Mission Statement

Bright Might Academy stands for the potential that lives within every child. We nurture and develop that potential through providing active learning environments that give each child the opportunity to explore, move, visualize, and communicate while maintaining their independence and supporting their joy of discover.

How Did Bright Mind Academy Begin?

Bright Mind Academy was born from the simple desire of one mother to communicate more effectively with her daughter. Jennifer Lloyd conceived of Bright Mind Academy after teaching herself basic American Sign Language (ASL) in order to communicate with her daughter, Makayla, before she was of speaking age. From earlier exposure to parents who signed with their hearing children, Jennifer knew that it was possible to communicate with even very young children before they were able to make the basic sounds that formulate language. Jennifer set to the task and began teaching both herself and Makayla ASL. But the road was somewhat rocky in that there were few resources from which to draw and no Formerly established in 2008, Bright Mind Academy (BMA) became the reality of Jennifer Lloyd’s vision to bring together a comprehensive array of classes and resources to support other families in enriching the lives of their children through signing and music. BMA offers a number of different options from enrichment classes in institutional childcare programs to private lessons.

Who We Are:

Bright Mind Academy is a team of socially conscious partners who are dedicated to enhancing the lives of the children in our community. We are locally focused and conscious of the differing needs of each community with in which we work.

American Sign Language for Infants
Our world is one of constant communication. Emails, telephone calls, television shows, and the internet keeps us plugged-in to this ceaseless connectivity. To a certain degree, we become immune to the chattering noise. Then the world splits open - a six month old child signs for “more” and her mother is able to fill that desire; a toddler discovers uncharted territory on wobbly legs and shares his journey along the way! For these young explorers, knowledge is a tactile experience discovered by physically interacting with the world around them. Their capacity for expression is hindered by the lack of verbal communication readiness; however, this hurdle can be quickly overcome by learning American Sign Language (ASL), the 3rd most used language in the United States. Prior to developing verbal speech, infants can initiate conversation, express interest, and even convey pain. The most beautiful awe-inspiring aspect of infant signing is the relationship that is nurtured. The guessing game and frustration are replaced with the comfort of being understood - truly being heard.
Benefits of ASL
Extensive research has been dedicated to studying the potentialities of cultivating ASL in infancy. Initial questions of arresting verbal development have been denounced, replaced by overwhelmingly powerful support of the far-reaching benefits. ASL enhances the ability to establish spoken language, including significantly increasing verbal recall and vocabulary retention due primarily to the use of multiple intelligences (sight, touch, sound, movement). Hearing children secure a bilingual foundation that imprints early educational concepts such as ABC’s and other reoccurring themes that have been linked to increased IQ scores. The visual component paired with the verbal expression maximizes use of both left and right brain hemispheres which highly impacts the speed and level at which communication skills are acquired.
Other benefits of ASL include:
- Invaluable tool for hearing children of all ages
- Research-backed increase in communication efficiency and effectiveness.
- Reinforces established language skills
- Empowers spatial reasoning development
- Facilitates emotional intelligence and awareness
- Jump starts early literacy skills
- Enriches and enhances parent/child bond
Bright Mind Academy
Bright Mind Academy lets children shine by giving them the tools of expression and meaning. Offerings include enrichment programs in child care centers, play classes for both children and caregiver, and individual instruction. Jennifer Lloyd, mother and founder of Bright Mind Academy, guides the process with passion, perseverance, and personal experience.
Let Bright Mind ignite creativity, extinguish frustration, and illuminate the inner world of your infant.
Hand-in-hand, the journey begins. Hold on tight - it will be amazing!

Bright Mind Academy was founded on the belief that children are eager to learn and that creating a fun, interactive learning environment is the key to success. Full immersion Spanish classes utilize songs, games and props to encourage participation and to stimulate learning while engaging children in fun activities.

Benefits of Spanish

In today’s global village, language is a means of bridging diversity and uniting people around the world. Experts agree that this exploration begins best in preschool when the mind is ripe for blossoming and is capable of assimilating large expanses of information. At this stage, the brain is highly readied for learning and is able to compartmentalize each language without confusion; as such, the structure, grammar, and vocabulary of English are actually enhanced when learning a second language.
Spanish is the second most widely used language in the United States. Your child has the opportunity to ignite international communication skills by engaging in bilingual education which includes the following benefits:

When children learn a second language at an early age, they achieve a more native grasp of both grammar and pronunciation in the second language.
Research links second language with higher standardized test scores in vocabulary, given the background and root-base of English in the romantic languages (Spanish, French, and Italian).
Bilingual people are better prepared for success in a global economy.
The earlier a child is exposed to a language, the more likely they will become proficient in the language; similarly, these children then have an easier time learning other foreign languages.
Experts say that learning a second language before the age of ten allows the child to learn on a parallel path as opposed to “translating” words from their native language – this eases and concretes the process.

