My name is Shelley and I live in Blue Bell. I am sharing my experience with Lightbridge Academy in Blue Bell so that other parents can make informed decisions about their children's safety. This incident occurred in 2025, and it has taken me nearly a year to speak publicly about it because of the trauma my family, my twin daughters, and I experienced. I am finally in a place where I feel strong enough to share what happened so other parents can be aware. My twin daughters attended this center because it was very close to our home and convenient for morning drop-offs before my older children go to Stony Creek Elementary. One feature I initially appreciated was the live camera system that allows parents to check in on their children during the day. When my daughters first started there, they had a teacher named Ms. Audrey who was wonderful with them. She was attentive, caring, and my girls clearly felt comfortable with her. Unfortunately, she left the center very abruptly with no explanation. Because my daughters were so attached to her, I reached out to her privately. During our conversation she shared concerns about how the center was being run. She explained that staffing levels were often limited and that teachers sometimes had to make difficult decisions about which child to help first because there were not enough staff members to properly care for all of the children at once. She also shared that teachers were not able to follow the routines that parents were promised because there were simply not enough teachers in the room. She told me she left because she did not feel comfortable with the way the center was operating. I have screenshots of this conversation. At the time, I hoped things would improve and tried to continue giving the daycare a chance. Unfortunately, what happened next was extremely serious. One day while watching the classroom camera, I witnessed an incident involving my daughter, who was only 11 months old at the time. My daughter was crawling in between and underneath the high chairs placed near the classroom entry door unattended when the teacher, Ms. Jessica, opened the door and it struck my baby directly in the head. Although the cameras do not have sound, I could clearly see my daughter in extreme pain with her mouth wide open crying. Instead of immediately picking her up or comforting her, Ms. Jessica appeared frustrated and annoyed by her crying and walked away. She did not console my baby. Instead, she placed my daughter into an high chair and began feeding her while she was still crying and clearly distressed, which caused her to choke in then that's when another teacher took over. Ms Jessica threw her hands up in the air appeared very frustrated and walked away once again. As a parent watching this unfold live on camera, it was horrifying. I immediately called the center and contacted the police. I then took my daughter to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a concussion. This was not the first concern I had raised with the center. On a previous occasion, I witnessed another teacher move my daughter from one room to another using her foot. I requested a meeting with the owners to discuss this incident and also expressed concerns about the extremely high staff turnover rate. During that meeting I was told, "That's the daycare business - that's just how it is." After my daughter was diagnosed with a concussion, I reported the incident to the Department of Human Services (DHS), which oversees daycare licensing and safety. DHS came to the center to investigate. Shortly after DHS visited the center, social services contacted me and came to my home. This occurred after I had reported the daycare and raised concerns about my child being injured. As a parent who was simply trying to advocate for my child's safety, this was incredibly upsetting and felt extremely intimidating during an already traumatic situation. Following these events, I immediately removed my daughters from the center. What is also extremely concerning is that, to my knowledge, the teacher involved in the incident, Ms. Jessica, faced no visible consequences and is still currently employed at the center working in the infant room. No parent should ever have to watch their baby get seriously injured on a daycare camera and feel that the staff responsible for their care did not respond appropriately. This experience has been deeply traumatic for my family, and it is something we are still processing. I am sharing this now because parents deserve to know about serious safety concerns when deciding where to place their children. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Lightbridge Academy in Blue Bell. Parents should carefully research safety records, staffing practices, and supervision standards before trusting this center with their children. read more

We chose LBA when it opened in 2024 because of its proximity to our home. At the time, getting our son to daycare at a reasonable hour had become increasingly difficult, so the location felt like the right choice. However, in the first year, turnover was extremely high. Before the school even reached its one-year mark, it had gone through four directors, five administrative staff members, and at least seven teachers in my son's classroom. Additionally, there were at least two teachers promoted on LBA's social media prior to opening that we never actually met once the school began operating. There was also a period when a disruptive student in my son's classroom was verbally and physically aggressive toward other children. I observed incidents on the classroom cameras, including objects being thrown, students being pulled by the hair, and even a child being strangled. My son later confirmed that he, too, had been strangled. The behavior escalated to the point where one of his classmates eventually left the school. When I raised these concerns via email, I received no response for two days. I later learned that the owner was attending a funeral, which I completely understand. However, since three additional staff members (Kellie, Taylor, and Concetta) were copied on the email, it was frustrating that not one person acknowledged receipt or provided a temporary response. On that Friday, I spoke in person with Randi (the owner), as well as Kellie, Taylor, and Concetta, to express my concerns. Unfortunately, that interaction left me feeling dismissed. While I was explaining what I had witnessed and why I felt my child was not safe, Randi initially did not respond at all. When she did, she said, "I disagree, those are your words." As a parent paying $1,500 a month and addressing concerns about my child's safety--as well as the safety of others--I felt my concerns were not taken seriously. When I mentioned I would escalate the matter to corporate, she replied, "You can call whoever!" in a tone I felt was unprofessional and dismissive. To be clear, I do have empathy for Randi given her family loss, but I do not believe that justified the way I was spoken to. The conversation was unprofessional, uncalled for, and left me feeling unwelcome. While Kellie attempted to diffuse the situation and Taylor remained quiet but professional, Concetta (no longer at the school) told me, "It's Friday and I have Concetta things to do" when I asked for a private meeting. This was not reassuring, to say the least. The following Monday, the disruptive student was moved to another classroom and I ended up meeting with Kellie and Taylor the following Friday to which they respectfully listened to my concerns but told me the students room move was not related to my concerns. Within a month or so of the meeting, the student was no longer enrolled at the school. Once that child left, the situation improved considerably. Still, my trust had been shaken, and from that day forward, I only felt fully comfortable with Ms. Tracy, who was consistently professional, trustworthy, and caring. I was very open in saying that if she ever left, our family would also leave. Thankfully, she stayed through our son's time at LBA until he transitioned to kindergarten. Since that incident, I have avoided speaking directly with Randi, as I did not feel comfortable doing so. Before enrolling I had read reviews of her management at the FW location (which they no longer own) and I unfortunately felt validated in my experience. I want to emphasize that while things improved after the concerning student left, my experience in raising safety concerns and the way I was treated during that process was deeply disappointing. As a parent, I expect open communication, professionalism, and respect when advocating for my child's well-being. read more

