Township Resident Looks Forward To Opening Of Day Care Business

The section of the Shops at Summerfield where Lightbridge Academy will be located is still under construction. The center is expected to open in the Fall.

Township parents will have another option for daycare for their toddlers come this fall, which is when the newest Lightbridge Academy is scheduled to open.

The center will be located in the new Shops at Summerfield at Randolph and Schoolhouse roads, and will cater to children aged from 6 weeks to 6 years old.

The center is still under construction – one section of two has been built – so franchise owner Bhautik Patel said he expects he’ll be opening the doors to his second Lightbridge franchise sometime in the Fall.

Patel, a resident of Summerfield, said the area is perfect for a daycare center.

“I’ve been watching this development grow,” he said. “There’s a need for childcare, it’s a good location, that’s how I ended up here.”

Patel opened his first Lightbridge Academy in Sayreville about two years ago, he said. That location is just about maxed out with more than 160 children, he said.

He said he’s not concerned about the number of existing child care centers in the township.

“There are a  couple of child care centers around here, but there’s more than enough kids for another quality child care facility,” he said.

Patel is opening the center with a partner, but it was his wife who suggested they get involved in the child care market.

“My wife is a pediatrician, she loves working with kids,” he said. “We wanted to invest in something, she wanted to do child care.”

Pastel said he and his wife were drawn to Lightbridge for a number of reasons.

“It’s just the care,” he said. “The franchise believes that everybody has a different problem, and we’ll help you.”

“Their motto is, they give a solution for working parents,” he said.

“One of the main reasons was it is a small, growing business,” he said. “When I signed on, there were only about 17 locations, now they have more than 100.”

“They’re very caring, we got to speak to the CEO, there was constant interaction, and I felt the comfort level in that,” he said.

Patel said the he likes the Seedlings curriculum used by the center and the fact that there are toys and other activities that are age-appropriate for the children.

This would be the first Lightbridge Academy in Somerset County. The brand has a number of locations in neighboring counties.

Your Thoughts

comments