Newton — Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. is going the college route.
The Watertown company known for its corporate child-care centers and employer-sponsored early education programs has added a new service: college admissions support.
Bright Horizons yesterday announced the additional "work/life" benefit that came with its recent acquisition of Newton-based College Coach. Financial terms of the Aug. 31 cash deal were not disclosed.
College Coach, founded in 1998 by Stephen Kramer and Michael London, offers workshops and one-on-one counseling designed to help employees and their children through the "stressful and time-consuming process" of applying to college.
"It’s very much in line with what we do," said Bright Horizons spokeswoman Ilene Serpa. "College Coach offers their service to companies much like we offer day care and early education services."
The so-called work/life benefits, aimed at retaining employees and improving productivity, are often subsidized by companies, Serpa said.
Staples Inc., for example, helps cover the costs of a day-care center that Bright Horizons operates outside the office supply company’s headquarters in Framingham. The center is open to Staples workers and the general public.
Past College Coach clients include IBM Corp., Genzyme Corp., Cisco Systems Inc. and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. College Coach has annualized revenues of about $6 million, according to Bright Horizons, which collected $625 million in revenues last year.
Kramer and London will remain in charge of College Coach, which will operate in Newton as a subsidiary of Bright Horizons. No layoffs are expected among the staff of about 50 at College Coach, Serpa said.
Bright Horizons operates more than 600 day-care centers, mostly in the United States. The company first expanded beyond child care services in July with the launch of a backup elder-care service that employers can offer to their workers.
Bright Horizons shares closed at $40.05, up 9 cents, yesterday on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
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