--- title: "Children’s Lighthouse Celebrates 25 Years in Business" url: https://burnaze.com/article/7699febe-4351-4cab-a423-eacb5173b984 source: "Franchising.com" original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20220517_childrens_lighthouse_celebrates_25_years_in_business.html category: "Education & Childcare" industry: "Education & Childcare" published: 2022-05-17T12:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T02:09:47.771Z image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1450101499163-c8848c66ca85?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop --- # Children’s Lighthouse Celebrates 25 Years in Business **TL;DR:** Children's Lighthouse, founded 25 years ago by brothers Mike and Pat Brown, has honored its founders with the creation of the Founders Award at its annual conference. The award was presented to Varun and Navi Sharma, owners of Children's Lighthouse of Arlington-Viridian and Little Elm in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. *originally published in Franchising.com on 2022-05-17. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20220517_childrens_lighthouse_celebrates_25_years_in_business.html).* ## Story The premier early learning school was founded 25 years ago in 1997 by brothers Mike and Pat Brown. As fathers themselves, the Browns chose to start Children’s Lighthouse because they saw a need for a quality childcare provider that offered more than just playtime for kids. When Children’s Lighthouse first opened, it was one of the first early learning schools that made promoting character values like passion, integrity and excellence a cornerstone in its curriculum. 25 years later, these core values still guide the brand. To honor the Browns’ legacy, Children’s Lighthouse also recently created and presented the Founders Award at its annual conference. The Founders award, which was presented for the first time this year, recognizes a franchisee in the Children’s Lighthouse system who embody the same positive attitudes and values of the Children’s Lighthouse Founders. This franchisee follows systems, demonstrates the Browns’ values of integrity, passion and excellence, and contributes positively to the Children’s Lighthouse franchise partnership. This year, the Founder’s Award was presented to Varun and Navi Sharma, owners of Children’s Lighthouse of Arlington-Viridian and Little Elm in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. “I know that my father and uncle would be so proud of how Children’s Lighthouse has grown over the years,” said Michael Brown, President of Children’s Lighthouse Franchise Company. “The Founders award provides an opportunity to honor their legacy while recognizing a franchisee within our system who goes above and beyond to live the values Mike and Pat set day in and day out. Congratulations again to Varun and Navi, and thank you for your dedicated to the brand.” The Children’s Lighthouse franchise community was able to gather together to celebrate its 25 years of success at its annual conference, themed “Breakthrough 2022,” in Frisco, Texas from April 20-22. This was Children’s Lighthouse’s first in-person conference in two years, and was especially meaningful as they not only honored the achievements of owners from 2021, but those from 2020 as well. The conference was a chance for franchisees and corporate staff to meet face-to-face while gaining insights on the status of the franchise. Over the course of the three-day conference, owners attended general sessions and participated in roundtable discussions to gain key insight to take back with them to their teams. The conference concluded with the Breakthrough 2022 Awards and Celebration, where they honored stand-out franchisees, like the Sharmas, for their hard work and accomplishments. ## Entities - Franchising.com (publication) - Education & Childcare (sector) - anniversary celebration (topic) - Children's Lighthouse (company) - franchise conference (topic) - Michael Brown (person) - Mike Brown (person) - early learning school (topic) - founders award (topic) --- Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20220517_childrens_lighthouse_celebrates_25_years_in_business.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/7699febe-4351-4cab-a423-eacb5173b984).