Lightbridge Academy® Joins the Early Care & Education Consortium
As the COVID-19 pandemic emphasizes the importance of quality early education and child care, Lightbridge Academy® will partner with the nonprofit to provide this essential service of to more communities across the country.
ISELIN, N.J., Sept. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Lightbridge Academy® — a leading early education and child care franchise with a footprint of more than 120 centers open, under construction or in development in markets across the U.S. — has joined the Early Care & Education Consortium (ECEC), a nonprofit alliance that serves as a unified voice for early education and care throughout the US.
The role of child care in providing education and care for young children and their families as well as a strong foundation for the economy has never been more important following the COVID-19 pandemic, and Lightbridge Academy CEO Gigi Schweikert said the franchise will work with other child care companies to make this essential service available to all communities and especially those that need it the most.
"Lightbridge is proud to play a role in the ECEC provider network that shares a common goal in providing equitable and sustainable early childhood education and care for every child throughout the country," said Schweikert.
The ECEC represents over 6,500 child care programs in 48 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and select international locations. Members of the ECEC work to amplify the voices of providers of high-quality programs and services that support families and children from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
"Our country is reevaluating the importance of child care, identifying areas of need, and systemizing ways to use the current child care infrastructure of private, public, family and faith-based care to meet these needs," said Schweikert. "A bipartisan approach that favors a mixed delivery system to achieve quality education and care for every child is essential. We need to leverage existing infrastructure with additional funding to reach our goal."
Founded on a Circle of Care® philosophy that places equal importance on the needs of children, their families, teachers, center owners and the community, Lightbridge Academy prides itself on being a leading provider of quality child care during uncertain times. As part of ECEC, Lightbridge Academy will contribute its unique perspective on educational child care to collaborate with peers and advocate on behalf of children and families.
"Our ECEC partnership is incredibly important to Lightbridge Academy, regardless of whether you serve 10,000 children or one child, we believe the goal of child care should be to provide high quality programs that are best for children," said Schweikert. "We are excited to work with ECEC and help guide policy and funding that are best for children and families across the country."
About Lightbridge Academy®
Established in 1997, Lightbridge Academy® provides early education and child care to children ages 6 weeks through kindergarten, as well as special programming for children up to 10 years old during school holidays, breaks and summer camp. The company franchised in 2011 in an effort to expand its distinctive concept throughout the Northeast. It currently has over 100 child care centers either open, under construction or in development throughout Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Guy and Julia Falzarano founded the company 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. In 2019 and 2020, Lightbridge Academy was ranked on Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500, and it was featured on the Franchise Times Top 200+ in 2018 and 2019. To learn more about Lightbridge Academy®, prospective families and franchisees are encouraged to visit http://www.LightbridgeAcademy.com or call (732) 980-1900 x 199.
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Lauren Turner, Mainland, 3125263996, [email protected]
SOURCE Mainland
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