BrightStart: Boo-yeah!
You’re just in time for a treat – photos from our BrightStart Halloween 2019! BrightStart Sanford The day started with plenty of dancing and noise, and then on to the celebrations. First a parade around the Brio Business Center – for treats, and to see who might overheat first! Then it was back inside for…
October 15 Little Pumpkins, Pumpkin Patch
Our field trip Tuesday was twice as BrightStart! Patients from our Sanford and Winter Garden centers met for a romp through the pumpkin patch at the Club Lake Plantation Fall Festival in Apopka. Okay, that’s not accurate. We meant to say that the intent of the field trip was to romp through the pumpkin patch. It was a fantastic presentation of pumpkins –…
August 2 Super Graduation Celebration
Any Friday is a good day for having a super hero adventure! The crew at BrightStart Sanford are celebrating some graduates this month, a perfect time for a visit from our friends at the Guardians of Justice. Patients donned their favorite costumes – or mixes of them – to welcome a fun-filled visit from Spiderman,…
July 10 Makin’ Some Waves at Makinson
The coolest place to be this summer is with the BrightStart kids – and they made a real splash on their Wet Wednesday field trip to the Bob Makinson Aquatic Center. (Ah! Makin’ some waves … Makinson… see what we did there?) Wet Wednesdays are an original BrightStart summer staple, with various water activities taking place at…
June 21 Make ‘m Smile 2019 Video
Face painting! Stickers! Sunshine! Did we mention face painting? Because there were a lot of painted faces. Here’s what it was like on fast-forward.
June 3 BrightStart at Make ‘m Smile 2019
Yes, it’s pretty hot every year on the first Saturday in June – but the coolest kids and their families were at the Make ‘m Smile event at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. The event is sponsored by Nathaniel’s Hope and draws tens of thousands of visitors. BrightStart Pediatrics has been part of this terrific…
May 17 Orlando Super Friday 2019
Super Friday! It’s BrightStart’s annual fun day of comic and movie fun with special guests and it was a cozy mashup of universes. Bringing smiles in a dash of red, white and blue was the first Avenger himself, Captain America. Shining a light of high-fives and imagination was Green Lantern. His sleek visor and powerful…
March 25 Spring Break 2019 Video
What do pediatric nursing and therapy patients do during Spring Break? Glad you asked – here’s a little peek inside some of our activity at BrightStart!
March 21 Spring Break 2019
Orlando It’s BK Monday! It’s only spring break if there’s a fast food run – so with a busy week ahead, the crew at our Orlando center made the stroll to Burger King to get fueled. Besides the delight of chicken and fries (for most) there was also the excitement of the toy – kind…
February 4 Follow me to BrightStart
The BrightStart Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC) program gets medically fragile infants and children where they need to be, just like a perfect commute: fast, safe and easy. Conveniently located in Winter Garden, Sanford and Orlando, BrightStart PPEC centers provide skilled pediatric nursing for a variety of patients. No need to change lanes – BrightStart…

2018

December 20 Holiday Magic: Santa Claus at BrightStart Sanford
It was a dark and stormy Thursday – outside, anyway. The sun is always shining at BrightStart, but things really lit up when Mr. Kringle showed up for a pre-Christmas visit at our Sanford center! Sanford’s preschool group have been enjoying all kinds of holiday-themed activities during December, including a varied collection of holiday carols.…
December 19 Oh, it’s Santa Claus in Orlando!
