Sowmya Surapaneni considers Lancaster County her second home.

The Mechanicsburg resident has made numerous trips to the Hempfield recCenter with her kids.

When her children matriculated, Surapaneni elected to take a break from her 15-year career as a physician with Penn State Health. Her friend Leena Patel had a suggestion. "Leena said I should consider opening a Goddard School location as a way of giving back to the community," Surapaneni said. "I started looking into options."

On Jan. 10, the two friends officially launched the first Goddard School franchise in Lancaster County at 715 Indian Springs Drive, Lancaster.

The next-closest sites are in York and Hershey, Surapaneni said. Patel also owns The Goddard School of York and The Goddard School of Philadelphia - Spring Garden.

The Goddard School, which operates year round, is for kids from 6 weeks of age to 5 years old and serves almost 100,000 students in 38 states and Washington, D.C.

The Lancaster County location is set in a 14,000-square-foot early childhood education center with 13 classrooms that can accommodate a total of approximately 175 students, who will be guided by 40 teachers.

Surapaneni said the school features an indoor gymnasium and an outdoor classroom alongside multiple playgrounds.

Each Goddard School site is guided by principles called the Wonder of Learning. "Our curriculum is unique," said Surapaneni. "It is inquiry-based, play-based, and child-led, and we encourage kids to explore their curiosity."

She stated that The Goddard School emphasizes several components. "The first is dual management," Surapaneni said. "The owner is on-site to help make sure everything runs smoothly. The second thing is the health and safety standards we practice on a regular basis. ... The school is equipped with hospital-grade sanitization equipment to ensure a healthy environment."

Every six months, a Goddard School representative makes an unannounced visit to ensure a location is following its guidelines.

"The third thing is professional education," said Surapaneni, adding that teachers must meet state standards and that they also receive training from The Goddard School.

Parents who are interested in enrolling children in The Goddard School can visit http://www.goddardschool.com or call the Lancaster location at 717-219-3310.

"Our goal is to get things up and running and make sure students are getting the best childhood education," Surapaneni said.