Unlocking Opportunities: Lightbridge Academy® Set to Open New Centers in Katy and Cypress, Reinforcing Commitment to Working Parents

Lightbridge Academy®, the fast-growing early childhood education and child care franchise, is on track to reach 150 centers by 2025 and has identified several markets across the country as primed for the concept. In the past 6 months, the team signed five units in two development deals in the greater Houston area. Now, Lightbridge Academy has secured a lease for the first new center in Katy. However, the team says there are still several available opportunities for entrepreneurs looking to bring the brand to the area.

“Katy is the perfect growth market for Lightbridge Academy as more and more young families continue to move to the area from other states,” said Jim DiRugeris, Senior Vice President of Franchise Sales. “Residential growth is continuing to explode in the area, with people moving from other states like California. They are younger, working professionals who typically have a child or two. But with such rapid population growth, current child care centers are having trouble keeping up with the demand. We intend on filling the need in this area.”

Over the past five years, the city of Katy has seen a total population increase of a whopping 31%, according to the most recent data. The number of children under the age of five has also increased in the area, with home construction booming as more and more families move into the suburbs and need child care. 

With its expansion into areas like Katy, Lightbridge Academy is filling a need for high quality child care, as nearly two-thirds of the nation’s working families are already having difficulty finding child care, according to the research and advocacy organization Children at Risk. 

Lightbridge Academy continues to stand out from competitors by going beyond traditional educational child care and taking a forward-thinking approach. The brand offers real time technology to keep parents connected to their children and the highest levels of security with silent alarms and facial recognition. In 2020, the brand also introduced The Lightbridge Promise, the Gold Standard in health and safety for child care, which included installing enhanced air purification and filtration systems in all centers, along with heightened cleaning and sanitation processes.

But it's not just the growing population that makes Katy a great fit for building a Lightbridge Academy center — it is also the real estate market. 

“There are several new real estate developments in the area, as well as a lot of opportunities for new construction,” said Craig Murray, Chief Development Officer for Lightbridge Academy. “There are nine new developments on the west side of Katy alone. From a real estate perspective, it really fits the criteria.”

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 and ensure a more efficient launch for new franchisees, while providing landlords with a guarantee.

Looking ahead, the Lightbridge Academy team has big plans for the state of Texas. In addition to Katy, the brand is focusing on establishing a presence in the flourishing markets of Cypress, The Woodlands, Atascocita and Pearland. 

“We are looking at the opportunity to open 20 to 25 Lightbridge Academy locations in Houston — and that is just the tip of the spear,” said Murray. “We're eager to find franchise owners who share our Circle of Care philosophy and are ready to serve the families in this rapidly growing region.”

Costs to buy a Lightbridge Academy franchise start at $621,233 for a leased center and $2,611,900 for a purchased center. To find out more information visit: https://1851franchise.com/lightbridgeacademy/info