Give your child the gift of communication, diversity, and empowerment through foreign language.
Let the world open before their eyes by embracing education.

Child Care Centers

Childcare is more than mere babysitting. Your early education center provides a solid foundation for learning and growth. Your parents trust your expertise, relying on your ability to protect and nurture their children on a mental, physical, and emotional level. Working with infants and toddlers can prove especially challenging at times due mainly to the barrier of communication. However, this does not have to be the case. Instead, by partnering with Bright Mind Academy, your staff, parents, and children can all benefit from the incredible gift of American Sign Language (ASL), effectively bridging this gap. For those understanding the importance of multilingual capabilities in the global village, Spanish is an exceptional choice to empowered expression and early learning strategies.
As a daycare provider, you are advantageously poised to gain from many directions. Your staff will quickly feel the relief of understanding which translates into fewer tantrums, less guessing, quieter surroundings, and more fun! Working with large groups of children can be taxing; however, ASL brings serenity, self-esteem, and expression into the rooms, soothing the chaos and encouraging interaction. Simply put, the environment is less stressful for all. The new world is one of many languages and nationalities; as such, Spanish lessons foster an expedited learning adventure, as phonetic pathways are jumpstarted for learning. This connectivity means profitability. Parents can relax, knowing that their children are being nourished and nurtured in such a compassionate, innovative atmosphere. By choosing your daycare center, parents invest in their child’s intellectual, social, and emotional future.
ASL is all-inclusive! Infants as young as 5 months can fast track to success. Older speaking children are deeply rewarded by the use of sign language, especially in relation to reading, comprehension, vocabulary, and dual-hemisphere brain functionality. Not to mention that ASL is actually the third most widely used language in the United States! Guess what? Spanish is the second!
The Spanish language advantage cannot be understated. Between the ages of two and three, the brain is primed for linguistic accumulation; therefore, researchers suggest that second languages are most easily learned at this development stage. Furthermore, the simultaneous learning of English and Spanish acts to deepen fluency and vocabulary in both languages! Parents worry about their children’s futures but you can help ease this uncertainty by providing exceptional learning environments with real world applications.
The only questions remaining are why your organization has not included ASL and Spanish enrichment programs before and when will the adventure begin?
The answer is now. The answer is Bright Mind Academy and Jennifer Lloyd’s stellar ensemble of educational professionals - each of whom is trained and dedicated to the platform of interactive play. This high-energy, high-results program offers amazing connections for early learners who are learning to see, speak, and express new worlds. Bright Mind Academy miracle workers are proud to bring their expertise and experience to your organization. Teacher training is also available. Work becomes play, understanding, and community. There is absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain from partnering with Bright Mind Academy.
Call today to schedule a consultation with Jennifer Lloyd.
Hand and heart, we change the world, one child at a time.

Working with Bright Mind Academy to implement sign language classes for the children in our center was nothing short of wonderful. A consummate professional, Jennifer Lloyd was incredibly flexible with us in setting up trial classes so that parents could get a feel for the program before fully committing to participation, as well as scheduling two different classes so as to accommodate the different ages of the children involved. Not only did the children clearly benefit from the program - the speed at which they learned and began to use the signs was just amazing - but as many parents had expressed interest in their children leaning sign language, having the program in place increased the attractiveness of our center in general. Based on my experiences, I wholeheartedly recommend Bright Mind Academy and the ASL program for use in any child development center as a way to both increase community interest in the center and, more importantly, to provide a top notch enrichment program that children truly love and are actively involved in!

Kate Stotish

After trying several disappointing programs, I hired Jennifer Lloyd of Bright Mind Academy to provide Spanish and American Sign Language instruction to the children at the childcare center where I was the director. Jennifer not only provided top quality language instruction to children ranging in ages from 6 months to 5 years old, but provided excellent customer service to the tuition paying parents as well. Each week, parents were provided with lessons for their personal use and for home reinforcement. Additionally, each lesson was developmentally tailored for the children at their level of learning. She provided interactive lessons that were fun and actually made a difference in the children's language learning. My own children participated in her ASL and Spanish programs, and I was a satisfied customer from the perspective of a parent AND a child care provider. I would recommend Bright Mind Academy to any childcare administrator who is looking to enrich the learning and experiences of the children at his or her center.

