LIGHTBRIDGE ACADEMY CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING IN FLORIDA, EXTENDING ITS CIRCLE OF CARE TO PORT ST. LUCIE
Lightbridge Academy to Provide Port St. Lucie Families With Dependable, High-Quality
Educational Child Care
Port St. Lucie, Fla. (June 22, 2024) — Lightbridge Academy, The Solution for Working Families®
and one of the fastest-growing early childhood education franchises with over 150 centers
either open or in development, is pleased to announce the Grand Opening of its newest center
in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The event was held on Saturday, June 22 nd from 10am - 2pm, complete
with center tours, technology demos, family activities and entertainment. Lightbridge Academy
of Port St. Lucie is owned by franchise owner Al Ferrari, working alongside his wife Maria and
two sons Tommy and Eric Ferrari. Lightbridge Academy provides high-quality educational child
care for ages six weeks through pre-kindergarten and support for busy working parents.
"Understanding the challenges with childcare waitlists, it's clear to us that this is about more
than just opening another center," said Al Ferrari. "We're creating a 'Circle of Care,' a place
where families seeking top-notch educational programs can find not just daycare, but genuine
warmth, a sense of belonging and a supportive community. And as we look forward, our goal is
to expand across the state, reaching even more families in need."
Families enjoyed a celebration that included live entertainment, face painting, a photo booth,
and food trucks. Staff were on-site to conduct center tours, present curriculum overviews and
offer technology demonstrations.
“Lightbridge Academy brings unparalleled early education and care to families in the Port St.
Lucie area,” said Dawn Moonsammy, Center Director. “With over fifteen years of experience in
early childhood education, I’m looking forward to leading our impressive team of educators to
bring the Lightbridge Academy Circle of Care philosophy to life in the local community and
serve as The Solution for Working Families® in our beautiful new center.”
Lightbridge Academy provides a safe, nurturing, and educational program for Infant, Toddler,
and Preschool-aged children. With the opening of its Port St. Lucie location, Lightbridge
Academy is filling the need for high-quality educational child care, as the industry continues to
grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.86%, according to Grand View Research. As an
industry leader in educational child care, Lightbridge Academy is a flourishing franchise brand
that in addition to the proprietary curriculum, they offer the gold standard for health and safety
as well as cutting-edge technology including our ParentView® Internet Monitoring and
Lightbridge Journey App that supports the needs of busy working families.
“We are excited to extend Lightbridge Academy's 26-year legacy of exceptional educational
child care to Port St. Lucie,” said Gigi Schweikert, CEO of Lightbridge Academy. “Expanding our
reach allows us to continue our commitment to education, leaving a lasting impact on the
communities we serve. With each new center, we're helping to close the child care gap while
paving the way for significant advancements in child care.”
Lightbridge Academy is targeting extensive expansion in other high-demand markets and
throughout the Sunshine State. Ranked as one of the fastest-growing franchises in the essential
child care industry, Lightbridge Academy’s franchise owners create a successful legacy for their
own families while making a profound difference in the lives of those they support.
Ms. Schweikert also shares, “Expanding across Florida enables us to address the growing need
for high-quality child care services in emerging communities statewide. Due to the substantial
new housing development and job growth particularly in St. Lucie West, Tradition, and the
Southern Grove areas, the need for our services is very high. We remain committed to serving
families throughout this local area.”
To book a tour and learn more about Lightbridge Academy’s early childhood education
programs in Port St. Lucie, visit LightbridgeAcademy.com.
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. Lightbridge Academy, The Solution for Working
Families®, provides quality early education and child care programs to children aged six weeks
through Kindergarten. The company currently has over 150 child care centers either open or in
development throughout Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey,
New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
We also have years of experience helping current center owners through their transition with a
careful eye on maintaining continuity of care. The Lightbridge Promise also leads the industry as
the Gold Standard for health and safety in the child care industry. In 2023, Lightbridge Academy
was ranked #192 on Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 and #296 on the Franchise Times
Top 400. Lightbridge Academy has been named a 2024 Top Franchise by Franchise Business
Review as rated by franchise business owners and a Top Franchise for Diversity, Equity, &
Inclusion. For more information on Lightbridge Academy's successful franchise business model,
or information on selling or converting your existing center, visit
Lightbridgeacademyfranchise.com.
