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In so many way, the world seems simultaneously extremely effected and not really effected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Preschool franchising is no different; it seems our mutual evaluation process is in some ways untouched, and in some ways the pandemic has changed everything.

Weighing the Responsibilities

We hold our responsibilities sacred; responsibilities to the children in our schools and the parents who entrust them with us, the teachers who come to work every day counting on us to provide a quality curriculum and a rich, stimulating environment that allows them to engage children in early learning, and to our franchisees who trust us to protect the brand that they have brought into their community. None of that has changed.

However, as the country is re-opening, we have to balance the vetting of potential franchisees with the health and safety of our staff, our children, and our community.

Building Kidz has taken steps in our mutual evaluation process including spending more time with candidates on the phone during our initial Owner Interview (in which the prospect meets the founders of Building Kidz), prepared video tours of our preschools, and encouraged all interactions between franchisees and prospective candidates to take place over the phone or internet.

Building Kidz launched a distance learning platform for out parents within 2 weeks of the National Emergency declared in response to COVID. We began pivoting, looking for and implementing various continuities of services several days before the national emergency was declared. Constantly monitoring the micro and macro business landscape, and being prepared to take fast, decisive action is just one reason why franchisees join our team, but it is a reason that has been highlighted this year. Be sure to ask about our flexibility during your Validation calls!

Why an early childhood education franchise?

The Early Childhood Education industry is growing. From 2012-2017, the industry as a whole grew 2.9% annually. The franchise section of the industry, however, had an annual growth of 5.1% in the same amount of time (2011-2016). This growth is due to the fact that the demand for high-quality preschools is increasing. Unemployment rates are dropping, and more parents are returning to work. As they do so, these parents want be sure their child’s needs are taken care of, and not just their physical needs. Parents are increasingly aware of the importance of a quality education for the young ones. Thus, parents put more emphasis on finding a preschool that will meet the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual needs of their children. And this is exactly what Building Kidz does.

Why Building Kidz?

We have a proven, proprietary curriculum that integrates the performing arts for whole child development and academic excellence. Children sing and dance while they learn literacy, mathematics, and other subjects. Our children also receive a music, dance, theater, and foreign language class weekly. Our 3 to 6-year-old children participate in one recital and one broadway-style performance each year. These programs help instill confidence and commitment in each child. Confidence in standing up and speaking in front of others, and the confidence that they can accomplish big tasks. Our children gain a deeper understanding of commitment by learning a piece or script, and diligently rehearsing it until performance day arrives. This commitment and confidence, gained at an early age, will help them be more successful students and citizens as they grow. It is this model and curriculum that has helped us grow the way we have.

In fact, last year alone, we had a 100% increase in units. Due to this growth, Franchise Direct has recognized Building Kidz in an article detailing the Top 100 franchises in the country. While we are not a Top 100 franchise (yet), we are in the top 20% of emerging franchisors in the country. The article even includes a short interview with our Director of Franchise Development, Michael A. Peterson. In that interview, he states another reason why Building Kidz is experiencing such growth. He says:

“Everything Building Kidz does is focused on one thing: to touch the lives of 1 million children in our founder’s lifetime without compromising the quality of care for even one child. We do this using our own schools, our franchised campuses, as well as dedicating 25% of the franchisor’s profits to underprivileged children.”

The founder’s of Building Kidz hold this mission close to their hearts. It is not something they want to do, it is something they will do. With that determination, any new franchisee can expect a franchisor that will provide full support in all aspects of starting a new business. A recently signed franchisee says, “Before we even signed, Building Kidz was providing strong support and concrete answers for all of our questions. Since signing, they have been there every step of the way. They are professional, helpful, and completely committed to their mission, which has now become our mission.”

To learn more about becoming a franchisee, click here.

Drama is something that is a large part of junior high and high school curriculums. They study the classics: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet. When we talk about drama and Early Childhood Education (ECE) within Building Kidz, though, it is not studying drama. It is all about participating in drama and the performing arts to enhance and accelerate academic learning and whole child development.  The idea of integrating drama with ECE has been discussed and studied in great depth. Multiple articles delve deep into drama and education, but here we will discuss it simply. (Links to in depth articles are provided at the end this post).

Drama and literacy have been shown to go hand in hand. Before a children can become literate, each child needs to learn basic verbal communication skills. This is where drama can, and should, play a large role in young children’s lives. As children engage in acts of drama, in enacting scenes about the world around them, they begin to learn and understand the world at a different level. Allow children to sing, dance, and perform daily acts about the letter “E” and they will gain deeper understanding of its use in their speaking, reading, and writing. As we continue to apply this for more advanced topics, the outcome is the same. Margaret Meek, author of multiple educational books, has said that  “drama strategies make public the secret things that expert readers know and do so that these usually invisible strategies will be made physical, external, and concrete.” Whether it is the role firemen play in our community, how to make friends, or the three forms of water, studies show that using drama to teach ideas increases and deepens understanding.

Drama and Emotional Well-Being

Drama can also be used to teach children about their emotions. What it means to be happy, sad, or angry-and how to handle these emotions. Provide them with scenes to act out about these emotions and they gain a more concrete knowledge of what emotions mean in a real-world context. What should I do if a friend is sad? Or if a friend does something that makes me angry? Giving children the chance to act these situations out with a teacher’s guidance gives them the opportunity to learn how to act as such experiences will inevitably come their way.

