Like most businesses, education brand IDEA Lab Kids had to make some dramatic adjustments to contend with the COVID-19 crisis that defined 2020. But unlike most businesses, the 25-plus-unit franchise, which provides STEAM (STEM+Arts) after-school programming for elementary school students, not only survived the harrowing year but thrived, rolling out new programs and onboarding eager new clients as families searched for effective ways to keep students learning. 

Now, IDEA Lab Kids is well-positioned for a strong 2021, and the brand is adamant about making the most of that positioning.

“We’ve made some incredible progress over the past year, and now our goal is to leverage the advancements we’ve made for a strong start to 2021,” said Devina Bhojwani, IDEA Lab’s President and co-owner.

Among those advancements is a new personalized learning program called IDEA Lab Plus, which was designed specifically to offer support for students and families struggling with the shift to virtual learning that disrupted so many lives this year. 

IDEA Lab Plus offers a safe, socially distanced, face-to-face learning environment for students who need in-person support to supplement virtual learning while also adding in some STEAM enrichment during their day. 

The program was designed “to help alleviate some of that extra stress for parents but also to get students out of the house and into a safe, school-like learning environment,” Bhojwani said. “As traditional after-school did not exist this year, the plus program has enabled most of our franchisees to survive the pandemic.”

The franchise has also introduced a new tutoring program, providing a valuable new educational resource for families and a lucrative new revenue stream for franchisees.

According to Fernando Martinez, IDEA Lab Kids’ marketing manager, the decision to add tutoring was made in response to a surge in demand for the service among IDEA Lab members.

“As the first grades of the school year were coming in, families were seeing lower grades across the board, and they were panicking,” Martinez said. “There was a lot of talk amongst our families on how their kids were falling behind, and they were looking to Idea Lab for some support.” 

IDEA Lab Kids has faced its own set of challenges in 2020, but according to Bhojwani, the franchise quickly turned those challenges into opportunities that promise to pay off long after the COVID crisis has passed.

As the brand prepares for the new year, Bhojwani said her team will continue to roll out new programs and resources to support families and franchisees across the country, including new summer camps for 2021.

“Our 2021 camps have brand-new curricula that we are so excited about,” Bhojwani said. “Summer camps are a major component of our growth strategy for next year, and our research and development team under the leadership of Laura Garza, have been working on some really fun, innovative camps.”

Ms.Garza said, "we have developed new camps for our anticipated campers that they would be excited to explore. From DIY Design: Home Decorating to the Fundamentals of Music Production, our campers will experience more independence, curiosity and purposeful play with these new STEAM camps along with our popular camps like Medical Science and Toy Engineering."

IDEA Lab Kids’ recent and future growth efforts have all been supported by a leadership team that Martinez said is laser-focused on leveraging every opportunity available to the franchise. In 2020, that team doubled, from eight members to sixteen, and in July, the franchise welcomed a new investor. 

“It all comes down to leadership,” Martinez said. “2020 was a chaotic time, but we were able to grow and get so much accomplished because we have a team that is dedicated to supporting our franchisees whilst, ensuring impactful experiences for our customers.”

Now, IDEA Lab Kids is planning to build on the unlikely momentum it found during 2020 to expand into new markets across the U.S. First up: Texas, where the brand is currently looking for new owners in Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. After that, the sky’s the limit, according to Bhojwani.

“We see such enthusiastic demand for our programs in every market we enter,” Bhojwani said. “Now more than ever, families are looking for effective, engaging ways to give their children a leg up in their education, and that’s exactly what IDEA Lab Kids provides.”