Children can keep learning at home thanks to BANANAS’ partnership with Bright by Text!

Hey Alameda County! BANANAS announced it has teamed up with Bright by Text, a national parent texting program, to put expert tips, games and child development information directly into the hands of parents and caregivers. BANANAS is proud to offer a unique resource like Bright by Text as children are learning from home and families can’t access the services they need. The texting service includes topics like brain development, games and activities, health and wellness, STEM, safety and more. Bright by Text partners with experts like PBS, Vroom, Sesame Street, CDC, and others to develop content for families with children aged prenatal to age eight.

In addition to expert content , Bright by Text includes messages about information and resources specific to the Alameda County community, like digital library resources, food pantries, and preschool open enrollment periods. Community organizations will submit the latest information about services and resources.

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 even video content to guide a child’s development. The program is proven to build nurturing caregiver-child relationships, and positively impact a child’s healthy development and school readiness. Innovative services like Bright by Text will help provide equitable solutions to early education while schools remain closed. Parents and caregivers can feel assured that they are receiving important local announcements and information in Alameda County thanks to BANANAS and its partners.

To sign up, parents and caregivers with children under 8 can text the word [BANANAS] to 274448*. They will receive 2 to 4 text messages per week, and each message includes a link to a landing page with more detail, short modeling videos, and links to related resources.