At KLA Schools of North Bay Village in Florida, owner Sophia Zamor starts each day where her community begins: at the door. “I usually try to arrive a little before 8:30 — that’s when our teachers are due to arrive,” she said. “I want to make sure I’m greeting everyone. It gives me a little time to check in before they start their day and make sure they’re entering in a good, positive emotional state.”
By 8:45, the building is humming. “That’s my favorite part of the day — greeting our students as they come in, chatting with families as they arrive or spending some time in the piazza while families connect,” Zamor said. “I’m available for questions or impromptu meetings if something comes up.”
That early-morning ritual sets a tone that is equal parts warmth and intention. “Greeting the students. It sets the tone for what we do — we want to build a community,” she said. “We want not only the children but the parents to know that when they come into our school, they’re joining a community.”
Those moments also sharpen the school’s support system. “Being there at the very start of the day and doing a check-in helps me know what’s going on in our families’ lives,” she said. “Maybe there’s a pregnant mom, a parent traveling and the other is doing drop-off, or someone is caring for an ailing parent. Big life events happen.”
From there, the rhythm turns to leadership and learning. Zamor meets with her coordinator and director, looks ahead and gets into classrooms. “I’m a big believer in ‘inspect what you expect,’” she said. “We have very high expectations for the quality we want to see in our schools, so our presence in the classroom is very important to make sure this is a school we stand by — one we’d love our own children to attend.”
Her day mixes observation with coaching and care, with professional development built into the cadence. “Throughout the day, I have meetings with parents who have concerns about their children or want to share things with us,” she said. “Depending on the day, we have professional development for our teachers that’s run by my pedagogical coordinator. My background is not in pedagogy. I know a lot now about the Reggio philosophy, but both my director and my pedagogical coordinator take care of that. I act as a director with her. That’s my role in the school.”
“At the end of the day, I like to be at the front when the children are picked up at 3:00,” Zamor said. “In the afternoon, I meet with teachers to go over observations from their classrooms. I typically leave around 5:30 or 6:00, depending on whether my children have soccer.”
While the day-to-day schedule is predictable for the most part, Zamor says it’s important to remain flexible. “You have to be ready for anything,” she said. “You might have your day planned out and something happens, and you have to be ready to catch that ball right away. Being adaptable is a very big part of this work.”
Zamor’s professional path — industrial engineering, strategic planning at a Fortune 5 company, brand marketing for Huggies in Latin America and a leadership role in her family’s beverage company in Haiti — prepped her to run a complex, people-centered business.
“Professionally, I’ve had many career iterations,” she said. “That work taught me a lot about motherhood and parenthood, which helps me today because we did a lot of studies to provide the best product for families.” Serving on her children’s school board also lit a spark. “That’s when my passion for education really took root — seeing the impact we can have on children when we build a strong school with a strong community around it.”
KLA’s Reggio Emilia approach was a shift from the rigidity of Zamor’s own education. “I was brought up in a very traditional educational system,” she said. “I went to an all-girls Catholic school in Haiti, which was very rigid. You had to do things a certain way or you were not successful.”
Zamor credits the Reggio method for reframing learning. “The beauty of Reggio for me is that a child has a hundred languages, and it’s our role to help them discover those hundred languages,” she said. “That freedom to be curious and to develop a love of learning you carry with you for the rest of your life is what makes the Reggio philosophy so special.”
The proof is in the progression. “We see it here when our children start very young and then we see our graduates in the fours,’ where it all comes together — the scaffolding of learning, reaching milestones and blossoming,” Zamor said. “Seeing them leave our school is just magical.”
On the business side, Zamor is clear-eyed about how quality drives growth. “We were the second franchisee of KLA, so we’ve grown with KLA and are happy to see all the tools that have been added. What hasn’t changed is that KLA has always been a great partner,” she said. “This is the most rewarding thing I’ve done professionally and it has a big impact on my personal life, but at the end of the day it’s also a business. We get support from the franchise to be successful.”
For Zamor, the equation is simple and demanding. “Providing quality is at the heart of what drives profit in this business,” she said. “Your values align with being successful in both the rewarding educational side and the business side. That’s what keeps families referring us and keeps the business growing and profitable—because we believe in what we do and deliver it every day.”
Asked what she tells prospective owners, Zamor doesn’t sugarcoat the commitment. “It’s life-changing,” she said. “When we first started the school, I wasn’t living in Miami, and I think it makes a huge difference when one of the owners is present in the school. No one is going to care about your school the way you do. I have a very strong team that supports me, but owner presence is very important.”
Her final test is straightforward and steeped in the same values that shape her day. “You have to ask yourself if you’re ready for the commitment of being in the school and providing the quality that is expected.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/kla-schools.
KLA Schools
SPONSORED
Sophia Zamor lays out the daily rhythm of a KLA Schools franchisee and explains how purpose, passion and profit come together in one inspiring business model.
