Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc., the nation's largest provider of employer-sponsored child care will move its headquarters to the N2 Innovation District in late 2020.

The company will be consolidating 400 of its employees into 130,000 square feet to the recently renovated 2 Wells Ave. in Newton. Today its corporate teams are spread among five different locations including 4 in the Arsenal in Watertown and 1 on Needham Street in Newton.

Bright Horizons has repeatedly been named a top place to work by both the Boston Globe and the Boston Business Journal. It joins a growing roster of student-oriented innovation companies that have moved into the area, including Empow, Examity, CoachUp and the Russian School of Math.

“It’s our aim to make our new headquarters our home for the long-run,” said Ilene Sherpa, VP of Marketing with Bright Horizons."Our employee base has grown since the day we've been founded, so we've constantly had to change our office spaces. We wanted something that could accommodate us in one space with room to grow both in the short term and in the long term."

Sherpa said the employee experience is the primary reason Bright Horizons chose N-Squared over the 50 other locations around the Greater Boston area that executives considered,

Features that helped win the day for N-Squared included easy access to Route 128 via the new exit ramps on Kendrick Street, as well as nearby outdoor amenities like hiking and running trails along the Charles River.

The dining and shopping options on Needham Street also played a key role.

Employee needs will also take center stage during the design and building process as the architecture team at Gensler is already surveying the Bright Horizons team so they can design a space that fits their personality. Of course, Sherpa pointed out, they will have an amazing onsite daycare program.

Sherpa credited both Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and City Councilor Rick Lipof, with providing support in the move, as they both met with the team and rolled out the red carpet.

“Bright Horizons has consistently been ranked as one of the state’s best employers and we’re thrilled welcoming their employees to Newton and the N2 Innovation District,” said Chamber President Greg Reibman. “We congratulate to property owner Steven Sands and his team at the CCS Companies for making this happen and thank Mayor Fuller and Councilor Lipof for their efforts to bring Bright Horizons here.”

“I would like to express special thanks to Rick Lipof, who was instrumental to me from the very beginning,” said Sands, CCS’s president. “He graciously responded to numerous telephone calls, emails, and repeated questions from a first-time developer. I can honestly say, this project would not have happened without his support and encouragement. Furthermore, I am so thankful to Mayor Fuller and all those from the City of Newton that were involved. Also, special thanks to Bruce Levine, John Hennessey, and Hunter Emerson of Equity Industrial Partners, Jason Rosenberg of Rosenberg, Freedman, and Lee, and Jay Dacey, Brian Kidder, and Craig Ablondi of Integrated Builders for making the Two Wells vision a reality.”

In addition to child care, Bright Horizons also provides back-up child care and elder care, tuition program management, education advising, and student loan repayment programs.