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CASE STUDY

Lightbridge Academy relies on LineLeader by ChildcareCRM to empower staff and families & you can, too.

Lightbridge Academy was founded in 1997—just two and half decades later, the company boasts 133+ locations across 12 states. Read how LineLeader by ChildcareCRM has contributed to Lightbridge's exponential growth through streamlined operations.

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Lightbridge Academy
Gigi

We chose to partner [with LineLeader] because we felt we could do something exceptional in the field together. We believe in them, we believe in their company and we believe in their culture. And we think it's an excellent partnership.

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Gigi Schweikert
CEO, Lightbridge Academy

ABOUT LIGHTBRIDGE ACADEMY

Since 1997, Lightbridge Academy has become known as 'The Solution for Working Parents'.

Lightbridge Academy's staff work hard to meet the evolving needs of families and deliver high-quality early childhood education. This founding principle is part of the reason their CEO, Gigi Schweikert, and their Chairman and Founder, Guy Falzarano, entrusted the center management and daily operations of their growing franchise business to LineLeader by ChildcareCRM.

Lightbridge Academy balances nurturing care with a unique early childhood education curriculum that helps children grow and develop in a safe, happy environment.

"From the first hello of the day, to its last good-bye, we ensure every child feels safe, nurtured and excited to learn and grow with us... We go beyond what's expected, creating a one-of-a-kind educational experience for the children we care for and the families who cherish them."

-Gigi Schweikert, CEO, Lightbridge Academy

133

Center Locations

1997

Year Started

Feeling overextended with daily tasks and multiple platforms.

Lightbridge Academy is one of the nation's largest providers of child care, operating over 100 centers across 12 states. The company first began using LineLeader's management system and family engagement app in 2016 to help with the challenges that come with growing a franchise organization.

"The place we want our employees to be is greeting parents and in the classrooms, coaching teachers and being with children," Gigi shares. "But because there were such a multitude of tech platforms, there was a lot of admin work. So, we needed something new to integrate these as much as possible, so employees could focus more time on relationship building."

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With LineLeader by ChildcareCRM, Lightbridge

  • Streamlines communication with families.
  • Builds a high-quality family experience.
  • Innovates with new technology.

The search for a system that could grow with them.

Prior to working with LineLeader, Lightbridge was using four different software platforms to manage center operations, which was inefficient and added extra work to their already busy staff's daily to-do list.

They needed to find a way to reduce the number of software platforms they were using and scale their franchise organization without adding extra work to their team's plate.

"We needed to find something that was going to help us be more efficient —to give us the ability to grow and to help us focus on the relationships with our enrolled students and families," explains Gigi.

Developing a laundry list of essential functions and capabilities.

Lightbridge Academy's CIO, Ben Blake, knew he had to find a childcare management platform that could handle their rapid growth.

So, Ben began by creating a list of all the essential features and tools they need to operate efficiently and deliver an exceptional childcare experience.

"I wanted to make sure that we picked the best solution out there, so we gathered over 110 requirements to compare all the options," explains Ben.

Ben canvassed the market, selected a handful of vendors to present their options, and picked the two tools that stood above the rest.

The final decision came down to eight factors:

  • Business continuity
  • Overall cost
  • Ability to integrate with existing tools
  • Total process from conception to development, rollout and support
  • Ability to replace existing systems
  • Scalability and reliability
  • Data protection and security
  • Ability (and patience) to work with one of the biggest childcare businesses in the US

After the rigorous selection process, Ben landed on LineLeader as the clear winner.

"[LineLeader by ChildcareCRM] really shined and demonstrated their flexibility throughout the whole selection process," said Ben.

Lightbridge Academy chose LineLeader because of its ability to replace existing tools, integrate with their payroll system, offer data protection, and make their business scalable and more efficient.

We chose to partner [with LineLeader] because we felt we could do something exceptional in the field together. We believe in them, we believe in their company and we believe in their culture. And we think it's an excellent partnership.

Gigi Schweikert, CEO
Lightbridge Academy 

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The right tools help empower staff to deliver exceptional care experiences.

Since partnering with LineLeader, Lightbridge Academy has been able to open more than a dozen new center locations and track center performance with ease.

"We're really excited about all of our growth," says Gigi, "Even in the pandemic, we were able to open 10 centers in one year and have more scheduled to open in the coming months."

Center staff have felt empowered to be able to focus more on building relationships with enrolled families and providing superior enrollment experiences.

This has led to increased family engagement levels and parent satisfaction, across all locations.

With LineLeader in their arsenal, there are no limits to what Lightbridge Academy can accomplish next.

 

See LineLeader in action.

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A unified platform to manage your entire business.

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Capture and convert more leads. Automate lead follow up, tour scheduling, registration, and reporting.

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Automate daily reports and share memorable moments. Easily communicate with parents with our family engagement app.tour scheduling, registration, and reporting.

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Automate billing and invoicing Manage classroom ratios and curriculum. Track and report on attendance, payroll, and more.