Erin Baker, M.S.Ed. former director, NAEYC-accredited early childhood center

Everytime I see Jennifer I'm amazed at her ability to capture all the kids’ attention for so long because as we know, it's not easy to do! She's fabulous!

Kelly Kroger Alexandria, VA.

With her bubbles, puppets, books and music, Miss Jennifer has an almost magical ability to enthrall even the rowdiest group of toddlers. Week after week, she engaged our children individually and as a group, getting them to prance like zebras, gallop like horses and stretch like giraffes. My daughter and her friends squealed with laughter every class as they made dozens of stuffed monkeys bounce on a parachute as part of Miss Jennifer's telling of "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed."

Ann Sargent Washington, D.C.

Our son Jack looks so forward to music class. He has been enrolled for over a year now (he is 2) and he seems to grow and learn something new with each class; although his favourite has always been, and remains, “rolly polly”. Jack is a very fun and energetic boy and I attribute a lot of that to Jennifer’s music class.

Dunniela Kaufman Levin (mom of Jack, 2)

My two boys are in Jennifer’s signing class at their child care center. They LOVE it and always report back to me and demo what they've learned. Then they make up some crazy signs for things and double over laughing at how funny they are.
They do truly love it - Ryan this morning was pouting about something and when I reminded him that he has sign language today and that I hope he'll teach me something when I pick him up, he got a big smile on his face and carried on in a good mood.
Thank you VERY much. It has been a lot of fun learning new signs and my parents even are tuning in now.

Jill Power Alexandria, VA

I have been taking my 15 month old son, Dean, to Jennifer's signing class and I highly recommend this class. My son has learned so many signs and its so exciting to watch him to communicate to others. Dean loves signing for his favorite items (ie dog, light and music). He is also trying to say the word as he is signing as well - his first word was light!
Jennifer is a fabulous instructor. She loves working with babies and toddlers and it shows! She is very energetic, patient and provides useful information and tips.
We have been enrolled in this class for the past 9 months and we look forward for the next 9 months of class!

Susan Spence Washington, D.C.

I can't say enough about Jennifer and her wonderful classes. Our older daughter Nora learned close to 100 signs by taking Jennifer's signing classes from when she was 10 -14 months old. It was wonderful for us to be able to communicate with Nora through signs when she was very young, plus we believe that the signs helped her verbal skills develop more quickly because she appreciated the benefits of being able to communicate and could often explain what she was trying to say by using signs. After taking several sessions of signing classes, Nora began taking Jennifer's Kindermusik classes, which she also adored. Jennifer is absolutely wonderful with children of all ages, and is very creative in coming up with fun ideas for the classes. Each class is different and fun, and Jennifer is able to captivate the children with her enthusiasm and energy. We are now back in Jennifer's classes with our younger daughter Lila!

Kelly and Paul Sherman Washington, DC

I can't begin to tell you what an important part Jennifer has played in our daughter's development. We brought Audrey home from Vietnam when she was 13 months old - so language acquisition was one of our biggest concerns. We've been going to signing and music classes ever since. Today at 25 months Audrey is talking and signing up a storm - right where she should be. Jennifer was a partner in my work to bring Audrey up to to speed - she gave me the tools and support I needed and I couldn't have done it without her. We love Jennifer - she's part of our family!

Linda Neuman Washington, DC

Our son absolutely loved the Spanish class offered as an enrichment program in his preschool. We had initially decided not to enroll him in it, because there is only so much enrichment anyone can take, right? But every time Jennifer came to work with the group, he was magically, magnetically drawn to them and mooched his way into the class. It is a testament to Jennifer’s outstanding skills, and her rapport with kids. She is also generous of spirit, and allowed him to participate for weeks, until we finally decided we’d been free loaders long enough. Nothing made him happier last year than finding out that he’d be able to join his friends from school and do this class every week. Our son is already growing up bilingually because of us (his parents), and he easily took to Spanish as a third language. He often asks us: How do say x in Spanish? And if we don’t know the answer, he will now make up a word. This goes to show how language instruction not only furthers development of verbal skills, but it enables kids to use their imagination in new ways. We will miss Jennifer’s Spanish class!

Regina Werum

Jennifer is amazing! Her enthusiasm for teaching and genuine love for the kids is remarkable. We started signing class with when my oldest son was 9 months old and both Henry and I loved it from the beginning. It absolutely helped with his early communication and we credit signing with his strong verbal skills. We loved getting to know what he was interested in before he could verbally express it and I feel that connection really helped strengthen our bond. We are now taking class with our younger son who at 8.5 months already has three signs! Thank you, Jennifer!

