--- title: "Lightbridge Academy® Breaks Ground on a New Center in Katy, Texas; Kicks Off Further Expansion in Houston" url: https://burnaze.com/article/72633454-2dc9-4da1-8683-2a5aa455813a source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/lightbridge-academy-breaks-ground-on-a-new-center-in-katy-texas-kicks-off-further-expansion-in-houston-2721967 category: "Childcare & early learning" industry: "Education & Childcare" segment: "Childcare & early learning" topics: ["Development & multi-unit"] published: 2023-04-12T13:08:00.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T02:09:39.805Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/5440b0b9dc69478b81ea711a84da00fd2524.jpg --- # Lightbridge Academy® Breaks Ground on a New Center in Katy, Texas; Kicks Off Further Expansion in Houston **TL;DR:** Lightbridge Academy broke ground on a new center in Katy, Texas, and is expanding in Houston with five units signed in the past six months. The brand aims to reach 150 centers by 2025. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2023-04-12. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/lightbridge-academy-breaks-ground-on-a-new-center-in-katy-texas-kicks-off-further-expansion-in-houston-2721967).* ## Key facts - Lightbridge Academy aims to reach 150 centers by 2025 - Houston's population is growing at 0.88% annually - The brand is expanding into Cypress, The Woodlands, and other Texas markets ## Story **ISELIN, NJ –** Lightbridge Academy®, the fast-growing early childhood education and child care franchise, is on track to reach 150 centers by 2025 and has identified several markets across the country as primed for the concept. In the past 6 months, the team signed five units in two development deals in the greater Houston area. Now, Lightbridge Academy has secured a lease for the first new center, which will be located at 1711 Spring Green Blvd. Ste 900 in Katy, Texas, and is expected to open in summer 2023. “Houston is the perfect growth market for Lightbridge Academy as more and more young families continue to move to the area from other states,” said Jim DiRugeris, Senior Vice President of Franchise Sales. “We are very excited to enter the market and serve these Houstonian families.” The population of Houston is currently growing at a rate of 0.88% annually and has increased by 1.40% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 2,313,238 in 2020. The number of children under the age of five has also increased in the area, with home construction booming as more and more families move into the suburbs and need child care. With its expansion into Texas, Lightbridge Academy is filling a need for high quality child care, as nearly two-thirds of the nation’s working families are already having trouble finding child care, according to the research and advocacy organization Children at Risk. Lightbridge Academy is a leader in the child care industry. The franchise brand is popular among parents for providing high quality educational programs, as well as our cutting-edge technology which supports the needs of busy working families. ## Technology and services “We utilize industry-leading technology to create a more secure and healthier learning environment and a deeper connection between home and school. One of the services we offer is the ParentView® internet monitoring system, and along with an e-Communication app, we provide a real-time and ongoing connection for families,” said DiRugeris. “With center-wide air purification and filtration and facial recognition security systems, we set the Gold Standard for health and safety in the child care industry along with the high-quality educational child care program that families expect.” Looking ahead, in addition to Katy, the brand is focusing on establishing a presence in the flourishing markets of Cypress, The Woodlands, Atascocita and Pearland. When it comes to finding the right real estate, Lightbridge Academy utilizes a customized technology platform and analytic modeling to perform extensive research. The proactive approach to market planning and site selection has helped identify prime areas like Katy to locate centers. ## Market expansion plans “With 25 years of child care operations and 10 of those years in franchising, Lightbridge Academy is highly experienced in expanding into major markets like Houston,” DiRugeris said. “We are thrilled to start the process of building our first center in the area and are looking forward to teaming up with passionate and qualified entrepreneurs eager to become The Solution for Working Parents® in the communities they serve.” Established in 1997, the company was founded as a family business based on core values and a Circle of Care philosophy that places equal importance on the needs of children, their families, teachers, center owners and the community. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, Lightbridge Academy provides quality early education and child care programs to children aged six weeks through kindergarten. The company currently has over 140 child care centers either open or in development throughout Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. In response to COVID-19, Lightbridge Academy launched The Lightbridge Promise as the Gold Standard for health & safety in the child care industry. In 2020, the company was featured on the Inc. 5000 ranking, Franchise Times Top 200+ awards, and on Newsweek’s 2021 list of America’s Best Customer Service. For the 2nd year in a row, Lightbridge Academy was on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies. In 2023, Lightbridge Academy was featured for the 9th year on Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500. ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - unit expansion (topic) - franchise development (topic) - Education & Childcare (sector) - texas (location) - houston (location) - market growth (topic) - texas expansion (topic) - child care industry (topic) - Katy (location) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/lightbridge-academy-breaks-ground-on-a-new-center-in-katy-texas-kicks-off-further-expansion-in-houston-2721967). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/72633454-2dc9-4da1-8683-2a5aa455813a).