Children’s Lighthouse, the leading childcare and early education franchise, emphasizes the importance of local marketing in helping franchisees succeed. Colin Berry, Vice President of Brand Development for Children’s Lighthouse, recently sat down for an interview with Nick Powills, founder and publisher of 1851 Franchise, to share his insights on how the brand supports its franchisees with strategic marketing initiatives tailored to the hyper-competitive childcare industry. With a focus on local school marketing and replicating best practices across locations, Berry explained how the brand empowers franchisees to win within a three-mile radius of their schools.  

“At Children’s Lighthouse, we firmly believe that marketing starts at the local level,” said Berry. “We ensure our franchisees win at that local level while allowing larger, macro-scale marketing to organically support them. Our focus is on local school marketing being best-in-class. We constantly spread best practices and ensure what works in one school is replicable elsewhere. However, we recognize that no two schools are the same. That understanding is critical because the competition at the local level is so hyper-specific.”  

Berry also highlighted the brand’s commitment to leveraging data and strong vendor relationships to help franchisees succeed. By tracking leads and conversion rates, Children’s Lighthouse provides tools to make marketing decisions easier. "Childcare is unique because the lifetime value of a single family is significant," Berry said. "Once franchisees understand that even a small increase in leads can lead to a big return, they’re more willing to invest in marketing."  

With over 20 years of history and a leadership team committed to franchisee success, Children’s Lighthouse provides an exceptional opportunity for potential franchisees. As Berry emphasized, the combination of strong operations, innovative curriculum, and a focus on local marketing creates a sustainable path for generational wealth and business growth.

A transcript of Berry’s interview with Powills has been provided below. It has been edited for clarity, style and brevity.

Nick Powills: All right, Colin, I want you to frame your role with Children's Lighthouse. After you do that, I want you to explain how you and your team impact the franchisees, particularly around the question of: "If I’m a prospective franchisee, how are you going to support me from a marketing standpoint?" So, frame your role, and then give us an overview of what you do to support franchisees.

Colin Berry: Sure. From a brand perspective, we cover all the nuts and bolts of marketing: global marketing, national marketing, PR, social media — everything. My specific role as VP of brand development is to support that from a high level. I make sure that, from a strategic perspective, our franchisees have what they need, that our vendors are aligned and that everyone is speaking the same language to drive the overall brand forward.

At Children's Lighthouse, we firmly believe that marketing starts at the local level. That’s a big shift from other brands I’ve worked with, and I think it’s especially true in childcare. We ensure our franchisees win at the local level while allowing larger, macro-scale marketing to organically support them. Our focus is on local school marketing being best-in-class. We constantly spread best practices and ensure what works in one school is replicable elsewhere. However, we recognize that no two schools are the same. That understanding is critical because the competition at the local level is so hyper-specific. 

Our strategy begins in the micro three-mile radius around each school and spreads outward from there. That’s how we approach marketing at Children's Lighthouse, and it defines how my role supports our franchisees.

Powills: Obviously, you’ve been in franchise marketing for a long time. When a candidate comes to Discovery Day, are you evaluating them to determine what gaps might need to be filled? For instance, if they’re more of a back-of-the-house personality — good with financials and operations but less comfortable with community outreach — are you already thinking about how to offset that for them?

Berry: Absolutely. Not every franchisee that joins our system understands marketing. Some are strong on the accounting side, others excel at HR and some prefer working with vendor relationships. Our job is to identify those gaps and provide support.

At Discovery Day, we get a strong sense of a candidate’s marketing mentality and where they might need help. That process allows us to have conversations at a high level. However, you never truly understand a franchisee until you start working with them day-to-day. That’s the beauty of franchising: everyone is different, and every operator brings unique opportunities and challenges.

I remember attending a conference years ago where the top three franchisees were on stage. One of them had gone from the middle of the pack to the top three. When asked how he did it, he said, “I spent 10 cents of every dollar on marketing.” A franchisee sitting next to me leaned over and said, “That guy’s an idiot.” I’ll never forget that moment. 

