Starting a Children’s Lighthouse franchise is a well-structured process that takes potential franchisees from initial interest to the grand opening of their school. With a focus on a family-type environment and robust support, the early learning franchise has developed a robust system to guide franchisees through each step along the way.
After completing the discovery phase and executing the franchise agreement, which usually takes about 90 days, a new franchisee is officially ready to begin the development process.
Shortly after signing the franchise agreement, the new owner will begin to explore potential site options, working with a local real estate broker to create a protected search area and narrow the selection down to three prime sites.
“If I’m developing in Plano, Texas, we would draw a larger circle around Plano, and this is the franchisee’s protected area. No one can take a site within that designated area until they have found their site,” said Matt Kelton, vice president of franchise development. “After the franchisee and broker have narrowed it down to three sites, we will evaluate the options and approve a site. Then, they go to the land purchase and funding stage.”
At this point, a franchisee will work to get the entire project funded and prepare to begin construction.
“Two to four months after a franchisee has found their site and closed on their loan, we’ll have them come to the Fort Worth office for owner’s training,” said Shelly Pair, vice president of operations. “We’ll discuss vendors, operations, child care licensing and financials. This covers everything they’ll need to know and do between ‘now’ and 90 days before opening.
The construction phase for Children’s Lighthouse franchisees depends heavily on the contractor and any delays that may arise. Generally, though, it takes between eight months and a year.
“We have a project management team that oversees the entire process,” Kelton said. “There are around 1,500 steps in the process. A lot goes into building these schools, but we’ve done it nearly 100 times now and have it down to a science.”
Franchisees can start with some finishing touches before construction is totally complete. For example, Pair said the team will begin discussing permitting, equipment, payroll and recruiting with the owner. Children’s Lighthouse has a 12-week checklist that creates visibility around what all will need to be done ahead of opening day, and both the franchisee and corporate team can reference it to make sure everything runs smoothly.
“We make sure that the building is built, licensed, permitted and ready for children,” she said. “And closer to opening day, we make sure class lists are set up, childrens’ files are ready to go, and everyone is trained and ready for day one.”
“There are a lot of moving pieces once the building is constructed,” Kelton said. “We finish out the interior and landscaping, and our marketing team steps in to develop digital strategies and grand opening plans. We’re doing tours with parents to get enrollment as high as possible before opening, then after opening, our franchisees are handed off to their Franchise Business Coach who will support them with day-to-day contact as they begin to grow their schools.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/childrens-lighthouse
Children's Lighthouse
SPONSORED
You’ve signed your franchise agreement; here’s what’s next. From site selection to grand opening marketing, the Children’s Lighthouse team has a clear, proven process.
Starting a Children’s Lighthouse franchise is a well-structured process that takes potential franchisees from initial interest to the grand opening of their school. With a focus on a family-type environment and robust support, the early learning franchise has developed a robust system to guide franchisees through each step along the way.
After completing the discovery phase and executing the franchise agreement, which usually takes about 90 days, a new franchisee is officially ready to begin the development process.
Shortly after signing the franchise agreement, the new owner will begin to explore potential site options, working with a local real estate broker to create a protected search area and narrow the selection down to three prime sites.
“If I’m developing in Plano, Texas, we would draw a larger circle around Plano, and this is the franchisee’s protected area. No one can take a site within that designated area until they have found their site,” said Matt Kelton, vice president of franchise development. “After the franchisee and broker have narrowed it down to three sites, we will evaluate the options and approve a site. Then, they go to the land purchase and funding stage.”
At this point, a franchisee will work to get the entire project funded and prepare to begin construction.
“Two to four months after a franchisee has found their site and closed on their loan, we’ll have them come to the Fort Worth office for owner’s training,” said Shelly Pair, vice president of operations. “We’ll discuss vendors, operations, child care licensing and financials. This covers everything they’ll need to know and do between ‘now’ and 90 days before opening.
The construction phase for Children’s Lighthouse franchisees depends heavily on the contractor and any delays that may arise. Generally, though, it takes between eight months and a year.
“We have a project management team that oversees the entire process,” Kelton said. “There are around 1,500 steps in the process. A lot goes into building these schools, but we’ve done it nearly 100 times now and have it down to a science.”
Franchisees can start with some finishing touches before construction is totally complete. For example, Pair said the team will begin discussing permitting, equipment, payroll and recruiting with the owner. Children’s Lighthouse has a 12-week checklist that creates visibility around what all will need to be done ahead of opening day, and both the franchisee and corporate team can reference it to make sure everything runs smoothly.
“We make sure that the building is built, licensed, permitted and ready for children,” she said. “And closer to opening day, we make sure class lists are set up, childrens’ files are ready to go, and everyone is trained and ready for day one.”
“There are a lot of moving pieces once the building is constructed,” Kelton said. “We finish out the interior and landscaping, and our marketing team steps in to develop digital strategies and grand opening plans. We’re doing tours with parents to get enrollment as high as possible before opening, then after opening, our franchisees are handed off to their Franchise Business Coach who will support them with day-to-day contact as they begin to grow their schools.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/childrens-lighthouse
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