A new private early childhood education center from a national provider is moving into York County.

The Goddard School will be opening a site in Springettsbury Township this fall, according to Leena Patel, who will own the York location. About two dozen teacher jobs will be created as a result. It's Goddard's first York County location, with the nearest existing location in Hummelstown.

Patel said groundbreaking will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 14, at 88 Theater Lane near the Holiday Inn.

Up to 132 students will be able to attend the school, Patel said.

The school uses certified teachers for its classrooms, with the York location planning to offer classes to children as young as 6 weeks old up to 6 years old, or kindergarten-age. Goddard operates by the belief students should help drive their own education and also have a lot of fun in order to succeed.

Academic research states "children experience the deepest, most genuine learning when they are having fun," according to Goddard's website.

Patel said Goddard's advantage compared to other national providers is Goddard has an owner and a director on site so that parents have local connections whenever they have an issue. Other providers "are run by corporations" with nowhere to turn to when an issue pops up, Patel said.

Patel, a mother of three, said Goddard will be the first school she's operated, as her experience as a mother dealing with the education system spurred her interest in getting involved.

Open houses will be held in coming months for parents to visit and get information about applying. Exact tuition rates have yet to be determined; Goddard does provide assistance for those in financial need.

- Andrew Shaw can also be reached at ashaw@yorkdispatch.com.