The reality is, that franchisee understood something critical: his customer acquisition wasn’t deep enough to hit the numbers he wanted, so he shifted his mindset and increased his marketing spend. That’s a lesson for all of us. Many franchisees aren’t unwilling to spend money — they just don’t know how to do it effectively, and sometimes franchisors don’t give them the blueprint they need. Our role is to help franchisees understand where and how to spend their marketing dollars to achieve their goals.

Powills: You bring up a great point about always marketing. I’ve always believed that successful marketing is a continuous process. You have to consistently generate leads to maintain waitlists and prevent dips, whether they’re seasonal or caused by children aging out. Does your approach incorporate that “always-on” mentality, and how do you ensure franchisees embrace it?

Berry: Absolutely. The most profitable schools we work with understand the importance of continuous marketing. It’s not always about spending 10 cents on every dollar, but having a mentality of always staying active in marketing. Whether that’s a Google campaign or a small community initiative like handing out branded swag, it’s about consistently keeping the school top of mind.

As for those franchisees who don’t understand marketing, we address that by pushing best practices, maintaining strong vendor relationships, and providing tools and recommendations. However, 80% of marketing happens at the local level. We can provide creative assets and strategies, but if a franchisee isn’t willing to engage with their community — shaking hands, attending events and building relationships — that’s a challenge.

We also lean on data to make decisions. For example, we track leads and conversion rates. Childcare is unique because the lifetime value of a single family is significant. Once franchisees understand that even a small increase in leads can lead to a big return, they’re more willing to invest in marketing.

Powills: Does marketing ever get deprioritized at Children's Lighthouse? With so much focus on curriculum, operations and real estate, does it sometimes feel like marketing is left behind?

Berry: I wouldn’t say marketing gets deprioritized, but operations and curriculum are naturally the drivers of our business. We have the best curriculum in childcare — character value-based and built entirely in-house. And our operations team ensures franchisees succeed at the highest level, with a low franchise business coach-to-school ratio. Marketing has not historically been on that same level, but we’re expanding the team to match the brand’s growth.

That said, marketing at Children’s Lighthouse is deeply interconnected with operations and curriculum. Great curriculum and strong operations drive referrals, which are a cornerstone of our marketing efforts. Everything works together.

Powills: Marketing has evolved so much over the years. When you think back to when you started in 2008, what are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen? And looking forward, where do you see the future of marketing heading?

Berry: The biggest change since 2008 has been the ability to target customers. Back then, digital marketing was just emerging and we didn’t have the tools to know who our customers were or how to reach them effectively. Today, we can create multi-layered campaigns targeting families in specific demographics and geographic areas. 

Looking ahead, AI will play a significant role. Right now, it’s helping with content creation and copywriting, but I see it evolving to provide franchisees with tailored marketing plans based on their market and budget. This will make marketing more efficient and accessible, especially for small business owners.

Powills: If someone asked how to be number one in a system like Children's Lighthouse, my advice would be to have enough money to open three locations. But I’d also tell them to earmark 10% of their total investment for marketing. Does that resonate with you?

Berry: Yes, it does. But I would add that the most important thing is to follow the system. Franchisees who succeed are the ones who embrace the system, invest heavily in marketing during those critical first years and dedicate themselves to their school’s success. Once they’ve established a strong foundation with their first school, scaling to additional locations becomes much more attainable.

Powills: If someone is considering this business opportunity, what else would you want them to know?

Berry: The opportunity for generational wealth is a big draw. With Children’s Lighthouse, you have the potential to own the building and land, creating long-term revenue streams. Few businesses offer that kind of opportunity. But I’d also stress that our 20-year history and the leadership of the Brown family set us apart. The time to act is now because markets and land are finite. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Powills: That’s a great point. I think it’s also worth noting how unique it is to find a brand with this level of leadership and culture. When opportunities like this come along, you can’t sit on them. Thanks for sharing your insights, Colin. If anyone wants to learn more, visit the Children’s Lighthouse franchise site or connect with Colin on LinkedIn.

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/childrens-lighthouse.