Lyricos Learning

Jennifer Bellamine has been in corporate America for her entire career, with roles focused on operations, customer service and marketing, to name a few. She’s always enjoyed the work she’s done, but when she had her son, her family was in need of after-school care for him, and preferred something with an educational aspect to it.That was when she discovered <a href="https://franchise.idealabkids.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=from-mobile-to-brick-and-mortar-idea-lab-kids-brings-in-person-steam-learning-to-its-north-carolina-location-after-pivoting-to-virtual-offerings-during-the-peak-of-covid-19-2719065" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">IDEA Lab Kids</a>, an educational brand that allows kids ages four to 14 to explore their love of science, technology, engineering, art and math. The idea of bringing the concept to her area of Wesley Chapel, North Carolina was appealing, as there was a huge gap in the community for such a thing.“I wanted to fill the need for educational opportunities in after-school programs for the children in our community, not just for my own child,” she said. “I wanted to introduce children to concepts outside the school setting that would encourage their interest level and future aptitude for STEAM and tech-related programming.”Of course, childcare and after-school programming was thrown into disarray during the COVID-19 pandemic and impacted the way in which Bellamine’s IDEA Lab Kids location was able to interact with its students. She first opened in June 2020, offering virtual programming and mobile services where she traveled to students and offered a number of summer camps held at nearby community centers.However, with many companies requiring employees to return to the office and parents in need of somewhere to send their children, Bellamine’s long-term goal of opening a brick-and-mortar IDEA Lab Kids location is finally coming to fruition. She has rebranded her location as an in-person opportunity for the Wesley Chapel community at 5937 Weddington Road.“We know how dedicated Jennifer is to serving the children of the Wesley Chapel community, and by opening a brick-and-mortar location in conjunction with her mobile services, she is providing an endless amount of opportunities for the community,” said Devina Bhojawni, president of IDEA Lab Kids. “The community really responded to our brand’s presence there, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for everyone involved.”<h4>Why IDEA Lab Kids’ Multidisciplinary Curriculum Motivated Bellamine to Sign with the Brand</h4>When Bellamine decided that she was going to solve the after-school programming problem in her community, she knew that she didn’t want to leave out the arts. “IDEA Lab Kids offered a robust program with great support for its franchisees,” said Bellamine. “I like the idea of incorporating the arts into STEM learning, because as an English major that works in technology, creativity is very important to me and I wanted other kids to feel the joy that comes with being able to express themselves creatively.”She added that the multidisciplinary curriculum at IDEA Lab Kids was very appealing to her and knew that it was something that would resonate with her local community as well. “We may be doing a highly engineering project, but what we’ve created has also combined art along with the engineering,” she said. “It’s that approach that introduces children to something that wouldn’t have otherwise been discovered if we didn’t have art and science lessons mixed together.”<h4>How Bellamine Plans to Build on Her Virtual Success to Grow the Brand in the Wesley Chapel Community</h4>Although Bellamine didn’t get the traditional start in a physical location with IDEA Lab Kids, she made the most of it and created processes that allowed her to grow through virtual offerings until she was able to open a brick-and-mortar location.“Making the pivot to continue with opening my franchise location virtually rather than waiting until the pandemic subsided helped me introduce the offerings of IDEA Lab Kids to the community,” she said. “I’ve seen a tremendous response to the programming we offer through social media and mom groups on Facebook, even throughout the pandemic. We have run successful summer camps and mobile after-school programs.”While the past two years have been all about establishing the brand within the community and building its clientele, Bellamine said that now just feels like the right time to open her physical location and give children a place to go after school.“The response we’ve received from the Wesley Chapel community only gives me optimism and hope about the future,” she said. “We have an active community and we plan to continue offering mobile services as well as assisting local school districts in running their after-school programs as well.”Ultimately, Bellamine wants to service the community that needs support and care while parents are working full-time. “It’s a matter of necessity that parents are comfortable with where their children are and know that they are safe,” she added.She also wants to grow enough that she’s able to reach underserved communities and would like to eventually have the ability to offer a scholarship in partnership with public schools. “The need is in public schools having more resources,” said Bellamine. “I want to be a part of building the future and I feel like IDEA Lab Kids is the best way to do that.”Bellamine hopes to be open by mid to late-summer 2022. Registration for summer camps with Bellamine’s IDEA Lab Kids location is open.The startup costs for an IDEA Lab Kids franchise range from $163,000 to $465,000. The franchise fee is $35,500. To learn more about franchising with IDEA Lab Kids, visit https://www.franchise.idealabkids.com.

From Mobile to Brick-and-Mortar: IDEA Lab Kids Brings In-Person STEAM Learning to Its North Carolina Location After Pivoting to Virtual Offerings During the Peak of COVID-19

1851 Franchise

Franchisee Jennifer Bellamine wasn’t able to open a brick-and-mortar storefront for her IDEA Lab Kids location due to COVID-19. More than a year later, she’s impacting the children in her community with both on-the-go and in-person STEAM programs.

