Husband-and-Wife Franchise Owners Sign on to Bring Lightbridge Academy to Virginia

Over the last two decades, Lightbridge Academy has established itself as a leading provider of quality early education and child care throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Continuing its impressive franchise growth this year, Lightbridge Academy recently celebrated a two-unit signing in the Northern Virginia area with husband-and-wife franchisee team Mojy and Afshin Afsharnia.

Mojy Afsharnia is a stay-at-home mom and pilates instructor who works out of her in-home studio. Afshin Afsharnia comes from a long career in the real estate business and also has previous experience running a family business in London, where he originally met his wife.

“I’ve always worked for myself, and after we got married and we had our first daughter, we moved back to the U.S. in 2002 to be closer to family,” said Afshin Afsharnia. “I’ve been working in real estate and financing ever since, but I’ve always been a business-oriented person and have been looking for a business to leave a legacy for my daughters.” 

Three years ago, one of the Afsharnias’ friends started a daycare franchise, which introduced them to the idea of franchising an education concept. “We did research, and we saw some preliminary numbers,” said Afshin Afsharnia. “We went to the franchise shows and learned about Lightbridge Academy. We liked what we saw and went to New Jersey to meet with the corporate team. What we saw was a concept that was “recession-proof” — not even one of their centers permanently closed because of COVID. We felt like we were a really good fit and we aligned well with their values.”

Mojy Afsharnia agrees, noting that she has always had a passion for helping young children reach their full potential. “We could take our passion and combine it with Lightbridge Academy’s proven system and the team’s knowledge on how to run a quality child care business,” she said. “Everything has already been created, and proven. They also have a strong support system — they made it clear that our success is their success.”

Throughout their experience raising their own children, Mojy Afsharnia says they saw an unmet need for more nurturing early learning environments in their community. “Family is very important to us,” she said. “Lightbridge Academy has a family-oriented, Circle of Care culture that really hits home. It is what we would want for our own children - that closeness and warmth aligned with our culture, values and goal systems.”

The Afsharnias officially signed on with Lightbridge Academy this year with an agreement to open two locations in the Northern Virginia area. “We hope to open five to six locations overall,” said Afshin Afsharnia. “We want to own this market and make Lightbridge a well-known brand here.”

Looking ahead, the Afsharnias’ goal is to bring the values of family, ethics and togetherness to their area. “Anyone who is part of our school will be a part of our family,” said Afshin Afsharnia. “Most daycares focus on taking care of the kids, but they don’t always take care of the parents. As someone with kids, I appreciate Lightbridge’s commitment to being The Solution for Working Parents®, and we are excited to bring that Circle of Care here.”

CEO of Lightbridge Academy Gigi Schweikert says the team is thrilled to welcome Mojy and Afshin to the system. “It is clear they really share our core values and will bring the Lightbridge Academy Circle of Care® philosophy to life,” she said. “By placing equal importance on the needs of children, their families, staff and center owners, the entire community benefits. As Lightbridge Academy continues to grow, we are looking forward to entering the Northern Virginia community and making a real difference.”

For more information on single or multi-unit franchising opportunities with Lightbridge Academy, visit https://lightbridgeacademyfranchise.com/multi-unit/.