Lightbridge Academy | WHY I BOUGHT
Why I Bought: Greg and Dina Hamwi Are Bringing Lightbridge Academy to Shrewsbury, New Jersey
The New Jersey couple cites Lightbridge Academy’s holistic learning experience and nurturing environment as reasons they became franchisees.
Since signing on with Lightbridge Academy, the franchisee couple, Greg and Dina Hamwi of Holmdel, New Jersey were eager to open their center. This became a reality in May of 2019, when the couple opened the doors of their very own Lightbridge Academy child care center in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. They couldn’t be more thrilled to bring the brand’s core values, exceptional child care services and early childhood education expertise to the community.
With over 115 centers open or in development throughout New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia, Lightbridge Academy has become a leading early education and child care franchise on the East Coast.
Since franchising in 2001, Lightbridge Academy has established itself as an innovator within the early childhood education segment, appealing to franchisees like the Hamwis due to its Circle of Care philosophy and innovations in the classroom, which allows parents, educators and franchisees to stay connected and share information with ease.
“Children thrive and develop in different ways, so it is our goal to cultivate a stimulating environment that expands their innate abilities through various learning areas,” said Dina Hamwi. “Our educators encourage children with a ‘learning is fun’ philosophy through play and positive reinforcement and build upon the skills they acquire at various ages of their development.”
The Shrewsbury, New Jersey center, provides a holistic learning experience in addition to creating a nurturing environment for children as early as 6 weeks of age to kindergarten age.
The Hamwis are excited to raise the bar for education in the Shrewsbury area. “One of the main goals is to ease the stress of busy, working parents by understanding the challenges they face and recognizing that, in addition to a child’s need for quality and nurturing care, parents have needs too,” said Gregory.
Lightbridge Academy keeps parents connected in a multitude of ways so they can feel confident that their children are receiving the best possible care and excellent education. The brand’s Seedlings Early Childhood Education Curriculum prepares children for kindergarten, focusing on all areas of a child’s growth to help them achieve their full potential, while industry-leading programs such as ParentView® Internet monitoring system and eCommunication app provide continuous communication, so they can remain at ease while at work and beyond.
“It is our belief that the strong values and standards that we hold at Lightbridge Academy will have a positive impact on the community,” Dina said. “We plan to partake in all community events that benefit the community, and are looking forward to expanding and strengthening our relationship throughout Shrewsbury and neighboring towns.”
Dina cites the Lightbridge Foundation as a prime example of these strong values—the company’s 501(c)3 non-profit organization supports families in need, both nationally and locally, through raising funds for medical bills, providing high school students with scholarships, aiding in disaster relief and more.
“Shrewsbury, New Jersey is a fantastic, tight-knit community that will really benefit from Lightbridge Academy’s services, nurturing environment and innovative curriculum,” said Dina. “We have already received amazing support and are excited to be a part of the community.”
The initial start-up cost for a Lightbridge Academy location is $549,228 to $767,635, with a franchise fee of $40,000. To learn more about franchising with Lightbridge Academy, visit http://lightbridgeacademyfranchise.com/.