At KLA Schools of North Bay Village in Florida, owner Sophia Zamor starts each day where her community begins: at the door. “I usually try to arrive a little before 8:30 — that’s when our teachers are due to arrive,” she said. “I want to make sure I’m greeting everyone. It gives me a little time to check in before they start their day and make sure they’re entering in a good, positive emotional state.”
By 8:45, the building is humming. “That’s my favorite part of the day — greeting our students as they come in, chatting with families as they arrive or spending some time in the piazza while families connect,” Zamor said. “I’m available for questions or impromptu meetings if something comes up.”
That early-morning ritual sets a tone that is equal parts warmth and intention. “Greeting the students. It sets the tone for what we do — we want to build a community,” she said. “We want not only the children but the parents to know that when they come into our school, they’re joining a community.”
Those moments also sharpen the school’s support system. “Being there at the very start of the day and doing a check-in helps me know what’s going on in our families’ lives,” she said. “Maybe there’s a pregnant mom, a parent traveling and the other is doing drop-off, or someone is caring for an ailing parent. Big life events happen.”
From there, the rhythm turns to leadership and learning. Zamor meets with her coordinator and director, looks ahead and gets into classrooms. “I’m a big believer in ‘inspect what you expect,’” she said. “We have very high expectations for the quality we want to see in our schools, so our presence in the classroom is very important to make sure this is a school we stand by — one we’d love our own children to attend.”
Her day mixes observation with coaching and care, with professional development built into the cadence. “Throughout the day, I have meetings with parents who have concerns about their children or want to share things with us,” she said. “Depending on the day, we have professional development for our teachers that’s run by my pedagogical coordinator. My background is not in pedagogy. I know a lot now about the Reggio philosophy, but both my director and my pedagogical coordinator take care of that. I act as a director with her. That’s my role in the school.”
“At the end of the day, I like to be at the front when the children are picked up at 3:00,” Zamor said. “In the afternoon, I meet with teachers to go over observations from their classrooms. I typically leave around 5:30 or 6:00, depending on whether my children have soccer.”
While the day-to-day schedule is predictable for the most part, Zamor says it’s important to remain flexible. “You have to be ready for anything,” she said. “You might have your day planned out and something happens, and you have to be ready to catch that ball right away. Being adaptable is a very big part of this work.”
Zamor’s professional path — industrial engineering, strategic planning at a Fortune 5 company, brand marketing for Huggies in Latin America and a leadership role in her family’s beverage company in Haiti — prepped her to run a complex, people-centered business.
“Professionally, I’ve had many career iterations,” she said. “That work taught me a lot about motherhood and parenthood, which helps me today because we did a lot of studies to provide the best product for families.” Serving on her children’s school board also lit a spark. “That’s when my passion for education really took root — seeing the impact we can have on children when we build a strong school with a strong community around it.”
KLA’s Reggio Emilia approach was a shift from the rigidity of Zamor’s own education. “I was brought up in a very traditional educational system,” she said. “I went to an all-girls Catholic school in Haiti, which was very rigid. You had to do things a certain way or you were not successful.”
Zamor credits the Reggio method for reframing learning. “The beauty of Reggio for me is that a child has a hundred languages, and it’s our role to help them discover those hundred languages,” she said. “That freedom to be curious and to develop a love of learning you carry with you for the rest of your life is what makes the Reggio philosophy so special.”
The proof is in the progression. “We see it here when our children start very young and then we see our graduates in the fours,’ where it all comes together — the scaffolding of learning, reaching milestones and blossoming,” Zamor said. “Seeing them leave our school is just magical.”
On the business side, Zamor is clear-eyed about how quality drives growth. “We were the second franchisee of KLA, so we’ve grown with KLA and are happy to see all the tools that have been added. What hasn’t changed is that KLA has always been a great partner,” she said. “This is the most rewarding thing I’ve done professionally and it has a big impact on my personal life, but at the end of the day it’s also a business. We get support from the franchise to be successful.”
For Zamor, the equation is simple and demanding. “Providing quality is at the heart of what drives profit in this business,” she said. “Your values align with being successful in both the rewarding educational side and the business side. That’s what keeps families referring us and keeps the business growing and profitable—because we believe in what we do and deliver it every day.”
Asked what she tells prospective owners, Zamor doesn’t sugarcoat the commitment. “It’s life-changing,” she said. “When we first started the school, I wasn’t living in Miami, and I think it makes a huge difference when one of the owners is present in the school. No one is going to care about your school the way you do. I have a very strong team that supports me, but owner presence is very important.”
Her final test is straightforward and steeped in the same values that shape her day. “You have to ask yourself if you’re ready for the commitment of being in the school and providing the quality that is expected.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/kla-schools.
Sign up for the 1851 Franchise newsletter to get our biggest stories before everyone else
By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy.
No related articles found
