Lightbridge Academy Sees Exceptional Growth with Expansion with New Lease Signed in Berlin Township, New Jersey

BERLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ – Lightbridge Academy®, the rapidly expanding early childhood education and child care franchise, continues its remarkable growth trajectory with the signing of a new real estate lease in West Berlin, New Jersey. This development marks the latest chapter in Lightbridge Academy's ambitious plan to reach 150 centers by 2025. 

This milestone lease comes after an in-depth and collaborative effort with The Summit Group — a multi-unit franchisee group made up of Nish Patel, Mitul Patel, Ina Patel, Jiju Alex and Kal Patel — who have expanded their portfolio to include 11 units planned and 6 centers already opened.

“This achievement is a testament to the dedication and collaborative efforts of our teams,” said Craig Murray, Lightbridge Academy Chief Development Officer. “We can now move forward with the next steps, and the architect has been given the green light to start working by the landlord. We plan on keeping up the momentum as we continue to pursue new opportunities and drive our growth.”

Recognizing the growing demand for quality child care services in areas experiencing a surge in young families, Lightbridge Academy is strategically expanding its footprint. To streamline the expansion process and reduce the time frame for opening child care centers, Lightbridge Academy is proactively leasing real estate sites at the corporate level before franchise owners are signed. This strategy allows the brand to leverage its development partnerships to secure real estate while also looking for franchise partners to eventually take over the business.

As with all its centers, Lightbridge Academy will bring its exceptional early educational programs and state-of-the-art technology to the new West Berlin location. It prides itself on providing services such as the ParentView® internet monitoring system, an e-Communication app and advanced health and safety measures such as center-wide air purification and filtration and facial recognition security systems.

"Our proactive approach to market planning and site selection, coupled with our dedicated teams and advanced technology, continues to drive our expansion into high-need areas," said Murray. “We are excited to establish a presence in West Berlin and serve the families in the community there with our signature quality child care services.”

About Lightbridge Academy®: 

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.