Our health benefits can help you and your family thrive, both physically and emotionally.
Our financial planning resources are designed to support your short and long-term goals.
Our work/life offerings enable you to be your best, inside and outside of the workplace.
Our compensation programs reward you for making the impossible, possible.
For many, August can signal the end of summer fun and the exciting start of back-to-school activities. If you have a student in your household, you may already be brainstorming strategies to help prepare them for the year ahead. Benefits like College Coach and tutoring through Bright Horizons provide educational offerings and resources that can support students through their elementary, middle and high school years. Continue reading to discover how our employees and their students are using these programs.
Hiran Tennakoon, a staff engineer in transformational computing, is using College Coach to ensure his son is ready for the next steps in his academic journey. “My son just entered middle school, and we saw that this benefit was provided by Northrop Grumman and signed up for it,” Hiran said. After signing up on the Bright Horizons website, Hiran and his wife met with a college coach who provided a clear understanding of what classes their son should take as he proceeds through middle and high school. “The college coach said our son would need a certain number of years of a foreign language, a sports activity and other extracurricular activities that would help him stand out from the rest of the crowd when applying to colleges.”
Hundreds of Northrop Grumman families have used Bright Horizons to help them with their children's college search, applications and financial aid.
While the first two meetings focused on developing a personalized educational plan, Hiran said he plans to schedule a third meeting to discuss saving and paying for college. “I have been telling anyone I know who works at Northrop Grumman with middle and high school kids to use this free benefit.”
Lachelle Conway, a manager of human factors engineering and corporate technical fellow, admits she initially overlooked the Bright Horizons Back-up Care Advantage Program, which provides up to 10 unplanned/emergency back-up childcare sessions per year at a nominal fee. “It didn't meet my family's needs at the time,” Lachelle said. “However, I discovered that I could convert my back-up care sessions into tutoring hours for a small fee, which opened up fantastic opportunities for my family.”
“The program allows us to access personalized educational support tailored to each of my daughters' needs,” Lachelle said. For her sixth grader, Isabella, who aspires to be a pediatrician, the tutoring services have focused primarily on math. “Having consistent one-on-one access to a tutor significantly improved her grades and confidence and even helped her achieve honor roll status by raising her grade in math class,” she said.
Her first grader, Gabriella, who dreams of becoming a “rockstar ballerina scientist,” has received support in reading and time management. “Over the past year, Gabriella progressed from below grade level to tackling second-grade reading and spelling.”
Lachelle explained the tutoring has boosted both her daughters’ confidence and academic performance. “Without this benefit, affording high-quality tutoring would have been challenging,” Lachelle said. “The Bright Horizons benefit is a unique aspect of Northrop Grumman's Total Rewards program that truly supports families like mine and provides me with better work/life balance, knowing the kids receive structured support during my busy work week.”
To get started with College Coach or tutoring services, visit the Bright Horizons website.