It started like any other Wednesday at BrightStart Orlando … and then Santa Claus showed up. But he didn’t come alone: With a full complement of elves from VNPEU Local 18 (the Valencia Nursing Program Elves Union ) the joy of the Christmas season reached every corner of the center. Old St. Nick’s timing couldn’t…
December 18 Santa Claus arrives at BrightStart Winter Garden
What started as a regular Tuesday of nursing, therapy and love turned into full-blown holiday party. Just a week away from Christmas we got a huge surprise at BrightStart Winter Garden: A visit from Santa Claus! “It is my busiest time of the year,” Santa told us, “but I’ve been watching the girls and boys…
October 31 BrightStart Halloween 2018
Alright, we say this every year – but only because it’s true – a Halloween celebration at BrightStart Pediatrics is so much fun it’s scary. That’s really the only scary part. Otherwise it’s an excuse to decorate our centers with lots of neat things, have everyone dress in fun costumes, get treats … so mostly…
October 24 Little BrightStart Pumpkins on the Loose
Don’t tell anyone, but it’s very nearly fall in Central Florida, something you wouldn’t know from the weather. But the sunshine is still okay for fall field trips, like a visit to the pumpkin patch. We’re highlighting the field trip from the BrightStart Sanford crew, who went back to visit the Lakeside Fellowship Methodist Church…
August 9 Fire Truck Visit at BrightStart Winter Garden
Even when summer seems to be at its hottest, it’s cool to have our friends from the Winter Garden Fire Department stop by our center for a visit. Though it’s a younger group at Winter Garden, they enjoyed a peek around Engine 22, learned about the variety of equipment it carries and how the crew…
August 2 BrightStart Fills Up With Field Trip Fun
It’s still nursing, therapy and love … on a field trip. With school just around the corner for a few of our little rays of sunshine, the BrightStart Sanford crew decided it was time to get on the party bus and take the celebration on the road. Thursday’s destination was the Oviedo Mall, where there…
July 22 Easy Math: BrightStart Pediatrics PPEC
Who needs BrightStart? A newborn with a congenital heart defect. A toddler with complex gastrointestinal issues. A child with a tracheostomy. These children are examples of typical patients for PPEC – Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care. It’s likely that most parents have never heard of PPEC even though there are many PPEC providers in the Central…
July 18 BrightStart Sanford Crew at the Watering Hole
Has your PPEC summer fun included feeding a giraffe? It has if you’re a BrightStart patient, and while the therapeutic benefits have not been scientifically corroborated, we can safely say kids love it, so it must be good. The BrightStart Sanford crew made it a wild Wednesday at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens.…
June 22 Winter Garden Makes a Splash
Now that summer is heating up here in Central Florida, what do BrightStart kids do to stay cool? The Winter Garden crew has the answer for that – just a short van ride to the Downtown Splashpad and Pavilion gets the Friday party underway! While BrightStart’s newest center in Winter Garden continues to grow, this…
June 4 BrightStart at the 2018 Make ‘m Smile Event
The annual Make ‘m Smile event from Nathaniel’s Hope just gets bigger every year. Rain or shine the party celebrating kids with special needs takes over Lake Eola in downtown Orlando, and team members from BrightStart Pediatrics were there again to make the sun shine just a little brighter. Just sharing the BrightStart love Our…
May 25 Nursing, Therapy, Superheroes
You can be sure the summer is almost here with the annual visit of our super friends, the Guardians of Justice. It was a real collision of universes! Where else can you find cute patients, Mulan, Batman, Snow White, Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable & Rufus, Shego and Nightwing… all at the same time? Our hero friends…
March 21 Goats and ducks and pigs, oh my!
The crew at BrightStart Sanford enjoyed a spring break favorite on Wednesday when our friends from Noah’s Landing came to visit. A variety of animals were on hand for some joy and reluctant curiosity. Sit back and get ready for some smiles – we’ve got plenty of photos to share. Thanks to Candace and Jessi…
March 20 All Aboard for Spring Break!
We’re growing at BrightStart Winter Garden! This is our second spring break celebration and our very first spring break field trip for our newest center. Some of our gang took a jaunt downtown to get in touch with our local roots, with help from the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, where we visited the Heritage Museum…
March 19 Bouncing Into Spring Break!
At BrightStart Orlando, a little overcast weather couldn’t dampen a day in the bounce house in the back play area on Monday. The gang actually got a jump on the party with a trip to the Florida Mall last week on Friday. Still to come this week for our southernmost center: movie time, the annual…

2017

December 13 Santa’s Sanford Session
BrightStart Sanford put together a big holiday celebration for patients and families, topped off with a visit from Santa Claus himself! Santa brought gifts, cheer, and sometimes tears to all the good girls and boys. Now he’s on his way north, and said something about getting ready for a big day. BrightStart is so grateful…
December 12 Santa Gets a Winter Garden Welcome!
BrightStart Winter Garden got a Tuesday morning surprise visit from Santa Claus, and a gaggle of his elves, too! We were so glad to welcome a number of our families to a holiday celebration with plenty of fun … that is, a room of adults trying to coax children into visiting with the man in…
December 11 Monday Surprise at Orlando: Santa, Santa, Santa!
