Alice Tuffery, writer
Childcare plays a fundamental part in the UK’s infrastructure. It allows parents to work and is beneficial for the physical and mental development of young children. That’s why it continues to be high on the political agenda, with demand for investment in early education and childcare at a record high. With the need for childcare in the UK increasing along with the size of the population, it’s a great time to consider starting a nursery franchise.
But just how big is the childcare industry? Well, according to the Department for Education, there are thought to be 430,500 ‘early years’ childcare providers in the UK. While 59 percent of this category work within a childcare group, 30 percent are nursery or reception class staff, and 11 percent are childminders.
The childcare industry as a whole – and the 18,000+ businesses that operate within it – see an annual revenue of £4 billion. This figure is the result of an annual growth of 3.9 percent since 2014, and it’s thought that the industry turnover will continue to rise by a compound yearly rate of 3.1 percent. So, why delay? You can make a real difference to your local community – and your pocket! – by becoming a franchisee with a childcare business.
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Make a difference to your local community by starting a nursery franchise
There are many advantages to starting a nursery school unit, but here are some of the biggest ones:
- You’ll help young children develop, both mentally and physically. Now, more than ever, parents are demanding high-quality education for their children. They recognise that it needs to start from an early age, whether this is as formal education or extracurricular activities that increase physical development and improve concentration levels. The early education you’ll provide lays the foundation for children’s forthcoming journey through school, so you have the chance to influence how prepared they are, and how well they may perform later on.
- You’ll give parents peace of mind. Rather than hand their children over to a local childminder they’ve never met before, parents will have the option to enrol their son or daughter onto a secure childcare business, where several qualified staff members are ready to look after them.
- You’ll give parents the chance to spend quality time with their children. By creating interactive sessions where adults are welcome to join in, you’ll offer parents the opportunity to be a part of their child’s learning experience. You could consider launching music or dance classes, for example.
- It’s a rewarding profession. The children who come to your childcare business will develop and reach learning milestones in front of your eyes. This can be incredibly rewarding, and should motivate you to continue running your franchise to the best of your abilities.
- You’ll get plenty of exercise. As you can imagine, running around after young children all day is quite a workout. Being on your feet for hours at a time can be tiring, but it’ll also be beneficial in terms of your health and mental wellbeing.
- The working hours are flexible. Depending on the type of business you run, you may be able to decide when you work and when you don’t. And even if you have to stick to 8-6 working days while the parents are at work, it’s unlikely you’ll work at weekends, leaving you free to see your friends and family in your spare time.
- You don’t have to pay for your own childcare. This is a big advantage for many parents. Because you’re running a nursery school business, you can simply take your child – or children – to work with you. In the long run, this will save you a significant amount of money, given that the average cost of a part-time nursery place for a child under two is £122 per week.
As you can see, play school businesses provide benefits not only for your income, your wellbeing and your sense of purpose, but also for the parents and children in your local community. And you’ll play a part in raising the next generation.
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Childcare franchise opportunities
The many benefits of being a childcare franchisee make franchises in this sector an investment worth considering. Here are four childcare businesses for you to think about:
Banana Moon
This pre-school franchise was established in 2006 as a result of high demand. It was first set up in an area with a lack of childcare provision but, since then, it has expanded across other parts of the country where the story is the same.
When you invest in this day nursery, you’ll receive everything you need to start your business. As well as a proven and successful business model, you’ll get help with site selection and equipment to cater for up to 36 children, including books, toys and furniture. You’ll even be granted high-tech items like touchscreen televisions and handheld devices for the children to use.
To become a Banana Moon franchisee, you’ll need to make a minimum investment of £47,500 and a total investment of £60,000.
Gymboree
A childcare franchise doesn’t just have to provide formal educational services. Research has revealed that play school franchises that specialise in learning through music can prepare children for school. Singing from an early age, for example, has been proven to improve language and vocabulary. It can also develop listening skills, concentration, the ability to take direction and memory. All of these are skills that are valuable, not just for the classroom, but for life in general.
This makes Gymboree a fantastic opportunity to enrich the lives of children in your franchise territory. Once you’re on board, you’ll encourage mental and physical development through music and play in children under the age of five.
As a franchisee, you’ll receive access to patented lesson plans and all the equipment, apparatus and instruments you’ll need to start the business. Like with all of our franchise opportunities, training and further support is also available to make sure the unit runs as smoothly and efficiently as it can.
Leaps And Bounds
Offering an innovative exercise programme for toddlers and children up to five years old, this play school franchise offers prospective franchisees the chance to join a brand that parents know and trust. Leaps And Bounds uses action songs and rhymes in 30-minute classes to develop skills like agility, balance, climbing, co-ordination and language.
With more emphasis being placed on the importance of exercise for young children, this is a great industry to invest in. In fact, NHS guidelines state that children of walking age should be physically active for at least three hours every day. The energetic activities that this franchise encourages, such as skipping, hopping, running and jumping, are fun ways to get kids moving.
This is a fairly affordable franchise, with a total investment cost of £11,000. When you join, you’ll be enrolled onto a two-day training session and be granted your own territory and equipment. Throughout your contract term, you’ll be able to access advice from the franchise’s team of experts, which will help you grow your business effectively. You’ll even get support in marketing, so you should be able to spread the word about your business in your territory and attract new attendees from the get-go.
Nature Trails
This pre-school franchise is a day care nursery with a difference. Nature Trails is passionate about children’s education, offering activities involving yoga, sign language, music and movement, petting zoos, football and creative arts. Due to the huge success of the initial award-winning nursery, the business model is now being offered to selected franchisees.
The forward-thinking approach taken by this nursery franchise has many benefits for children. For example, yoga teaches self-acceptance and focus, and encourages healthy habits, while lessons in sign language promote acceptance of others and can improve traditional language and vocabulary skills.
To join Nature Trails, you’ll need to make a minimum investment of £55,000. In return, you’ll get the chance to take part in a comprehensive training programme that provides more insight into the franchise’s teaching models. The franchising team offers a helping hand when it comes to recruiting staff. It also continues to visit all franchise units regularly to make sure they’re running efficiently and give updates on the business and the industry.
Why not become a childcare business owner yourself?
Owning a childcare franchise can be profitable at a professional, personal and emotional level. You learn lots of lessons from spending the majority of your workday with children, and you get to enjoy the lucrative aspect of the business as well.
Obviously, to be an ideal candidate, you’ll need to love working with children and have patience, but the rewards you’ll reap are worth the dedication needed to make this type of business successful. To find out more about the franchise opportunities out there in the childcare sector, just click here. There are businesses to suit every budget, so get searching today.
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Alice Tuffery, writer