Lightbridge Academy® Doubles Down on Growth as Return to Office Headwinds Result in Limited Options for Child Care

Lightbridge Academy*®*, one of the nation’s leading early education and child care providers, is wrapping up the first half of 2022 with impressive franchise growth. This comes as workers in industries across the board return to the office following the pandemic-fueled trend towards work from home, resulting in the demand for child care reaching and even exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Now, especially as the fall rolls around, many families who need child care are finding limited options available in their community.

And as The Solution for Working Parents*®*, Lightbridge Academy is doubling down on franchise growth to ensure it can fill that need.

So far this year, Lightbridge Academy has celebrated 10 signings for a total of 20 locations, entering new markets like Texas and Ohio while continuing to grow in existing Mid-Atlantic markets. The brand plans to open the first Charlotte and the second Nashville area locations by year's end.

Franchise growth strategy

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, it has been challenging for working parents to get their jobs done while also caring for their children during the day,” said CEO Gigi Schweikert. “We are so honored to offer a child care solution that parents need while also providing their children with a high-quality early education. Creating meaningful relationships takes trust and ongoing communication. We look forward to expanding our service to new markets across the U.S. throughout 2022 and beyond.”

To maintain this trust with parents, Lightbridge Academy continues to develop industry-leading programs. One of those services is Lightbridge Academy’s ParentView® Internet Monitoring System. Every classroom is equipped with two cameras so parents can log on and watch a live stream of their children and stay connected to them throughout the day.

Lightbridge Academy also offers a parent eCommunication app for ongoing parent communication with the center and their child’s caregivers. Parents receive pictures, videos, progress reports and other daily updates to strengthen communication between busy families and the Lightbridge Academy center.

In addition to those innovative and high-tech services, the brand seeks locations for their child care centers that are easily accessible and highly convenient for working parents. Most Lightbridge Academy centers are located near public transportation and major roads or highways for commuting parents. The brand’s locations also offer extended hours, so parents don’t worry about rushing to pick up their children if they are stuck in a meeting or experience unexpected travel delays.

Health and safety initiatives

In 2020, the brand also introduced the Lightbridge Promise, which is the Gold Standard in health and safety for child care and includes an enhanced air purification and filtration system along with heightened cleaning and sanitation processes. Each Lightbridge Academy center also features state-of-the-art security systems such as facial recognition and silent alarms. With heightened awareness about the importance of safety and security, parents that are returning to work place a high value on these types of features and processes.

These initiatives are all part of the brand’s Circle of Care philosophy, which places equal importance on meeting the needs of families, staff, center owners and the community, and at the heart of it all is the child.

“That means franchisee owners are also part of the Circle of Care — and an integral part of a network that truly cares, supports and encourages one another,” said Schweikert. “Franchisees are never alone. Lightbridge Academy has created and refined the business model over the years to provide them with the benefit of its proven system.”

This proven business model, strong support infrastructure and growing demand explain why new owners are joining Lightbridge Academy, and existing franchisees continue to invest in the brand by becoming multi-unit owners.

Future expansion plans

Looking ahead to the rest of the year and beyond, the team is focusing on signing agreements for the remainder of its target markets across Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York.

“As the three quarters of this year have shown, we are expanding rapidly but responsibly with both new and existing franchisees,” said Senior Vice President of Franchise Sales Jim DiRugeris. “Now, with return-to-office headwinds impacting communities all across the country, Lightbridge Academy is well-positioned to continue that growth and further establish ourselves as The Solution for Working Parents®.”