Monday morning got off to a pretty chilly start, the kind that reminds people of Christmas … And wouldn’t you know it, BrightStart Pediatrics Orlando got a surprise early visit from Santa Claus himself! Santa took time to visit with all the boys and girls at BrightStart (every child in the building is on the…
October 31 Sanford’s Trunk-or-Treat
BrightStart Sanford rolled into the fall spirit with Trunk-or-Treat! A very special thank you goes out to our friends and neighbors in the Brio Business Center, who met the BrightStart army with plenty of treats and smiles. Perfect fall temperatures (that is, not roasting alive in costumes) got the gang motivated to roll through a…
October 27 Winter Garden’s Halloween ’17
BrightStart Winter Garden hit the downtown area for some trick-or-treat fun on Friday – and it was all treats. Our newest center is growing so we had more cuteness to show off to our local businesses, who again generously supported and encouraged us. Thank you to all of our friends in the Winter Garden community…
October 10 BrightStart Sanford Pumpkin Patch Trip
Somewhere, it’s fall – when the landscape changes color, and the weather cools down, and the pumpkins come out. Here in Central Florida … the pumpkins come out. The crew from BrightStart Sanford took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch at Community United Methodist Church in Casselberry, and spent a morning soaking up some serious…
August 25 Winter Garden Super Friday
BrightStart Winter Garden celebrated their first Super Friday with a surprise visit from Wonder Woman, Rapunzel (in Florida attire) and the Dark Side’s very own Darth Vader! It was perfect to have the Amazon Warrior stop in, with a couple of our patients showing their fan support, while Bat-Baby and Batgirl enjoyed themselves along side…
July 19 Seminole Towne Center Mall Crawl
This week at BrightStart, our therapy included getting kids into the wide open spaces of a large retail complex. The Room Four gang from Sanford took the big ride to the Seminole Towne Center, where they rocked the Kiddie Rides, went crazy for the Cubby Caboose Mini Express, and finally just owned the food court.…
June 23 A Cool Visit From Frozen Friends!
What a cool way to celebrate a birthday! Patients from our BrightStart Sanford and Orlando centers got together for a special visit from some very special friends, Frost Sisters Elsa and Anna. The girls entertained their fans with story time, face and hand painting and – you guessed it – songs! BrightStart thanks our friends…
June 6 BrightStart at Make ‘m Smile 2017
This year’s Make ‘m Smile event, the annual party sponsored by Nathaniel’s Hope, was big fun for everyone! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to visit with us on Saturday, June 3rd, and a very special thanks to the hardest working face painters in the world: Claudia, Jael & Yazmin! Now then, sit back and…
May 26 Bat, Cat, Quinn & Kara
Super-fun, that is! Friday at BrightStart Orlando saw a very special visit from some of our very special friends at the Guardians of Justice. It’s become an annual event for our costumed pals to stop in during their busy day saving the world … and sometimes, creating chaos. Take a look at our latest photo…
April 19 Go Fly A Kite!
The crew at BrightStart Orlando had themselves quite a busy day at Kissimmee Lakefront Park on Wednesday. There was plenty of running around, flying kites, chasing bubbles, sliding, and pizza. Then to top it off we met a new face painter! We’re waiting for a little bit warmer weather to go back and dominate the…
March 30 Video: Just Some Bowling Fun
Sure, Spring Break has been over for a week by now – but video of BrightStart kids bowling and attacking a pizza is basically timeless. And you’re here now, so you might as well hit that play button and get your two minutes of sunshine.
March 24 March Madness, Winter Garden Style
The smaller Spring Breakers at BrightStart Winter Garden had a simple outing Friday – the play area and great weather. We’re sharing some of their fun in an appropriately small photo gallery – enjoy!
March 23 Rolling Out The Good Times in Sanford
We’re bringing you intermittent reports from Spring Break this year – this time, checking in with BrightStart Sanford again as they staged a full invasion at Airport Lanes in Sanford. We’ll spare you all the bowling puns here and get to the photo gallery … Oh, never mind about the puns. Thanks to our friends…
March 9 Field Trip: Green Meadows Petting Farm
BrightStart Orlando patients got a jump on Spring Break with a field trip to one of our annual favorites: the Green Meadows Petting Farm in Kissimmee! Many thanks to our dedicated and terrific BrightStart staff, who wrangled this wild bunch for a fun and safe day. BrightStart also thanks our truly outstanding Green Meadows tour…
January 20 New Year’s Play at BrightStart
Yes, it’s the middle of January and our ears are still ringing from all the madness of the Christmas and New Year celebrations. The BrightStart sun shines on, and while we’re busy working on the next exciting thing to share with you here on our site, here is a quick look at a few moments…

2016

December 20 One Last Stop: Santa at BrightStart Sanford!
In the final leg of a holiday victory lap, Santa Claus visited BrightStart Sanford on Tuesday, delivering plenty of Christmas joy and gifts! This very special pre-Christmas Eve visit included members of the Valencia Elves Union Local 1800 (VEU 1800). Santa was able to spend time visiting with BrightStart patients, families and staff, answering questions…
December 19 Big Fun: Santa at BrightStart Orlando!
