---
title: "Lightbridge Academy Looks to Expand in Virginia and Washington, D.C. Area; Exhibiting at The Franchise Show on April 6th and 7th"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/420946bb-ca1e-41db-942f-ab8faa7b0427
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/lightbridge-academy-looks-to-expand-in-virginia-and-washington-dc-area-exhibiting-at-the-franchise-show-on-april-6th-and-7th-2709638
category: "Childcare & early learning"
industry: "Education & Childcare"
segment: "Childcare & early learning"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit"]
published: 2019-04-04T21:16:02.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:30:41.485Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/9552a0a6f0d63398de43371d50e461595599.jpg
---

# Lightbridge Academy Looks to Expand in Virginia and Washington, D.C. Area; Exhibiting at The Franchise Show on April 6th and 7th

**TL;DR:** Lightbridge Academy is expanding in Virginia and the Washington, D.C. area, and will meet with prospective franchisees at The Franchise Show. The brand is seeking to establish a presence in various cities and counties in the region, including Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Fairfax.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2019-04-04. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/lightbridge-academy-looks-to-expand-in-virginia-and-washington-dc-area-exhibiting-at-the-franchise-show-on-april-6th-and-7th-2709638).*

## Story

Inspired by the success of its Virginia Beach, Virginia center, early education and child care franchise Lightbridge Academy is pursuing further development throughout Virginia and the greater Washington, D.C. area. To jumpstart their expansion plans, Lightbridge Academy will be meeting with prospective franchisees at The Franchise Show in Virginia at the Dulles Expo Center on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7.

The brand has already established a presence in the state—with a Virginia Beach location that opened in April 2018—and is ready to extend its reach throughout the state. Lightbridge Academy is focused on growing into areas concentric to its Virginia Beach center, including the cities of Norfolk and Chesapeake; the brand is also looking to bring centers to the Richmond metro area throughout Henrico and Chesterfield counties.

As for the Washington, D.C. area in particular, Lightbridge Academy is seeking to establish a presence in the Virginia counties of Fairfax, Loudon and Prince William, as well as the Maryland counties of Frederick and Montgomery. The diverse demographics, above average household incomes and abundance of dual income families filling densely-populated residential areas create a strong fit with the brands profile. Lightbridge Academy’s unique brand of quality, whole child curriculum and extended day child care is in high demand with the growing number of working parents.

“We are confident that Virginia possess strong markets prime for expansion and are looking for franchisees that can be successful bring our child care concept into a new market much like our Virginia Beach franchisees Neil and Jane Yaeger,” said Chief Development Officer Mark Mele, who will be on hand at The Franchise Show discussing the brand’s franchise opportunity with potential owners. “Expanding in Virginia and breaking into the Washington, D.C.

market are important next steps for us as we continue growing in partnership with passionate franchisees looking to make a difference in communities across the Mid-Atlantic region.”

Mele and other Lightbridge Academy representatives will be on hand at the Dulles Expo Center to provide more details on the brand’s franchise opportunity and answer questions about its large-scale development plans in the state of Virginia and Washington, D.C.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- unit expansion (topic)
- Education & Childcare (sector)
- Virginia (location)
- education (topic)
- Lightbridge Academy (company)
- Washington, D.C. (location)
- child care (topic)
- Mark Mele (person)
- franchise show (topic)
- The Franchise Show (regulator)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/lightbridge-academy-looks-to-expand-in-virginia-and-washington-dc-area-exhibiting-at-the-franchise-show-on-april-6th-and-7th-2709638). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/420946bb-ca1e-41db-942f-ab8faa7b0427).