How Being a Parent Inspired Babz Barnett to Change the Game in the Child Care Industry

Today, Babz Barnett is known for being a major player in the child care industry as the co-founder and president of Romp n’ Roll. But the career path that led her to the growing industry has been far from traditional.

Barnett first started out in the industrial technology and graphic design fields. But soon after accepting her first corporate job, she realized that she was more of a people person. That then led her to pursue a career in sales—Barnett worked as a recruiter before working her way up to a management role. She then moved to New York City to work for a print media company and eventually AOL. That sales stint lasted a little over a decade, and she met her husband—Michael—along the way. But it wasn’t until Barnett had her first child that she started thinking about doing something different in her professional life.

After enrolling and taking her child to a variety of different developmental classes and activities, Barnett realized that there was a glaring disconnect in the industry. Instead of having to bounce from class to class and studio to studio, there should be one center that offers a wide variety of activities for young children and their caretakers. But when she looked for the solution, she wasn’t finding it in any company that already existed. That’s when she and her husband considered creating a concept of their own.

“Michael and I were already looking for a business to buy when we realized that we might have our own idea. We weren’t interested in running a food franchise—we wanted to be a part of a business that was doing good in the world and making a real difference in communities. That’s what first attracted us to the child care industry. But the more we looked into different existing opportunities, we realized that what we were looking for as parents just wasn’t out there,” Barnett said.

To fill that gap and cater to their demand, the Barnetts enlisted the help of child care expert and came up with Romp n’ Roll. The idea was simple—Romp n’ Roll would provide fun and educational programs for both children and their parents. Through movement, art and music classes designed for children between the ages of three months and six years, the brand would serve as a one stop shop for families looking to fuel their child’s imaginations.

However, Barnett knew that there was another major priority that she needed to focus on while building the business outside of the courses being offered: customer service.

“The thing that was always missing for me was customer service. A mom’s time is precious—more often than not, you’re trying to get a day’s worth of things done during nap time. So I never understood why it was so hard to get someone on the phone or speak with somebody in person whenever I needed help,” Barnett said. “As we started building our business, Michael and I realized that we couldn’t be the only parents who felt that way. And it was clear right away that we weren’t—within months of opening up our first location, our classes were crowded and birthday parties were booked. That’s when we realized that we were onto something special.”

Six months after opening up the first Romp n’ Roll location in Virginia in 2004, Barnett was already starting to work on getting a second unit off the ground. That rapid development has been a theme for the brand as it expands through franchising. To date, Romp n’ Roll has 10 locations operating in the U.S., with that number expected to jump to 13 by the end of the summer. The brand also partnered with an international team in China back in 2009 who was interested in bringing Romp n’ Roll to Beijing. There are currently more than 100 locations operating in China.

“International expansion wasn’t something that we were considering right off the bat. But when we were approached by a couple with a strong background in child care that wanted to bring the Romp n’ Roll brand back with them to China, we couldn’t pass the opportunity up. It came at the perfect time when the American economy wasn’t doing as well,” said Barnett. “Now that the U.S. is in recovery mode and in a better spot financially, we’ve shifted our priority back to domestic development. We’d love to bring Romp n’ Roll to new communities across the country because we know that our concept can really make a difference for busy families.”

That desire to help children and their families is what continues to inspire Barnett as she develops the Romp n’ Roll brand. Having launched the concept based on her needs as a mother, she recognizes that there are a ton of other working—and stay at home—moms out there who are looking to bring their child to a center that encourages education in a fun and playful environment. And it’s her goal to tap into that demand by expanding Romp n’ Roll’s reach.

“Life is all about balance. Whether it’s Romp n’ Roll’s equal focus on education and fun or finding a way to divide your time between work and family, it’s crucial to find the combination that works for you,” said Barnett. “Romp n’ Roll started because of my desire to find balance between my personal and professional life. That’s why I think it’s so important for women to act on the ideas that they have. And there are so many powerful women paving the way for entrepreneurs like myself right now, from IBM’s CEO Ginni Rometty to Shelly Sun with BrightStar Care and the IFA. All of our stories go to show that it’s an exciting time to be a woman both in business and in franchising.”