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Karen Wong, a franchisee with <a href="https://www.franchise.idealabkids.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=idea-lab-kids-to-expand-across-toronto-starting-with-grand-opening-in-richmond-hill-2714706" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">IDEA Labs Kids</a> in Canada, opened the Greater Toronto area’s second IDEA Labs location this past December. And even with the challenge of opening during the pandemic, Wong says she’s excited to bring a new learning opportunity to kids in the community who are eager to get involved in STEAM education.&nbsp;“We’re hoping to have their support for being in the community. Our goal for this school is to get kids learning at home and build on their experiences so that they can have fun. Especially during COVID-19 and locked up periods, kids are itching to move and parents are dying to get them to do something. In a safe environment that we can survive, children’s education won’t be compromised,” said Wong.<a href="https://1851franchise.com/idealabkids">IDEA Lab Kids</a> offers a hands-on educational experience for children ages 4 to 14 to explore their love of science, technology, engineering, art and math subjects through classes, camps and open labs. With 95 assigned locations and 25 already operating, the brand has positioned itself to be the leader of the STEAM education space.Like Wong, Ahsan Raza, Toronto’s master franchisor of IDEA Lab Kids, is thrilled to have the Richmond Hill opened and operating. He says it’s helping the brand take strides toward reaching its goal of dominating the Toronto area.Before signing on with IDEA Lab Kids, Raza spent his time in real estate learning the ins and outs of the market, while his business partner and friend of over 10 years, Kumail Meghani, worked as an accountant for an independent school. Both continue to work in their separate professions, but heir shared passion to spark curiosity and learning opportunities in kids drove the pair to develop the STEAM-based supplemental education franchise all over Canada.Raza, who has been involved in operating STEAM-based community camps over the last seven years, said he was thoroughly impressed with IDEA Lab Kids’ cutting-edge curriculum.“While a lot of other after-school programs offer things that are just certain elements of STEAM, [IDEA Lab Kids] is fully focused on STEAM,” said Raza. “After visiting a few of their locations I was blown away. I thought, ‘This is 10 times better than what I was doing.’”“The curriculum was definitely an eye-catcher,” said Meghani. “And the fact that it was already built for us was huge. We looked at another franchise that was kid-focused, and it didn’t compare. At the top of my list of priorities was curriculum, and IDEA Lab Kids impressed in that department.”&nbsp;Beyond the curriculum, both Raza and Meghani were sold on the strong support available from the corporate level, the franchise training and the brand’s <a href="https://1851franchise.com/idealabkids/idea-lab-kids-launches-new-program-to-help-parents-during-the-pandemic-idea-lab-plus-2713933#brand-latest-stories">quick pivot to support virtual learning opportunities with IDEA Lab Plus</a> when the pandemic hit.&nbsp;“The support that the head office has provided us has been great. This was new for both of us, so that’s been important. There have been changes, obviously, as we navigate through COVID-19, but that support hasn’t wavered. We come to them with our concerns, and we can usually come up with a solution,” said Raza.“We went for hands-on training, and it really reassured us about our decision. We learned things that the kids would be learning and realized these were things we’d never done before, and that got us excited — drones, robotics you name it,” Meghani said. “These things are slowly creeping into the curriculum. STEAM and STEM are the future, and parents are recognizing that.”Raza and Meghani have big dreams for their future with the brand. The pair’s initial growth plan is to open 15 locations across the Greater Toronto area over the next five years, with the goal of making IDEA Lab Kids synonymous with STEAM education opportunities in the area.&nbsp;“The Toronto market has a lot of potential. We’ve lived here our whole lives, and the amount of interest and curiosity surrounding STEAM is visible,” said Raza. “We want to be the most well-known STEAM program in Ontario and hopefully all of Canada. After Toronto, that’s our goal. I don’t think there's a comparable brand that offers all that IDEA Lab Kids does. We can take it nationwide and be just as successful as in the States.”&nbsp;“This next year is going to be a year of expansion. When it comes to education and enrichment programming, we have true advantages,” said Meghani. “That’s where we want to stand out and differentiate ourselves. When you think of STEAM, you think of IDEA Lab Kids. We do have far-reaching goals and visions, but corporate is doing their part in helping us to expand to those other regions.”The startup costs for an IDEA Lab Kids franchise range from $98,100 to $271,000. The franchise fee is $35,500. To learn more about franchising with IDEA Lab Kids, visit<a href="https://www.franchise.idealabkids.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=idea-lab-kids-to-expand-across-toronto-starting-with-grand-opening-in-richmond-hill-2714706" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> https://www.franchise.idealabkids.com</a>

IDEA Lab Kids to Expand Across Toronto Starting with Grand Opening in Richmond Hill

1851 Franchise

Master franchisee Ahsan Raza and his business partner Kumail Meghani plan to make IDEA Lab Kids a household name in Toronto by growing to 15 locations over the next five years — putting its Richmond Hill next on the list.

