Franchise owner Jason Skidmore expects to open Anne Arundel County site this summer
Celebree School, which presently operates more than 40 early childhood education and care centers throughout Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Pennsylvania, has signed a lease with St. John Properties, Inc. for almost 11,000 square feet of space at Cromwell Business Park. Franchise owner Jason Skidmore intends to open the new facility on June 1 at 6934 Aviation Boulevardin Glen Burnie, located within Anne Arundel County. Angelo Munafo of St. John Properties represented the landlord, and Megan Williams of Cushman & Wakefield represented Celebree in this transaction.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility is scheduled for Wednesday, February 17 at 10 am. Celebree School franchise owner Jason Skidmore and St. John Properties, together with Maryland Delegates Mark Chang and Mike Rogers (Anne Arundel County District 32) will preside over the event. Additional officials from the Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce and The BWI Business Partnership, as well as other local business leaders, are expected to attend.
Celebree 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. Infant childcare programs are suitable for children ranging from six weeks to eighteen months of 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.
The franchise represents a new business model for Jason Skidmore, who owns and operates Hart to Heart Transportation in conjunction with his wife, Terry Skidmore. The company has more than 350 employees and has provided emergency and non-emergency transportation services throughout Maryland and Delaware since 1996.
Skidmore’s parents owned and operated assisted living facilities in Harford County, and he regularly worked in the family business while growing up. This exposure to entrepreneurship and experience operating within a business environment that positively impacted the community inspired him to co-found Hart to Heart Transportation. He believes this pivot to Celebree School represents a natural transition to his lifetime mission of providing essential services to the local community.
“I have always been passionate about taking care of people,” Skidmore explained. “While raising three children with my wife, we realized the importance of providing them with a safe, positive and nurturing environment that allowed them to thrive. We have witnessed first-hand the long-term problems encountered by youngsters that do not have the benefit of this support. I see myself as a public servant to the local community, and gravitated towards childcare and education as a subset to my desire to improve healthcare offerings.”
“Thorough research with several childcare and education partners led me to Celebree School, and the concept’s warm and inviting culture, backed by visionary leadership, quickly separated Celebree from other competitors and made my decision an easy one. It was clearly obvious that we would be receiving unconditional support to own and operate a great school, and its mission to protect, educate and nurture align with my core values,” Skidmore added.
6934 Aviation Boulevard is a single-story building offering 38,880 square feet of flex/R&D space and 6,900 square feet of endcap retail space, featuring 16-foot ceiling heights. Cromwell Business Park is a 165-acre mixed-use business community located off Interstate 97 at Dorsey Road and is less than two miles from Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Interstate 695 is approximately three miles from the business community and MD Route 295 is four miles away. On-site retail amenities contained within Cromwell Business Park include Starbucks Coffee, 7-Eleven, Royal Farms, Subway, WildFlower florist, Los Portales, and Aviation Deli & Grill.
“St. John Properties is proud to have several Celebree School locations throughout our portfolio, and they have proven to be a valuable addition to the communities they reside in,” explained Sean Doordan, Senior Vice President of Leasing and Acquisitions for St. John Properties. “The availability of on-site childcare and education is an amenity embraced by our clients and their employees.”
“After conducting an extensive real estate search, Cromwell Business Park emerged as the obvious location based on the nearby residential density, expected housing growth, and placement within a mature business community that includes many working parents,” Skidmore stated. “Other key advantages include access to major highways, including Interstate 97, and shopping options such as Arundel Mills and major retailers. We have learned that the availability of necessary retail and high-quality preschool are pivotal considerations among first-time homebuyers looking to relocate to a new community.”
Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, St. John Properties, Inc. is one of the Mid-Atlantic’s largest privately held commercial real estate firms. The company is distinguished by their commitment to customer service, achievements in green building, and top-rated workplace culture. Throughout St. John Properties’ 50-year history, the company has developed more than 21 million square feet of flex/R&D, Office, Retail and Warehouse space serving more than 2,500 clients in Maryland, Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Utah, and Wisconsin. For more information about the company, visit www.sjpi.com.
