Bright Horizons Children's Centers LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Bright Horizons 401(k) Plan
Newton, MAHealth Care & Social Assistance17,995 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$338Employer $ per active participant
$1,849Employee $ saved per active participant
0.14%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$465.7MNet plan assets, end of year
$48,611Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity13.6 / 5027th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost7.8 / 2531th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.3 / 1529th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score26 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Health Care & Social Assistance plans with 10,000+ active participants (115 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 27th |
| Lower admin cost | 31th |
| Employee saving | 29th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 52% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $744,062 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Bright Horizons Children's Centers put in about $338 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,086). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Direct plan expenses (0.14% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.09%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $6,087,862 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $33,269,044 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $3,198,636 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $597,570 |
| Benefits paid out | $37,760,131 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $410.2M / $465.7M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 17,032 / 18,958 |
| Participants with account balances | 9,581 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Gray, Gray & Gray LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $597,569 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251010204616NAL0004496771001, received 2025-10-10, EIN 04-2949680, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.