The Goddard School opens West Hempfield Township early learning center

The Goddard School of Lancaster opened its doors in January and is now enrolling students from 6 weeks to 6 years old.

Owners Sowmya Surapaneni and Leena Patel broke ground on the $5 million to $6 million building in West Hempfield Township in February 2025. The 14,000-square-foot early childhood education center houses 13 classrooms, will support 40 teaching jobs and can serve up to 175 students, according to a news release.

The Goddard School spokesperson Joseph Markle declined to provide the number of students already enrolled in the center Tuesday. Markle said tuition costs vary by age group, and families interested in enrolling can contact the school at 717-219-3310 for more information.

Surapaneni, who has lived in central Pennsylvania for over 15 years, is a first-time Goddard School owner; Patel also owns The Goddard School of York and The Goddard School of Philadelphia-Spring Garden.

Prior to opening The Goddard School of Lancaster, Surapaneni worked mainly as a physician with Penn State Health. Patel, who has been Surapaneni’s friend for more than 15 years, encouraged her to look into The Goddard School to open an early childhood learning center.

The new 715 Indian Springs Drive location features an indoor gymnasium, an outdoor classroom and multiple playgrounds. The center is equipped with hospital-grade sanitization equipment.

Its location in West Hempfield Township situates it in the Hempfield School District, which currently enrolls 6,900 students.

With more than 640 locations nationwide, The Goddard School serves almost 100,000 students in 39 states and Washington, D.C. The schools teach an inquiry-based curriculum exclusive to The Goddard School called Wonder of Learning.

Wonder of Learning is a “mostly child-led, play-based, inquiry-based kind of learning, which helps kids to explore their curiosities and ask questions, which has shown to be very effective in this age group,” Surapaneni previously told LNP | LancasterOnline.

The Lancaster County location will be the first in the area since the early 2000s. Previous locations that have since closed operated in Manheim and East Hempfield townships.

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