Growing People Big and Small: Celebree School Debuts in Downtown Philadelphia

Early Childhood Education Franchise Opens in Fishtown Neighborhood, Brings Well-Rounded Program to the Community. 

PHILADELPHIA — Celebree School, a leader in early childhood education that provides infant and toddler care, preschool, before and aftercare, and summer camp programs, will open its newest school in late September in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood near Hancock Playground. Located at 1400 North Howard Street in Philadelphia, the new school will provide a customized program that addresses the physical, social, emotional, and academic needs of children while adhering to Pennsylvania’s early education standards.

Enrollment is now open, and community members are encouraged to contact Celebree School for tours, visits, and more information. Celebree School of Fishtown offers childcare programs to families in Philadelphia, Fishtown and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania.

The new school is owned and operated by father-son duo Louis and Michael Sapperstein, along with Michael’s wife Caroline. Michael and Louis both hail from careers working as CPAs for 12 and 50 years respectively. Working at a regional accounting firm based in Baltimore that Louis founded with a partner in 1979, the two independently gained insights on running a business and managing teams, setting the stage for how they will lead their school’s team of over 20 employees.

While working in education is relatively new to Michael, Caroline has worked as a high school social studies teacher at her alma-mater since earning her Master of Arts in Education. Michael’s passion for education came through his experiences tutoring students, coaching hockey at his alma-mater, and volunteering in the community. Parents of two sons, Caroline and Michael are dedicated to making a lasting impact on the lives of the children and families that their business will serve.

“Our family sees the interest-based learning we encourage at Celebree School of Fishtown as an opportunity to enrich the lives of young people all across Philadelphia,” said Michael Sapperstein. “When we first encountered Celebree School’s mission to Grow People Big and Small™, there was no way we could pass up this one-of-a-kind opportunity to develop education professionals while encouraging wholistic development of children. My father, wife, and I are thrilled to open the Celebree School of Fishtown and inspire children to be confident community members wherever they go in life.”

With plans to open a total of three Celebree Schools over the next few years, the Sapperstein family has already become embedded within the Philadelphia community and look forward to investing in the career development of education professionals across the city. To celebrate the new location, Celebree School of Fishtown will host a grand opening event one month after opening their doors.

Celebree School lives by its promise to Grow People Big and Small™, and was founded on the belief that success in early childhood development is equal parts curriculum and a connection that extends beyond the classroom to address the needs of the whole child and the whole family. Each Celebree School is a village made up of parents, children, and educators while providing curriculum-based care that prepares your child for kindergarten and beyond.

With a 29-plus-year history of providing superior early childhood education, Celebree School delivers a stable, secure learning environment that helps children develop a lifelong love of learning. Programs are available for children six weeks to 12 years old with unique curriculums designed to develop positive social skills and values while allowing children to learn about their world through age-appropriate play, projects, and activities. Care is available part time or full time and parents are allowed to drop in and visit at any time.

“We’re honored to continue to help brilliant entrepreneurs like the Sappersteins actualize their business goals and have them join our Celebree School family,” said Richard Huffman, Founder and CEO of Celebree School. “As we continue to expand our brand’s footprint through franchising, it’s more important than ever that we partner with local community leaders who have a passion for early childhood education. The opening of the Sappersteins’ school brings me immense pride and joy. I know they are the perfect franchisees to drive our mission forward.”

The fast-growth brand began franchising in 2019 and now boasts 44 schools open, 54 franchisees awarded over 100 sites, a presence across 14 states, and an enrollment of more than 4,570 children who are being protected, educated, and nurtured within the Celebree family. With strategic expansion underway, the brand has set an aggressive development goal to have 170 schools opened by the end of 2026.

Celebree School – Fishtown is open Monday – Friday 6:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. For more information on Celebree School of Fishtown, please visit https://www.celebree.com/fishtown-pa/ or call 215-966-8486.