Hackensack Daycare Reopens After 6-Month Closure From Water Damage

HACKENSACK, NJ — Six months after the Lightbridge Academy in Hackensack opened in August 2021, there was a break in the fire suppression system that caused extensive water damage, forcing the daycare center to effectively shut down and thus displacing 88 families and 21 staff.

Now, 51 weeks after it first opened, the center is celebrating its grand reopening Monday, and owner Larry Showfety and his staff are excited to welcome back families and get back to serving the community, he said in an interview.

Showfety said he would never forget the day it happened — Jan. 12.

"It was during nap time," he said. "Everyone was evacuated in less than two minutes, so there was not a single injury."

Six out of 10 of the classrooms required significant repairs, Showfety said, and building workers had to remove the equivalent of three dumpsters full of debris from drywall, flooring and the ceiling.

"It was heartbreaking," he said, adding that staff and families were given the option to move to a sister location owned by the child care franchise.

But despite the setback, Showfety said, the center at 215 Union Street is coming back better and stronger. So, after obtaining certification that the building had been drained and dried, and restoring the building back to its original style, the center is now enrolling infants, toddlers and pre-K children again.

"We are so grateful for all of the support we received from the city of Hackensack and the families in the community," he said, noting that the reopening comes at the perfect time as families are preparing to make childcare plans this fall.

He also said that families can rest assured that there is a plan in place to prevent what happened from happening again.