Drop-In Care

Meals, diapers, wipes, formula, enrichments, field trips — It's ALL covered.

Field Trips Help Children Learn About Their City

Know What You're Paying Before You Commit

Most childcare centers won’t talk pricing until you’ve called, toured, and filled out paperwork. We think that’s backwards. You’re a busy parent making one of the most important decisions for your family — you shouldn’t have to jump through hoops just to get a straight answer.

We offer transparent, all-inclusive pricing for both full-time enrollment and flexible drop-in care. Every rate includes meals, snacks, diapers, wipes, formula, enrichments, and field trips. No hidden fees, no surprise charges.

Know What You're Paying Before You Commit

Most childcare centers won’t talk pricing until you’ve called, toured, and filled out paperwork. We think that’s backwards. You’re a busy parent making one of the most important decisions for your family — you shouldn’t have to jump through hoops just to get a straight answer.
We offer transparent, all-inclusive pricing for both full-time enrollment and flexible drop-in care. Every rate includes meals, snacks, diapers, wipes, formula, enrichments, and field trips. No hidden fees, no surprise charges.

Pricing

WEEKLY FULL-TIME RATES

Age Group

Weekly Rate

Infants (6 weeks–12 months)

$335

Toddlers (12–36 months)

$295

PreK (3–5 years, potty trained)

$250

School Age (K–8th Grade)

$195

Enrollment Fee

$50 per family

Sibling Discount

10% off your youngest child (not applicable with vouchers)

Tuition is paid in advance on Fridays. Late tuition fee: $10 per day
Flexible payments accepted, including AfterPay, CashApp, ApplePay, and credit cards.
No refunds for absences.

DROP-IN RATES

Book with just 30 minutes’ notice

Age Group

Hourly Rate

Full Day (8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Evening (6:00 pm – 10:00 pm)


Infants (6 weeks–12 months)

$12

$100

$65

Toddlers (12–36 months)

$10

$85

$55

Pre-K (3–5 years, potty trained)

$8

$70

$45

School Age (K–8th Grade)

$7

$60

$35

Drop-in care is subject to classroom availability and staffing ratios. A 
2-hour minimum booking applies.
Flexible payments accepted, including AfterPay, CashApp, ApplePay, and credit cards.
Payment is due at booking. No enrollment fee.

Ready to see our classrooms?

FAQs

Yes, Bright Beginnings offers convenient, flexible drop-in child care for families in South Bend. You can book the hours that work best for your schedule.

You can book up to 30 minutes in advance, as long as there’s space in the class.

Yes, there’s a two-hour minimum for hourly bookings.

No, no fees! All pricing is clear and transparent — no surprises!

Of course, we accept AfterPay, CashApp, ApplePay, and credit cards.

Book flexible drop-in care up to 30 minutes in advance by clicking here.

  • Extended childcare for night, early morning, or rotating shifts
  • Drop-in care for unpredictable schedules
  • All-inclusive pricing—meals, snacks, martial arts, tumble time, and field trips included
  • Subsidy-friendly—we accept CCDF, On My Way Pre-K, and other assistance
  • Live-streaming cameras and secure entry
  • Mission-driven team focused on every family’s success

Bright Beginnings is open Monday to Friday from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm.

Bright Beginnings’ preschool, daycare, and child care services are conveniently located for South Bend families, near Hwy 31, on Main Street in Downtown. We are 2.4 miles/9 minutes from Memorial Hospital, 3.5 miles/9 minutes from the University of Notre Dame, 1.5 miles/5 minutes from The County-City Building, 3.1 miles/8 minutes from Four Winds Casino, 2.4 miles/6 minutes from The South Bend Clinic, and 2.4 miles/6 minutes from Indiana University South Bend (IUSB).

As we make life easier for parents with flexible, extended-hours child care, we focus on the natural development of each individual child, while keeping their health and safety as our number one priority. For each classroom, we offer extended hours, healthy meals and snacks, outings, activities, a planned curriculum, and a consistent learning environment.

Infants – Choosing infant daycare in South Bend is a big decision, and Bright Beginnings treats your baby like part of the family. The classroom color for our infant room is blue, symbolizing trust, communication, and calmness. Our nurturing caregivers are handpicked for their natural ability to care for young infants and their passion for this age group. Our primary focus in the BBC nursery is to provide love, trust, and attention (cuddle time). We understand that every baby has their own unique schedule, and our experienced staff is trained to respond to these needs quickly and efficiently. We also understand that the transition from being a totally dependent newborn to becoming an active and responsive infant happens very quickly. We provide educational toys & activities to help stimulate the natural developmental process of a growing baby.

Toddler – Our toddler daycare in South Bend is designed for curious one- and two-year-olds who are ready to move, explore, and test new independence. Our caregivers will provide an equal balance of individual attention and group experiences to drive learning. Our toddler classrooms will promote cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and language development with a milestone-based curriculum. We give our toddlers plenty of opportunities to investigate, explore, and play in a safe, secure, yet stimulating environment. We work on developing each child’s skills, such as walking, responding to their name, drinking from a cup, eating from a spoon, and holding writing utensils.

Pre-K – The Pre-K program at Bright Beginnings prepares children ages 3–5 for kindergarten and beyond, making us a trusted choice for preschool daycare in South Bend. The curriculum in our Pre-K classroom is designed to build upon each child’s literacy and cognitive skill sets. We continue to focus on problem-solving, responsive listening, language usage, and social skills in preparation for a Kindergarten classroom environment. Lessons are also designed to stimulate imagination and creativity. We continue to work on counting, letters, and number recognition. This age group will also participate in plenty of outdoor playground time to develop climbing, sliding, and jumping motor skills.

In addition to our regular program activities, we offer structured extracurricular activities such as martial arts, tumble time gymnastic classes, field trips to local museums, the zoo, etc., and other positive experiences and activities that enrich the lives of the children that many of our families are unable to afford for their child(ren).

Message your child’s teachers directly and receive daily reports through your parent account at booking.wearebbc.com.

Diligent teachers routinely clean and sanitize all tools, toys, and high-touch surfaces throughout the day.

Yes, healthy meals and snacks are included in tuition at Bright Beginnings, so you know your child is nourished and energized for learning, and you have one less thing to think about.

You can! All classrooms at Bright Beginnings are connected to our internal security camera system, giving you a real-time glimpse at what they’re doing several times throughout the day.

Yes, we’re proud to support South Bend families by accepting subsidies via CCDF and On My Way Pre-K. Plus, we offer 10% off for your youngest child when you enroll siblings.