The STEAM Approach

In 2011, entrepreneur and mother of three Ghazal Qureshi became interested in an after-school program that would provide an intellectually stimulating, hands-on educational experience for children—so she created 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 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 US, Canada and Internationally. Idea Lab Kids franchises are only offered or sold in states where they are registered or compliant with applicable franchise laws.

An acronym for Innovate, Discover, Explore, Achieve, IDEA Lab Kids is an enrichment facility that offers diversified revenue streams through onsite after-school classes, pop-up workshops, birthday parties and summer camps. Instead of treating subjects as if they exist in solitary silos, IDEA Lab integrates disciplines to create a full STEAM environment. 

With schools and children across the country struggling to keep up academically due to budget cuts and thinly-stretched resources, it’s comforting to know that franchise brands such as IDEA Lab Kids can help fill those gaps and provide major educational opportunities. IDEA Lab Kids creates spaces where children can explore their interests in STEAM—science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics—all at once and in one place, providing a fun environment for kids and an easy solution for busy parents.

IDEA Lab Kids recruits top talent from nearby universities to empower young learners in a safe, healthy environment. Classes provide a 12:1 student-to-instructor ratio to ensure personalized instruction for students of all levels. With more than 50 innovative STEAM courses, the franchise’s ever-evolving menu of fun and learning experiences has reached more than 25,000 IDEA Lab students and alumni.

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.