Emily Greif

"Our daughter, now 28 months old, has been attending sign language classes with Jennifer Lloyd (Bright Mind Academy) since she was 8 months old. We have found the experience to be invaluable. While it took a few months for our daughter to begin signing back to us, it’s clear in hindsight that she was learning even in those first few months before she started responding. Now at age 2 she’s extremely verbal but still uses her signs to help us understand her from time to time. But maybe the most remarkable benefit that we see today is that she’s got a full command of the alphabet in sign language form even though she can only recognize maybe 80% of the letters in written form. When she’s having trouble with a letter we can show her the sign and she immediately gets it. We have no doubt that this will help her become an early reader and open up the world of language in ways that would never had been possible had we not given her the gift of signing at such an early age."

Hillary Chapman

I enrolled my son, Ike, in sign language classes offered by Bright Mind Academy’s, Ms. Jennifer Lloyd at our daycare center when he was six months old. In just a few months, before he could verbally tell me what he wanted, he was able to sign. He learned the signs for “more,” “all done,” and “again,” as most babies who learn sign language do. But the beauty of Ms. Jennifer’s class is that she teaches much more. Ike was signing “please,” “thank you,” “bear,” “dog,” “red” and many more words. Ms. Jennifer’s lessons revolve around books and themes, therefore she is able to teach both the sign and the context of the words. Because he is able to more fully say what he wants or observes by including signing, there has been less frustration in our communication. I believe this helped more fully develop Ike’s verbal skills and cognition.
I have also had the opportunity to attend sign language class with my son, learning along with him so that we can communicate in sign language together. I regularly recommend Ms. Lloyd’s class to other parents at our daycare center. She is an excellent teacher who cares for each student and encourages his or her learning. Seeing Ike’s progress in sign language and verbal speech is proof that sign language is enriching his education.

Amy Johnson Burke, VA

"Going to Jennifer's music class has been a highlight of our week for two years. Watching our daughters grow so much through music has been a pleasure as well as giving her a first taste of group learning. Jennifer has a unique ability to understand each child and the flexibility to change her class to meet the needs of the moment so everyone leaves with a smile on their face and a hug for the teacher. Classes with Jennifer are informal, personal and just very very fun."

Ciara, mother of Elena (3) and LouLou (1.5years)

We had the pleasure of enrolling in one of Jennifer's first sign language classes. From the very first class, it was obvious that Jennifer was not only passionate about teaching but also very skilled at connecting with young children. Thanks to Jennifer's dedication and commitment our daughter was able to communicate with us by the time of her first birthday. The language development our daughter obtained in Jennifer's classes continues to amaze us.

Amy and Jeremy Sheridan

"Luciana loves signing! We went to the zoo this weekend and as soon as she saw the elephant she threw her arm in front of her face (a little exaggerated, I know) and made an elephant sound. When we saw any primates, she scratched under her arms and "oo oo ah ah'd." The other evening we were walking to a restaurant and Luciana exclaimed, "Ba! Ba!" We turned to her and she was waving her fists in front of herself excitedly. She had spotted a bike a block away. Without the sign we would have missed what she was trying to tell us -- it could have been bottle, baby, etc. Thanks so much for teaching at her child care centerl!"

Testimonial from Luciana's Mom. Luciana is 15 months old.

Mission Statement

How Did Bright Mind Academy Begin?

Who We Are:

Benefits of Spanish

Give your child the gift of communication, diversity, and empowerment through foreign language.
Let the world open before their eyes by embracing education.

Child Care Centers

Everytime I see Jennifer I'm amazed at her ability to capture all the kids’ attention for so long because as we know, it's not easy to do! She's fabulous!

CONTACTS

SOCIAL NETWORK

NOTE:

Webmaster: contactbrigitte@gmail.com

Mission Statement

How Did Bright Mind Academy Begin?

Who We Are:

Benefits of Spanish

Give your child the gift of communication, diversity, and empowerment through foreign language.Let the world open before their eyes by embracing education.

Child Care Centers

Everytime I see Jennifer I'm amazed at her ability to capture all the kids’ attention for so long because as we know, it's not easy to do! She's fabulous!

CONTACTS

SOCIAL NETWORK

NOTE:

Webmaster: contactbrigitte@gmail.com

Give your child the gift of communication, diversity, and empowerment through foreign language.
Let the world open before their eyes by embracing education.