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IDEA Lab Kids Franchisee Ryan Baker Is Filling the Gap for STEAM in Edmonton, Where Schools Are Seeing an Enrollment Boom 

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Edmonton, Canada, has seen a&nbsp;<a href="https://edmontonglobal.ca/news/canadas-fastest-growing-metro-the-edmonton-region/">sharp population increase</a>, growing 3% from July 2024 to July 2025, the fastest rate in the country. The pressure is also evident in local schools, where enrollment has&nbsp;<a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/school-space-cant-keep-up-with-growing-edmonton-public-student-population">risen by 50% over the past 12 years</a>. With more students in classrooms, STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) can be harder to fit in, which is part of the reason supplemental programs like&nbsp;<a href="https://franchise.idealabkids.com/">IDEA Lab Kids</a> have become a resource for local families. That growing demand for enrichment is what led local entrepreneur&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-baker-048a2065/">Ryan Baker</a> to get involved.&nbsp;“We never had IDEA Lab Kids in the Edmonton area,” said&nbsp;<a href="http://linkedin.com/in/devina-bhojwani-3452053">Devina Bhojwani,</a> president and co-founder of IDEA Lab Kids. “Now, all of our classes are at capacity or running close to it. Our franchisee is running such a strong, quality program.”&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/lyricoslearning/info">IDEA Lab Kids</a> in Edmonton is led by Baker, who spent more than a decade working in the oil and gas sector before moving into more corporate, business development and M&amp;A-style work. Several years ago, he decided to resign from that career and start his own series of businesses. He wanted to invest in a franchise as one of those businesses, while also starting his own company and eventually acquiring other businesses. When he began looking at franchise opportunities, he came across IDEA Lab Kids by chance.&nbsp;“We were in Houston visiting some good friends of ours who had relocated there from Alberta, and went to an IDEA Lab Kids birthday party at one of the locations in the greater Houston area,” Baker said. “Coincidentally, I happened to be in the market looking for something to invest in and it aligned very nicely with some of my business guiding principles. I love the concept and really felt that it would fill a gap here in our community.”Baker opened the Edmonton center in July 2024 after seeing room for a different kind of enrichment option. At the time, many local programs were centered on technology and STEM. IDEA Lab Kids expanded that focus through STEAM, bringing the arts into the mix.One of the biggest areas of adoption for the program in this region has come from its ability to support schools. Baker explained that STEAM is highly inclusive, allowing IDEA Lab Kids to offer a wide range of experiences.“We have four or five different rooms that serve different programs, like a coding room, which holds tech robotics classes. We have a cooking room that's more like a kitchen,” said Bhojwani. “There's a wide variety, and there's something for everybody. So, a family with two different kids and two different varied interests can almost find anything that they're looking for at the IDEA Lab Kids Edmonton.”<h2>The Ways IDEA Lab Kids Supports Schools in Edmonton</h2>In a classroom of 30 or more students, it can be challenging for teachers to provide the kind of small-group, hands-on engagement that deeper STEAM exploration requires. And when school systems are stretched, teachers are often expected to take on a wide range of responsibilities, particularly in early elementary years, where the primary focus is on reading and math. Rather than viewing it as a gap, Baker sees it more as a resource challenge that makes it difficult to fully empower each child to explore topics in depth.“We’ve had tremendous success in the Edmonton area partnering with schools to support curriculum,” Baker said. “That includes opportunities to work alongside educators, offer unique in-school field trip-style experiences and launch in-school residency programs. We’re running lunchtime STEAM clubs and have already completed a full in-school residency where IDEA Lab instructors were present every day for several weeks, supplementing science curriculum for grade four, five and six students during class time. It’s not extracurricular, it’s fully integrated and aligned with the provincial curriculum.”When funding is available through schools or parent associations, these partnerships can help enhance subject areas and give students more opportunities than they might typically receive in a standard classroom setting.One approach IDEA Lab Kids uses is bringing in trained staff to lead hands-on STEAM instruction directly in schools, allowing educators to supplement their curriculum with interactive experiences. Another option allows schools to license IDEA Lab Kids’ curriculum for their own teachers to use. The curriculum is designed to make implementation easier through a video-based format.