There's no better group that we would trust with our child! Everybody at light bridge is great, especially Miss Jess, Miss Naleeya, and Miss MaryKate. I highly recommend Lightbridge Academy to everybody I know with young children in need of daycare. read more

PARENTS, THINK TWICE BEFORE ENROLLING! I strongly advise against enrolling your child at this daycare. We were enrolled for just five months before deciding to leave, and our experience has been nothing short of terrible. The facility is often understaffed, with too few staff for the number of children causing the center to consistently be out of ratio. Cleanliness is a constant issue--despite having an "outside company" handle cleaning, the center is consistently dirty. My daughter was sick for three consecutive months after we enrolled, which I believe was due to the lack of proper sanitation. I even started documenting the same food stains and debris on the floors, tables, and chairs each day at drop-off. I drop her off at 7:15 AM, just after opening, meaning the mess is likely leftover from the day before. Due to low enrollment and staffing, the daycare frequently combines classrooms, mixing children of different age groups. This disrupts the educational experience and doesn't align with the developmental needs of the children, especially during their formative years when they absorb the most. They should have a waitlist as they have been operating for a year at this point, but instead, they have too many spots to fill. Incident reporting is a major concern. After my daughter was injured twice--both times involving her head--reports were delayed. The first injury wasn't reported at all, and the second was several hours late. When I asked for more details, management brushed it off, showing little concern and still remains inconclusive to this day. Management is defensive and dismissive when concerns are raised, and there is no follow-up. Staff concerns are routinely ignored, which is both frustrating and troubling. The recent hiring of Kellie Kelco as the center director raises more red flags. Her resume shows she has only held jobs for about a year at a time, which speaks to the instability of the leadership. The issues with enrollment, staffing, and mismanagement stem directly from this lack of competent leadership. If ownership is reading this, please consider replacing management with someone who is capable of turning things around if there is any hope in salvaging your failing center. The frequent state inspections also speak to ongoing problems at the facility. Management seems more focused on threats than on finding solutions, and there is no investment in staff training or retention. The turnover rate is alarmingly high, with staff leaving mid-shift. Several children have left during our time there, as parents become aware of how the center operates. The live camera footage, which I hoped would bring peace of mind, only increased my anxiety. The camera system appears to be more useful for observing the overall state of the daycare than for keeping an eye on your child. While the remaining teachers are wonderful and genuinely care for the children, they work in a hostile environment which has the potential of affecting their ability to care for the children properly. Don't be mistaken, the teachers are the ONLY reason we have tried to work this out but it continued to be difficult to ignore the overall poor conditions of the center. The building may look nice, but don't be deceived--this daycare is not a place you want your child to be. If you care about your child's well-being, do yourself a favor and find a better option. You'll quickly realize this place does not align with your values or ethics which are checked every time you walk through that door. read more

There is only one lead teacher with any kind of early childhood education degree or certificate. Many teachers are teenagers themselves and cannot adequately care for children. read more

I went for an interview for my son and I definitely plan on enrolling him as soon as availability opens up the staff were super nice and amazing can't wait to enroll my son read more

My wife called for almost a week and nobody could answer simple questions or bothered to return her call. Sign of things to come...would never send my child here. read more

Great director and facility! Clean, safe state of the art center. Highly recommended!

Spoke with Shelby she was so rude and spoke down to me. Awful. Stay away not a friendly place for children

Not a good place to send children who aren't potty trained. This place has constant turnover of staffing and your child will not be able to develop any type of relationships with the teachers, since it's always someone new. Our son had developed some of the worst diaper rashes of his life while there and the former director, Mr Webb (who has left) was horrified at the pictures we showed him. These people are not in it for the care of your child and trying to operate with untrained and highly incompetent staff. Other than Ms Samaya (who has since quit) and Ms Tiffany (who were both fantastic) be VERY cautious and monitor your child closely. I could go on and on with the countless issues we brought up and had conversations with Mr Webb, but it's pointless. Our son is safely and happily out of there and no chance will ever be back there. I cannot stress this enough, pay attention and be VERY cautious about this place. One of us would literally quit our jobs before ever sending our son back to this facility! read more