While many brands like to talk about treating their franchisees like family, fewer have actually made it a top priority. But JAN-PRO , the leading commercial-cleaning franchise, is doing just that—and it’s helping hundreds of families throughout the country live out the American Dream. Since its inception, JAN-PRO has always encouraged its franchise owners to achieve their dreams. Realizing that many families needed help advancing their education, JAN-PRO, fueled by its core value of giving back to its owners and their communities, found a way to help. JAN-PRO executives knew their franchise owners would welcome additional assistance for family members wishing to further their education. With that, JAN-PRO founded the Your Family First Scholarship Program in 2014. That first year, the entire system invested nearly $150,000 in scholarship awards and program support and awarded 70 scholarships in cities across the country. Now, every year, each JAN-PRO office solicits applications from unit-franchise owners and their families and considers applicants based on family income, academic achievement, community leadership, work experience and financial needs. From first-generation college students to aspiring health-care and engineering professionals, these young adults represent the second-generation in their families to advance their potential to achieve the American Dream. Master franchise owners, like Todd Mayo in San Diego, individually participated in the inaugural year to tangibly illustrate how much they value their franchise owners. “Over the last 10 years, it has been a privilege watching the families that I work with grow. I can recall seeing these students walk into their office with their moms and dads,” explained Mayo, the JAN-PRO  of San Diego CEO. “This scholarship program goes beyond a lunch, or a personal handshake. It says ‘thank you’ in a way that positively impacts several generations.” Rich Kissane, president and CEO of Premium Franchise Brands (of which JAN-PRO is a subsidiary along with residential cleaning franchise Maid Right), has spoken at length in the past about how the Your Family First Scholarship Program helps with more than just financial concerns. “So many of our franchisees over the years have told us they joined JAN-PRO in order to build a business and leave a legacy for their families,” Kissane said. “We know there is no greater legacy than a good education, so we realized that giving back in this way would recognize our hard working franchise owners and help their families offset the rising costs of a college education.” The scholarship program comes at a time when parents could use all the help they can get with paying for college, as data shows school-related expenses have risen astronomically in recent years. According to the College Board, the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2013-14 school year was $34,094 at private colleges, $8,893 for state residents at public colleges and $22,203 for out-of-state residents attending public universities. The price of college has risen more than four times faster than inflation since 1978, easily outpacing doctors’ bills. Meanwhile, it’s not just the children of franchisees benefitting from the program. Daniela Stanoycheva, who emigrated from Bulgaria to the U.S. and became a JAN-PRO franchisee, was able to pursue her bachelor’s degree at Virginia Commonwealth University thanks to some financial help from the Your Family First Scholarship Program. “I chose to invest in a JAN-PRO franchise because I am a full-time student with a young son. I needed a job with a schedule I could control,” adds Daniela Stanoycheva, a winner and franchise-owner in Virginia who recently completed her associate’s degree at J. Sargent Reynolds Community College and was awarded $1,000. “The scholarship was unexpected, but it shows how the company really cares about its employers and supports them.” Many of the award winners will be the first generation of their family to attend college. Parents of the winners, who are unit franchise owners from coast to coast, say JAN-PRO’s investment in their families has ultimately reinforced their decision to buy a franchise. “The scholarship program shows us that JAN-PRO is committed to our community,” said Manoj Kumar, unit-franchise owner in Sacramento, California, and father of an award winner. “The major advantage of being a JAN-PRO franchisee is that we can work flexible working hours and meet with other family commitments and functions, which we couldn’t do otherwise. It’s clear that JAN-PRO is committed to doing everything they can to help its franchisees—and their families—get ahead.”