BrightStart is on the “good” list! Late last week we got confirmation that Santa Claus would make a pre-Christmas Eve stop at BrightStart Orlando, and it was some kind of holiday party when he showed up Monday! Joined by a group elves from Valencia College, Father Christmas himself arrived at the Orlando center and spent…
December 15 Holiday Surprise: Santa at BrightStart Winter Garden!
BrightStart Winter Garden is having its very first holiday celebration this year, and things got a real boost with a visit from Old Saint Nick – Santa Claus!With Christmas Eve still more than a week away, this surprise visit was a real treat for BrightStart patients, families and staff. Santa’s North Pole Headquarters sent word…
November 8 We Are BrightStart Pediatrics
How often do you hear or see something that begins with: We are … ? We. We. We. As often as you hear and see that, do you know who “we” are? We are the most unique PPEC provider in central Florida, serving medically fragile infants and children, in facilities and settings customized to the…
October 31 Boo! BrightStart in Winter Garden!
BrightStart Winter Garden took to the streets of downtown for our very first Trick or Treat on the west side! Led by Rainbow Dash (who resembles Joann), our fun little bunch brought even more sunshine to a perfect Monday. You get it all here – mermaids who don’t like their wig, mobile nursing, momentary melt-downs,…
October 28 BrightStart Orlando Scares Up Fun
BrightStart Pediatrics has so much nursing, therapy and love to go around that we moved the Orlando Trick or Treat celebration ahead a few days. Your treat: this awesome photo gallery! The party this year was a change of pace; trick or treat stations were set up inside the center, with each room having their…
October 18 Little Pumpkins at the Pumpkin Patch
BrightStart Sanford patients showed their fall colors with a visit to the Pumpkin Patch at Lakeside Fellowship on Tuesday. While this is technically a fall celebration, it should be noted that the weather was more appropriate for a beach or poolside activity. However, the BrightStart gang had great fun with story time, learning about pumpkins,…
July 27 BrightStart’s Wet Wednesday
The BrightStart Orlando gang made a splash at the Bob Makinson Aquatic Center in Kissimmee on Wednesday. This is what summer is all about! If you couldn’t be there you missed whale of a good time, so we’re sharing this photo gallery to rub it in.
June 6 Make ‘m Smile 2016
It doesn’t matter how many people show up for the annual Make ‘m Smile event sponsored by Nathaniel’s Hope – it was about 40,000 last year, by the way – it’s a big fun day in the sun and we love getting to see all of our friends! BrightStart families past, present and future visited…
May 27 BrightStart’s Super Friday
Not just any Friday – it’s Super Friday! Now something of an annual tradition, superhero friends stop by to visit BrightStart Orlando on their way to the madness that is MegaCon at the Orange County Convention Center. (Future PPEC field trip? Yes, that is a good idea …) Our fantastic friends from the Guardians of…
May 4 May The Fourth Be With You
BrightStart Pediatrics celebrated May 4th with a little help from some friends! Why May 4th? Well, you may have heard about a little thing called Star Wars. May 4th is the day that celebrates Star Wars in all its cultural glory, providing the kids and staff at BrightStart with a good excuse for behaving like…
March 24 BrightStart Kids at Bear Creek Park
Whether they’re in school or not, sometimes the patients at BrightStart have to get out into the open and burn off some of that crazy kid-energy. The crew at BrightStart Orlando rounded up the wild young-ins and let them loose at Bear Creek Park on Thursday with this idea in mind. Okay, so they weren’t…
March 23 Noah’s Landing at BrightStart Sanford
A regular feature of Spring Break at BrightStart Sanford is a visit from our friends at Noah’s Landing, a mobile petting zoo. This opportunity for BrightStart patients to see and interact with a variety of animals is always a treat, especially to see who will be terrified by the tiny chicks and soft bunnies (it’s…
March 22 BrightStart Spring Break Gallery 2016
This is the “live from the scene” gallery, which we’ll be adding to through this week. In this gallery, you can enjoy mobile-phone quality photos and guess which staff members drink a lot of coffee. You’ll see a real grab-bag here – bounce house fun, bowling, a Burger King takeover, music therapy (awesome seats for…
March 17 BrightStart Spring Break 2016 teaser
BrightStart’s Spring Break 2016 activities are right around the corner, which is where our camera captured some of the Sanford gang in dress rehearsal for being the coolest kids in town. It’s probably necessary to admit that our children do their own stunts, and they don’t actually drive… on camera.
