KING OF PRUSSIA, PA — The Goddard School recognized 35 franchise locations across 12 states in its 2026 performance awards, with Pennsylvania and Maryland accounting for 14 of the honorees as the early childhood education provider identified schools meeting its standards for educational quality, operations, and family satisfaction.
Seven schools in Pennsylvania and seven in Maryland received recognition, followed by four in New Jersey. The three states accounted for more than half of the locations honored nationwide.
Goddard Systems LLC divided the awards into two categories: Circle of Excellence, which recognizes schools based on performance, educational quality and family experience, and President’s Club, reserved for locations that have earned Circle of Excellence recognition for at least two consecutive years.
Sixteen schools received Circle of Excellence recognition, while 19 qualified for President’s Club.
Pennsylvania’s Circle of Excellence honorees included locations in Peters Township-Venetia, Spring House and Wexford. The President’s Club recognized schools in Bala Cynwyd, Cranberry Township, Horsham and Pittsburgh-Upper Saint Clair.
The Spring House school is operated by Megan and Mike Thompson, while Kristen and Patrick Larkin operate the Horsham location. Jodi and Bill Straub were recognized for their Bala Cynwyd school.
Maryland’s recognized locations included Columbia, Eldersburg, White Marsh-Honeygo, Edgewater, Forest Hill, Marriottsville and Middle River-Greenleigh.
New Jersey schools receiving recognition were located in Fairfield-Little Falls Road, Long Hill Township, West Long Branch and Swedesboro.
“Earning recognition through the Circle of Excellence and President’s Club reflects a sustained commitment to quality and continuous improvement across every aspect of a school’s operations,” said Darin Harris, chief executive officer of Goddard Systems LLC.
The awards reflect the company’s internal evaluation of franchise performance and educational standards, with President’s Club recognition indicating that a school has maintained qualifying performance over multiple years.
Other recognized schools were located in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington.
The Goddard School operates through a franchise model, with individual locations managed by franchisees. The annual awards recognize operators meeting the company’s performance and educational quality criteria.
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