Lightbridge Academy Day Care at the Elm 35 Valley Avenue

Lightbridge Academy for New Child Care Center

Robert Martin Company Announces Signing Lease
With Lightbridge Academy for New Child Care Center
at The Elm, a Luxury Rental Building in Elmsford

ELMSFORD, NY (February 24, 2020) -- Robert Martin Company LLC, a fully integrated real estate company with over 6 million square feet of properties, announced today it has signed a 10,000-square-foot lease for a new child care center at The Elm, a new luxury rental mixed-use building located just off the Saw Mill Parkway in Elmsford.

The new child care center, which is expected to have its grand opening this summer, will be operated by Lightbridge Academy. The company currently has over 100 child care centers either open, under construction or in development throughout the Northeast. The Elmsford location is its first childcare center in Westchester County.

“We are very pleased that Lightbridge Academy has chosen to open its first Westchester child care center at The Elm. With its easy and convenient access to the Saw Mill River Parkway, and close proximity to numerous major employers in the area, The Elm is an ideal location for Lightbridge Academy’s new center,” said Tim Jones, CEO of Robert Martin Company.

“There is a growing demand for child care facilities in Westchester County. Not only is this new child care center a great addition to our project but it’s also an important and much-needed addition to the community,” said Greg Berger, President of Robert Martin Company.

According to the Child Care Council of Westchester, studies show that nationally 45% of parents miss at least 2 days of work a year due to child care breakdowns, and 65% of parents' work schedules are affected by child care challenges. The annual cost to employers nationwide of unstable child care is estimated to be $3 billion.

“Lightbridge is the one-stop solution for working families. With an emphasis on our core values, advanced curriculum and state-of-the-art technology like live cameras throughout the center and biometric entry doors, we offer the highest level of care, development, safety and security,” said Ram Jagadeesan, who along with his wife, JoAnne McKay Jagadeesan, are the first franchisees to open in the Westchester market. “We chose The Elm due to its amazing visibility and easy access to both the Saw Mill Parkway and 287. Also, having 100+ residents literally above us made it very easy to choose this location. We look forward to serving Elmsford and the neighboring communities,” he added. He noted that Lightbridge Academy is offering a special discount to Robert Martin employees, tenants of The Elm as well as residents of any future developments of Robert Martin.

“The Village of Elmsford would like to thank Robert Martin Company for
believing in Elmsford in making a substantial investment in building The Elm.
We are excited that Lightbridge Academy has chosen The Elm in Elmsford
to call home, as they open their first Child Care Center in Westchester County.
Having the Lightbridge Academy open in The Elm will fill the void for child care
in Elmsford and neighboring communities. Child Care is in big demand and
this will greatly help families that had to travel far from home for child care
and will assist families looking to start child care. We welcome Lightbridge Academy to the Village and wish them much success,” said Elmsford Mayor Robert Williams.

With the signing of the Lightbridge Academy lease, The Elm, which features 100 apartments and ground-level retail space, is fully leased.

The Elm features a wide variety of studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 543 square feet for studios up to 1,418 for the largest two-bedroom units. Designer kitchens come with stainless steel appliances, Calacatta Quartz countertops, tile backsplash, and oversized cabinets. Bathrooms have dark wood vanities, white subway tiles and brushed nickel fixtures. Every apartment has a washer and dryer as well as USB charging ports.

Amenities include a fitness center, café and entertainment lounge equipped with kitchen/bar, large screen TV, workstations and a shuffleboard table; free WiFi in the amenity area; electric car charging stations and covered parking spaces. Onsite storage is available as well as free bicycle storage and repair station. The Elm is pet friendly and smoke free. The apartments include a smart video intercom system with iPhone/Android compatibility. There are no fees for the amenities.

Established in 1997, Lightbridge Academy provides early education and child care to children ages six weeks through kindergarten, as well as special programming for children up to 10 years old during school holidays, breaks and summer camp.
In an effort to expand its concept throughout the Northeast, the company franchised in 2011. In 2019 and 2020, Lightbridge Academy was ranked on Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500.

About Robert Martin Company
Founded by the late Robert Weinberg and Martin Berger, Robert Martin Company is a fully-integrated real estate company with a proven track record of successfully acquiring, developing, and managing investment properties throughout its distinguished history. Led today by CEO Tim Jones and President Greg Berger, the company has been a leader in real estate investment, development and management for over 60 years. Emerging from its start as a local home builder and becoming, for several decades, Westchester County’s largest diversified developer and builder, Robert Martin Company and its affiliates have developed and acquired over 20 million square feet of real estate across virtually every asset class. Today, the company and partners hold a portfolio that includes millions of square feet of office, retail, industrial, and residential properties as well as developable land. The company has been at the forefront of change and innovation in real estate investment, development and management across Westchester and Fairfield counties for more than six decades and is widely regarded as a pioneer in the development of executive office parks across the counties. RMC also played a significant role in the urban renewal development of Greenburgh, Tarrytown, Port Chester and downtown White Plains.