March 16 BrightStart Spring Break 2016
That noise you hear is the party at BrightStart Pediatrics – because Spring Break 2016 is just around the corner! Next week the school-age patients (and a few daring toddlers) at BrightStart will participate unique and therapeutic activities … which is what they do just about every week. Spring Break is special because this year…
January 18 BrightStart Welcomes Guardians of Justice
BrightStart patients make terrific progress in our program of nursing, therapy and love. When it comes to “Fun Therapy” we sometimes bring in other experts from the field: Our friends at Guardians of Justice. What started out as fairly rainy, dull Friday was transformed into pure fun with the help of the dedicated members of…

2015

October 30 BrightStart Sanford Trunk or Treat!
Halloween in Florida – sunny and hot! Still, what better way to enjoy some trick or treat fun than great weather? While we have a few neighbors to visit at our BrightStart Sanford center, the candy crawling tradition is best served by a trunk or treat. This unleashes some serious costume and decoration fun! BrightStart would…
October 29 BrightStart Orlando Trick or Treat!
Once again, BrightStart is ahead of the game. Patients, families and staff at BrightStart Orlando brought Halloween in early (Thursday) and it was – you guessed it – sweet. We’ll let the pictures do the talking, but first, we have to thank our BrightStart staff … at least, we think that’s who some of these…
October 14 BrightStart Halloween 2015 trailer
That’s right – this is just the trailer. The whole BrightStart Halloween experience is coming soon, and keeping with our tradition of outrageous fun it’s sure to be a great time. Our Halloween is a kid-friendly costume frenzy that leads to … yes, you guessed it – lots of photos! But here’s something that’s really…
September 25 BrightStart’s O2B Kids Field Trip
Our regular regime of nursing, therapy and love was on the road again! While our BrightStart Sanford center is busy with a few housekeeping projects, it’s a perfect time for a field trip – or road trip, whichever you prefer. This time our gang went to Oviedo for some fun and interaction at O2B Kids…
September 3 BrightStart: A Free Range PPEC
Alright, maybe there is no such thing as a free range PPEC, but if there was, you better believe BrightStart would be at the top of the game. Now it is September, which, for newer arrivals in Central Florida, feels pretty much like mid-summer. However, when these children get their fill of nursing, therapy and…
August 18 BrightStart: Off The Deep End
This is how the cool kids stay cool at BrightStart Pediatrics – with super-fun field trips to the aquatic center! Our Room Four gang made a splash at Denn John Park in Kissimmee on what is probably our last field trip of the summer, with school starting up next week. There are a few “graduates” in…
July 23 Color Us Happy!
It’s always the summer of fun at BrightStart Pediatrics – just take a look at the Orlando gang on their latest field trip. The Crayola Experience at the Florida Mall is an enormous attraction that’s all about the staple of kid-life, the Crayola Crayon. Even in a very full day, the group barely got to…
June 8 BrightStart at Make ‘m Smile 2015
Did we see you there? BrightStart staff and families were out for a busy day on Saturday at the Make ‘m Smile event sponsored by Nathaniel’s Hope. This annual event draws thousands of participants and lots of smiles … which is kind of the idea. We got to spend time with so many of our…
April 10 Bam! Superheroes at BrightStart!
It’s become a tradition now – some very super friends drop in at the Orlando center every spring on their way to the MegaCon event at the Orange County Convention Center. BrightStart has been fortunate enough to have these busy heroes visit at other times during the year – meaning some BrightStart kids are thrilled,…
March 25 BrightStart Orlando Bowling Field Trip!
BrightStart Orlando took their turn at the lanes with a bowling field trip on Wednesday. A very big thank you goes out to our friends at Orange Bowl Lanes in Kissimmee. If you’d like to know more about them, click here. Meanwhile, here’s our latest photo gallery – enjoy!
March 23 Spring Break – Orlando Style
Spring Break 2015 just got started for the patients at BrightStart Orlando, and they kicked things off with lots of noise and trip to the neighborhood Chick-Fil-A. Almost everyone enjoyed chicken and waffle fries (and some waffle eyes) before conquering the indoor playground, the temperature of which could best be described as arctic! There’s still…
March 19 BrightStart Sanford Knocks Them Over
Some of the BrightStart Sanford crew made Thursday a big bowling day, and we can’t help but show off. Special thanks to our BrightStart families who were able to join us! Also, a very big thank you to our friends at Airport Lanes in Sanford. We recommend the pizza and the bowling, and you can…
March 18 Petting Zoo at BrightStart Sanford
BrightStart Sanford welcomed back a spring break tradition on Wednesday – our friends from Noah’s Landing Petting Zoo. Perfect weather and lots of smiles were plentiful. There were a few not-so-excited spring breakers, just to round things out. Enjoy our latest photo gallery! For more information about Noah’s Landing Petting Zoo, click here for a…