Bright Start provides comprehensive early intervention and case management services to individuals with special needs and developmental delays so that children, teenagers, and adults can achieve their greatest potential.
Founded on March 1, 1999, by Beth Bunge and Teri Todd, Bright Start was the first private company to offer Early Intervention services in South Carolina. Beginning with a staff of two serving the Columbia area, Bright Start has since grown to a staff of more than 100, serving families throughout the state.
Bright Start currently serves most counties in South Carolina, including the metro areas of Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, and Rock Hill.
Bright Start Early Intervention and Case Management services are available to all individuals who are BabyNet or Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN) eligible.
History of Bright Start
Beth and Teri each worked for the SC Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN) prior to starting Bright Start on March 1, 1999. They worked in Early Intervention Services and Quality Assurance. Beth has degrees in Early Childhood from Ohio State and Teri has her degree in Social Work from Winthrop. Utilizing their experience with young children and expertise with the EI system and the State Agencies, they joined together to start Bright Start, LLC, the FIRST private Early Intervention company in South Carolina. They opened their first office in a small restored home in downtown Columbia.
Beth and Teri had full caseloads in Richland and Lexington counties almost immediately, with referrals coming from BabyNet and DDSN. They enjoyed the swift rise to full-time early intervention and business owners but needed to hire another Early Interventionist soon after. Within the first few months, they hired 4 more EIs and have since grown to a large EI team of 67+ including supervisors, trainers, and a State Director, covering multiple counties throughout the state.
In 2001 they made a decision to expand services from the Early Intervention population of birth to 6, to serve individuals in need of Case Management. This was important to create a continuum of services for the Bright Start families. The Case Management team grew from 1 Case Manager in 2001 to 65+ Case Managers throughout the state today.
In 2011 they saw the need for Speech Therapy services and added the opportunity for families to choose Bright Start for their Speech needs. (We no longer provide Speech Therapy services)
In 2014-15 Bright Start hosted an amazing Leadership Academy. They accepted staff who were interviewed and awarded the chance to be part of the Leadership team. Those chosen staff members completed a 10-month of Leadership training to gain Leadership skills and learn how to improve themselves personally and professionally to enhance the Mission and Values of Bright Start. Because all staff is leaders, everyone at Bright Start completes the Leadership Academy and that program is the foundation of Bright Start’s culture.