&nbsp;“It’s kind of like a Netflix for education,” Bhojwani said. “The facilitator plays the video, but it’s not passive. Every minute or so, there’s a pause built in where the facilitator asks questions and keeps the class engaged, and then it moves into the hands-on portion of the activity.”Baker wants more children to have access to hands-on STEM learning, even if their school or neighborhood has fewer resources. He has also worked with local schools on giveback programs. When families use a partner school’s code to sign up for camp, part of the fee goes back to the school’s parent association.<h2>IDEA Lab Kids is Growing in Edmonton</h2>IDEA Lab Kids is in an exciting phase of growth, with several new initiatives in St. Albert and Edmonton. The biggest one is the upcoming launch of IDEA Lab STEAM Preschool this fall.&nbsp;“This will be a fully licensed preschool with a dedicated STEAM focus, which is something we believe is a first for our area,” Baker said. “Most local preschool options are tied to childcare centers, with only a small handful of independent niche programs, so this represents a meaningful step forward in early learning here.”&nbsp;In addition, Baker is launching an after-school STEAM Academy this fall, which pairs structured, instructor-led enrichment programming with direct school pickup three to five days a week.“To my knowledge, this is a first-of-its-kind offering in the St. Albert and Edmonton area,” Baker said. “While school pickup and transportation are typically limited to childcare centers, we are redefining that model by using it to give families access to meaningful, skills-based after-school experiences without having to be a daycare.”<h2>How Franchisees Like Ryan Baker Make a Difference</h2>One of the reasons Baker has done so well in his market is his involvement in the local community. Rather than approaching marketing in a traditional sense, he views it as an extension of relationship-building.“I would say marketing success has come from connecting with the families and getting familiar with the schools,” he said. “We're in a business that provides educational enrichment for children. Your primary market is the schools. Those are where all of your potential customers are. That's where all of your potential families are. So I have focused a lot of time and attention on making sure that we cater to the schools.”Trust is very important in a children’s enrichment business since parents are deciding where to send their children and invest time and money. As a parent himself, Baker understands the importance of feeling confident and safe in those decisions.“Ryan is very aware of his customers' needs,” Bhojwani said. “I think that speaks to how strong a franchise should be, just being aware of the needs in your environment in your market. Edmonton might be different than Calgary or Calgary might be different compared with Toronto. All our markets serve a different niche and Ryan is definitely doing a great job.”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.ABOUT STEAM ON DEMAND®:STEAM on Demand® is a technology platform that offers science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) interactive lessons “on demand” which 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 system offers after-school 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., Canada and internationally. IDEA Lab Kids franchises are only offered or sold in states where they are registered or compliant with applicable franchise laws.The franchise fee of $35,500 provides an assigned territory for establishing a location and for offering IDEA Lab On-the-GoSM. The startup costs for an IDEA Lab Kids franchise can range from $163,000 to $465,000. To learn more about franchising with IDEA Lab Kids, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/lyricoslearning/info.">https://1851franchise.com/lyricoslearning/info.</a>&nbsp;

IDEA Lab Kids Franchisee Ryan Baker Is Filling the Gap for STEAM in Edmonton 

IDEA Lab Kids has seen an overwhelming response in the Canadian city where franchisee Ryan Baker has built partnerships with schools and families to expand access to hands-on STEAM education.

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IDEA Lab Kids - Jennifer Bellamine - Union County, North Carolina - 1851 Franchise

How Jennifer Bellamine Brought STEAM Education to Wesley Chapel with IDEA Lab Kids

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Professor and Mother of Three Wants to Empower Local Youth Through STEAM Education with IDEA Lab® Kids

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IDEA Lab® Kids to Expand in Alberta, Canada with Former Geologist, Ryan Baker

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IDEA Lab Kids to Expand Across Toronto Starting with Grand Opening in Richmond Hill

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