Franchisor Stories
Franchise Opportunity Deep Dive: A premium, research-backed early childhood education franchise with 640+ U.S. schools, strong brand rankings and a data-driven play-based curriculum.
The Goddard School is a nationally recognized preschool and child care system delivering play-based, academically informed early education for infants through pre-K. It couples a proprietary curriculum with robust family communication and quality-assurance standards across a large, franchisee-owned network.
The Goddard School concept began in Pennsylvania in 1983. It began expanding via franchising starting in 1988 under entrepreneur Anthony A. Martino (also known for founding Midas & AAMCO). Today the system is led by Darin Harris, CEO of Goddard Systems, LLC, supported by an executive team spanning development, academics, marketing and technology.
Mission: Empower families to raise healthy, happy and successful children through high-quality early childhood experiences.
Vision: Deliver research-based, scalable early learning that fosters a lifelong love of learning while strengthening communities.
Active expansion is highlighted in (but not limited to) Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, San Diego, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Salt Lake City. Visit the brand’s franchise development website for more information on franchising opportunities with The Goddard School.
Initial Costs: The estimated initial investment required to begin operation of a The Goddard School franchise ranges from $902,500 to $8,568,000, depending whether you lease or purchase. The 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) breaks these costs down as follows:
Type of Expenditure | If You Lease and Landlord Constructs Improvements | If You Lease and Find a Building That Needs Improvements | If You Purchase the Land and Build the School |
| Initial License Fee | $135,000 | $135,000 | $135,000 |
| Initial Training & Opening Support Fee | $35,000 - $42,000 | $35,000 - $42,000 | $35,000 - $42,000 |
| Initial Marketing Fee | $55,000 - $75,000 | $55,000 - $75,000 | $55,000 - $75,000 |
| Site Development Fee | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 |
| Background Check (up to 4 individuals) | $1,500 - $6,000 | $1,500 - $6,000 | $1,500 - $6,000 |
| Convention Deposit | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Lease Deposit | $20,000 - $50,000 | $20,000 - $50,000 | — |
| Land Acquisition Cost | — | — | $600,000 - $1,400,000 |
| Building Construction/Site Work | — | $500,000 - $3,000,000 | $3,500,000 - $5,500,000 |
| Building Loan / Finance Costs | — | $30,000 - $220,000 | $200,000 - $300,000 |
| Construction Manager | — | — | $0 - $50,000 |
| Environmental/Soil Testing | — | — | $0 - $5,000 |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment | $218,000 - $263,000 | $218,000 - $263,000 | $218,000 - $263,000 |
| Playground Equipment | $140,000 - $240,000 | $140,000 - $240,000 | $140,000 - $240,000 |
| Marketing Materials, Stationery, Forms & Curricular Resources | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Signs | $20,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| Computer System, IT Security, Telephone & Digital Signage | $26,000 - $40,000 | $26,000 - $40,000 | $26,000 - $40,000 |
| Security System | $40,000 | $40,000 | $40,000 |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs | $120,000 - $135,000 | $120,000 - $135,000 | $120,000 - $135,000 |
| Additional Funds (3 Months) | $100,000 - $275,000 | $100,000 - $275,000 | $100,000 - $275,000 |
| Total Estimated Initial Investment (School) | $952,500 - $1,363,000 | $1,482,500 - $4,583,000 | $5,232,500 - $8,568,000 |
Initial Franchise Fee: The initial fee required to begin operation of a franchise is $135,000, typically due upon signing the franchise agreement. Qualifying military veterans may be eligible for a $20,000 discount on their first franchise.
Ongoing Fees: According to the 2025 FDD, The Goddard School franchisees are responsible for the following ongoing payments and fees:
| Type of Fee | Amount |
| Royalty Fee | 7% of gross receipts (standard)/month |
| Brand/Marketing Fund | 4% of gross receipts (system fund)/month |
| Proprietary Curriculum Fee | $700/month |
| Local Advertising | Franchisee’s cost |
ROI Potential: According to the 2025 FDD, the 596 schools open for over 18 months reported the following gross revenue for FY 2024:
Average | Median | High | Low |
$2,417,129 | $2,267,646 | $6,411,013 | $574,494 |
Goddard provides market and location analysis, site validation, introductions to specialized brokers/developers and lender connections to streamline real estate selection and financing.
Fanchisees receive a blend of virtual and in-person training that covers enrollment, staffing, operations and academic implementation, with ongoing courses and field coaching.
Dedicated franchise consultants conduct scheduled on-site visits; a standards team oversees health/safety and quality assurance; central marketing and communications teams run digital campaigns to drive occupancy and protect brand reputation.
Franchisees benefit from curriculum and assessment tools (Wonder of Learning™), a family-communication app, centralized marketing dashboards and system reporting support daily operations and quality at scale.
Professional backgrounds vary (business, health care, education, etc.); child care experience is not required. U.S. citizenship or a green card is required for ownership.
Each school must have an on-site owner or on-site operator providing day-to-day leadership. Semi-absentee ownership is not the model, and active leadership is expected.
Goddard maintains relationships with nationwide lenders and provides guidance through SBA and conventional loan processes.
“The educational support and the overall operational guidance is just phenomenal.”
- Imran Ahmad, Multi-Unit Co-Owner — New Jersey
“The policies are all in place for you in order for you to run your own business. We follow our processes, we follow our quality assurance at Goddard, but we can add additional things to our schools … We can customize our classrooms as to what our children's interests are. These children are going home happy.”
- Sumara Ahmad, Multi-Unit Co-Owner — New Jersey
The United States child care market is estimated at $65.1 billion and projected to reach around $110 billion by 2033 with a CAGR of 6.0 percent. Demand remains elevated as more parents return to in-office work and as states expand early education support. Meanwhile, 65 to 70 percent of U.S. children under 6 have all available parents in the workforce, underscoring structural demand for dependable early learning.
Goddard competes with national and regional providers such as Primrose Schools, KinderCare, Bright Horizons, The Learning Experience and Lightbridge Academy. Goddard’s differentiators include a large, franchisee-owned U.S. footprint and brand recognition; a research-informed proprietary curriculum and advisory board; and centralized marketing plus rigorous standards oversight that drive occupancy and consistency.
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