This brand page has been paid for by LYRICOS LEARNING. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

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<a href="https://lyricosllc.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=lyricos-learning-supports-hawthorne-school-district-with-innovative-steam-on-demand-program-2726455">Lyricos Learning LLC</a>, the EdTech company operating out of California and Texas, is continuing to grow its popular video streaming and education platform,&nbsp;<a href="https://steamondemand.org/">STEAM on Demand</a>. It delivers hands-on lessons in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.&nbsp;When&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-santana-tulare-union-h-s-54b322111/">Danny Santana</a>, head of California’s Expanded Learning Opportunities Program for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tcsdk8.org/">Tulare County&nbsp;</a>Office of Education, first received a phone call about STEAM on Demand, he wasn’t necessarily looking for a new platform. But he was open to possibilities.“A couple of years ago, I was in my office one afternoon and a phone call came through,” Santana said. “One of STEAM on Demand’s reps was calling and introduced themselves. In that conversation about what they do and what they have to offer, I became interested and agreed to another meeting. I wanted to see the product and a demonstration.”What began as a simple follow-up meeting quickly evolved into a county-wide transformation. After seeing a demonstration of the platform’s standards-aligned, project-based video lessons for TK-8 students, Santana knew he had found something different.“I became very intrigued and impressed,” he said. “I loved what they had to offer and how user-friendly it was. The videos, the insights, everything.”For Santana, the appeal wasn’t just the content itself — it was how accessible it was for his team. Tulare County’s expanded learning programs rely heavily on young college students and facilitators, many of whom do not have formal teaching backgrounds.“The hands-on activities, the enrichment activities — the fun stuff that still follows the standards we provide,” Santana said. “We can do it in a much more hands-on learning environment, and the lessons are very staff-friendly. Most of my staff that works with the kids are young college students, and so having the foundation has been great. The staff is really just the facilitator of the lessons.”Santana oversees programs that span 12 school districts and 30 school sites, serving diverse communities with varying levels of funding. He was determined to ensure that every student could benefit from the same opportunities.According to Santana, the&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/lyricoslearning/lyricos-learnings-steam-on-demand-is-a-stem-plus-arts-platform-that-districts-and-after-school-programs-find-easy-to-roll-out-2722339">STEAM on Demand</a> team met that challenge head-on. “STEAM on Demand worked with me in terms of being able to find a good price that enabled all the districts to have access,” he said. “It was a process, but through those conversations, I got a sense that they were really there for our students, regardless of funding.”What started as interest at a single site quickly grew into a full-scale rollout. Today, the platform supports more than 150 staff members across Tulare County’s expanded learning programs.The onboarding process included in-person training and collaborative sessions.“We had a couple of hiccups with training, but I was able to communicate that with the STEAM on Demand team, and they were very supportive,” Santana said. “They pivoted and listened to some of our suggestions, and we’ve been able to hit a home run because of that support. They are very supportive and solutions-oriented.”For Carolyn Taylor, STEAM Project Specialist and part of the STEAM on Demand team, the Tulare County relationship reflects what the platform is all about:&nbsp;collaboration.“The relationship we have with Danny has been amazing,” Taylor said. “He’s very open and very receptive to all the input we give him and all the support we give each other. He’s a great leader and I believe that makes a big difference.”The&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/lyricoslearning/idea-lab-kids-rolls-out-updated-steam-on-demand-platform-to-better-support-large-school-districts-and-diverse-learners-2727526#franchisor-stories">results inside classrooms and afterschool programs</a> speak volumes. “Our students love it,” Santana said. “We use the platform at least two times a week, but if sites and programs want to do it more, they are more than welcome to. It’s been really great in terms of student engagement.”Looking ahead, Tulare County is exploring ways to extend that engagement beyond the classroom.“We are currently working on some opportunities to bridge our families and set some things up to bring our parents in and have an evening where they can do a STEAM on Demand exercise and activity,” Santana said. “There are a lot of possibilities for the future, but it’s been great so far.”Taylor echoes that excitement for what’s next. “We are excited for the ongoing relationship and the ongoing hopes for growth, not just within the county but also within the school districts they serve and support,” she said. “Being able to have those relationships with the superintendents, as well as the teams there at the site, is great. It’s all about continuing to grow as a team and as a company as well.”ABOUT STEAM ON DEMAND:STEAM on Demand® is a technology platform that offers science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) interactive lessons “on demand” that are designed to be used in a collaborative classroom setting or online. Hundreds of interactive video lessons have been developed as part of the platform’s core content. These kid-tested videos spotlight topics that align with national and state-level curriculum standards across all STEAM subjects and guide teachers and students through hands-on projects. Also included is access to a variety of coding pathways for students of all levels. The platform provides all the content and tools needed to plan and conduct entire afterschool programs.ABOUT IDEA LAB KIDS:IDEA Lab® Kids was founded as a way for kids to explore their love of science, technology, engineering, art and math subjects. The award-winning Houston-based education franchise offers afterschool classes, camps, birthday parties, open labs and much more to children. The brand has positioned itself to be a leader in the growing STEAM education space with franchises in the U.S. and Canada. IDEA Lab Kids franchises are only offered or sold in states where they are registered or compliant with applicable franchise laws.ABOUT LYRICOS LEARNING, LLC:Lyricos® Learning, LLC is the home to IDEA Lab Kids and is also the creator of STEAM on Demand, a leading provider of streaming interactive content and tools for planning and leading standards-aligned, engaging and fun TK-8 STEAM hands-on lessons.

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STEAM on Demand is an engine for engagement and empowerment by equipping facilitators and students with standards-aligned, hands-on learning that sparks curiosity and possibility.

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IDEA Lab Kids Rolls Out Updated STEAM On Demand Platform to Better Support Large School Districts

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The Importance of After-School Programming for STEM Education and Planting Seeds for Future Careers

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From Mobile to Brick-and-Mortar: IDEA Lab Kids Brings In-Person STEAM Learning to Its North Carolina Location After Pivoting to Virtual Offerings During the Peak of COVID-19

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