Another important aspect of drama is that it helps instill confidence in children. While studies have shown this fact, the best way I can describe its effectiveness is how it helped my oldest son build confidence during First Grade. Towards the end of his First Grade year, we were in the process of adopting him and his brothers. This was obviously a difficult time for him, and he tended to be shy. Then the school talent show came around, and he told us he wanted to do a dancing act with a friend. We helped them rehearse and the day of the talent show came faster than we expected.

He was nervous all day, but when he got up on stage we all saw a happier and more confident version of him. He danced his heart out, a beaming smile on his face the entire time. Everyone thought he did a great job, and they told him so. His confidence jumped up. Since that point, he is much more confident. He makes friends easier. And he understands that he can do big and difficult things.

It is experiences like this that we love seeing at Building Kidz. It is why we do what we do. Each and every child is provided the opportunity to learn and grow through drama, in small and big ways.

Sources for further reading:

Integrated Arts Approaches in Education

In the Beginning: You Children and Arts Education

Importance of Drama in Preschool Education

Children and Foreign Languages

When I was in high school, we had some family friends come to visit that I had never met before. They had two young girls, about 3 and 5 years old. As I talked with them, I found out that the 5 year-old girl was just as fluent in French as she was in English. I was shocked, and impressed. There I was,a high school student struggling through Spanish class, sitting next to a bilingual 5 year-old. As I talked to her dad more, I found out that they had been talking to both of their girls in French and English since they were born. While I didn’t know it then, it turns out they were on the right track to teach their children a foreign language.

According to Earlychildhood News, research shows that the preschool years are the most crucial for language development in children. The article states that, during the preschool years, “learning a second language is as easy as learning the first” (earlychildhoodnews.com). The article goes on to talk about pediatric neurologist, Harry Chugani. Chugani talks about how important the preschool years are to language learning and development, and that “by the time a student reaches high school, the optimum learning period is lost.” When the world is growing smaller due to technology and people from different backgrounds are interacting on a more regular basis, it will greatly increase a child’s success to learn a second, or even third, language.

The best example of language learning in preschools is actually found in Sweden. One of the highest literacy rates in the world belongs to Sweden, and multiple languages are taught from an early age. “In these schools you will find three-year-olds speaking three different languages fluently” (earlychildhoodnews.com). This seems almost impossible, but it works because these schools “use sensory stimulation and play combined with language learning,” just as Building KIdz does.

Building Kidz and Foreign Language

Just as our curriculum incorporates academics with dance, music, and theater, we also bring Spanish into the classroom on a daily basis. This is due to the research discussed above, but also because of the secondary benefits that come from learning a second language at a young age. The two main benefits are that it will “feed their brains” and “boost their academic achievement” (leadwithlanguages.org). Learning a second language increases multiple academic and life skills, like problem-solving, critical thinking, listening, and multitasking. Children who speak more than one language also have increased reading, writing, and listening skills.

At Building Kidz, we want all of our children to receive these benefits. Each age group is introduced to Spanish in multiple ways. Our children hear Spanish from their teachers, from music, and from books. It is implemented through each day and week in order to help them achieve in all aspects of their lives.  

Early Socialization

We all want our children to have friends, to understand how to interact with others, and ultimately be successful members of society. A large part of our children achieving these goals is giving them the opportunity to socialize with children and adults. According to Ron Spreeuwenberg on HiMama.com, “Language, teamwork, sharing and respect are some of the key socialization benefits of early childhood education.” As children interact with their peers, they learn the importance of these skills, and how to use them.

Language exponentially increases as children interact and communicate with their peers, especially under a teacher’s guiding influence. They learn how to ask to borrow a toy, or go to the bathroom, or to say a kind word to a sad friend. It is truly by socialization that children learn how to treat and respect others, as demonstrated and taught by caring teachers. This is because, “During early school years, a teacher provides structure and discipline in a child’s day” (mom.me). While the children figure out how to learn, work, and play within this structure they are also learning how the world works. How the world around affects them, and how they affect the world. 

Recently, we experienced this with our second-grader. He is our oldest, and is usually the one who wants to make his parents and teachers happy by always doing “the right thing.” As he has made more friends and gotten close with them, though, he has had to figure out the appropriate times to interact with them. A few separate times this year, he came home with what the public school refers to as a “red day.” The reason for that color was that he kept talking with his friends while the teacher was teaching, or during independent work time. May wife and I learned two things from this. First, he was making friends! Second, he was learning that there is an appropriate time to interact with his friends. And when he interacts with them at the wrong time, it is disrespectful to his teacher and to students trying to learn. These are the types of socialization experiences that will help children ultimately be successful members of society. They are also the experiences that we provide to all children at Building Kidz Schools.

Building Kidz and Socialization

The Building Kidz’ curriculum is based on integrating the performing arts with academics. Children are given the opportunity to act out scenarios that they might encounter in real life, and watch others act them out as well. The children are also to talk, express themselves, and tell stories to one another. In the same article on HiMama.com, Ron Spreeuwenberg states, ” Spending time in a child care setting can contribute positively to a child’s understanding of the spoken word as he or she engages in storytelling, dramatic play, or simply through conversation with others.” As children gain socialization in these ways, their language and respect increase dramatically. Each child at Building Kidz receives such socialization, and will grow exponentially while enrolled in our programs.