Sisters Dhruti and Kruti Patel, together with friend Usha Patel, select Prince George’s County mixed-use community as inaugural site in planned three-school roll-out in Central Maryland 

BALTIMORE, MD – Celebree School franchise owners Dhruti, Kruti and Usha Patel have signed a lease with St. John Properties, Inc.for 10,567 square feet of space at Melford Town Center in Prince George’s County, with intentions to open an early childhood education and care center within the 466-acre mixed-use business community next February. The facility will be located at 5061 Howerton Way and represents the first of three Celebree Schools planned by sisters Dhruti and Kruti, together with friend, Usha for the Central Maryland area. Bill Jautze of St. John Properties represented the landlord and Megan Williams of Cushman & Wakefield represented the client in this transaction.

“As parents of small children or with plans to start a family in the near future, the three of us have become acutely aware of the challenges faced in finding high-quality and dependable daycare and education providers,” explained Usha Patel who, together with her husband, are raising two young girls. “Each of us bring different skillsets to this new endeavor and, together, we are committed to establishing a nurturing and caring environment that creates confidence and peace of mind to local families.”    

Celebree School, which presently operates more than 50 early childhood education and care centers throughout Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Pennsylvania, provides childcare, early learning and camp sessions to children of all ages. The school offers curriculum programs aligned with the Maryland State Department of Education’s focus on Early Childhood Education and incorporates STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) into every daily lesson. Child care programs are suitable for children ranging from six weeks to school age and are designed for personal, social, language and physical development. All locations, which also offer summer camp programs, are locally-owned and staffed by degreed teachers.   

“As my husband and I started to search for daycare options for our daughters, we became a bit disillusioned and started thinking bigger,” added Patel. “We shared our experiences with our long-term friend, Dhruti, who is pregnant, as well as her sister, Kruti, who also has two children and collectively decided to find a franchise opportunity that would provide high value to the local community. After learning more about Celebree School, it became clear that the company’s values, mission and standards matched ours, and they emerged as the ideal partner. Dhruti brings a background in finance to the group, Kruti is a physician’s assistant and has franchise experience. She is also currently taking courses to become director-qualified.”

“An extensive competitive analysis for our first site led us to Melford Town Center based on the existing demographics, as well as the promise for future residential growth nearby, which attracts young families. Melford’s existing commercial buildings contain many employees that need quality daycare and education for their children while they are working. In the immediate three-to-five-mile radius, there are many new rooftops planned including homes in South Lake and Amber Ridge, as well as the townhomes and apartments coming soon to Melford. We are extremely confident that the Melford Town Center location will be a valuable amenity as we begin recruiting both qualified teachers and students beginning later this year.”

5061 Howerton Way is a single-story building containing 34,560 square feet of flex/R&D space and is equipped with 18-foot ceiling heights and rear loading capabilities. The school has a capacity of approximately 154 students and the facility will employ approximately 25 people.

Located at the intersection of US Route 50 and MD Route 3/301 in Bowie, St. John Properties has developed more than one million square feet of commercial office, flex/R&D and retail space at Melford Town Center. The business community contains a Courtyard by Marriott hotel, and more than 85,000 square feet of retail space is planned. It is located approximately 18 miles from BWI Airport and 25 miles from Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Nearly 120,000 vehicles pass the mixed-use community via US Route 50 on a daily basis. St. John Properties and partner Somerset Companies are currently constructing The Aspen at Melford Town Center, a 388-unit luxury apartment complex with the first building scheduled to deliver next year.

“The open layout of 5061 Howerton Way is perfectly suited for the classrooms, play areas and offices needed by Celebree School,” stated Matt Lenihan, Senior Vice President, Leasing for St. John Properties. “This location represents the fourth Celebree School throughout the St. John Properties portfolio, and we recognize and appreciate the more than twenty year relationship we have built with them, as well as the important services they provide to our tenants and the local community.”

Founded in 1971, St. John Properties, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest and most successful privately held commercial real estate firms. The company is distinguished by its commitment to customer service, achievements in green building, and top-rated workplace culture. Throughout St. John Properties’ 51-year history, the company has developed more than 22 million square feet of flex/R&D, office, retail, warehouse space and has investments in over 2,600 residential units. The company proudly serves more than 2,500 clients in Colorado, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Utah, and Wisconsin. For more information about the company, visit www.sjpi.com.