Willowbrae Academy
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Open an Early Childhood Education Franchise With Willowbrae Academy

Entrepreneurs who are wondering how to open an early childhood education franchise can find the ideal solution by joining the Willowbrae Academy franchise network. We set new franchise owners on the right foot with a comprehensive approach to starting their childcare franchises.

Our multi-step process covers everything you need to know in your role as Academy CEO. Our steps to ownership also provide a clearer picture of the advantages of buying a franchise vs. starting your own business. By entering this process with us, we are confident that you will see why becoming a Willowbrae Academy childcare franchisee offers significantly more growth potential than buying a preschool business.

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Step 1

Overview of Your Goals and Decision Criteria

Before we answer your questions about opening an early childhood education franchise, our team will want to ascertain what you hope to achieve through business ownership. With regard to a background in the childcare field, many of our franchise owners bring little to no experience and yet soon discover that our franchise model provides the training, support, and growth potential they need to succeed.

In the first step, we’ll compare our goals, along with how we envision what your Academy will look like and how it will perform in the future. This includes what you hope to gain from franchise ownership and your level of involvement. Willowbrae Academy’s non-operational CEO model allows you greater flexibility in owning a childcare franchise compared to a business plan for a daycare center. If we are aligned on these aspects, we can proceed to the following steps.

Our Ideal Franchisee
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Visual representation
Step 2

Brand Introduction and Discovery

We will provide you with additional information about the Willowbrae Academy brand so you can better understand what separates us from the typical preschool franchise business model. This includes our:

  • Brand legacy and proven success in empowering our franchisees and students
  • Recent growth and recognition throughout Canada
  • Expansion to specific target markets in the US
  • Competitive advantages that position our franchise opportunity as the top childcare option

You will complete a candidate questionnaire that allows us to assess whether our goals align and we can move forward with the franchise agreement and next steps.

Step 3

Due Diligence

The Willowbrae Academy team will provide you with all the relevant information about our franchise opportunity. This includes the following:

  • The most recent version of our Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD)
  • Our Willowbrae Academy business plan and financial model development strategy
  • A copy of the franchise agreement that fully details the nature of our relationship once you sign on to become a franchisee
  • The approval process we follow to confirm franchisee candidates as owners

You are encouraged to review each piece with your legal counsel to ensure you make a fully informed decision. We will also invite you to a Discovery Day, where you’ll have the opportunity to visit one of our corporate Academies.

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Step 4

Funding and Real Estate Partners

The fourth step focuses on some of the most important aspects of starting a childcare franchise, including:

  • Being introduced to funding partners, real estate partners, and other relevant stakeholders
  • Securing financing to cover your investment costs, if necessary
  • Conducting primary market area analysis to evaluate childcare demand

The Willowbrae Academy team works alongside commercial real estate experts to identify and acquire the optimum site for your childcare franchise. We’ll handle the lease negotiations, keeping initial cost affordability top of mind, and set you on a path to building a thriving franchise with strong enrollment.

The Support We Offer
Step 5

Academy Design and Build

The next focus of the opening process is about preparing your new Academy for your grand opening, which includes our support in the following areas:

  • Hiring your Academy Director and ECEs
  • Providing corporate training for you and your Academy Director, as well as other leadership members
  • Assisting with classroom design and facility layout
  • Acquiring pre-licensing approval
  • Planning and executing local marketing and advertising campaigns
  • Awarding and beginning construction
  • Advising on student sign-up and enrollment
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Step 6

Academy Opening and Optimization

The final step consists of everything related to executing your franchise opening and optimizing your performance going forward. We’ll adhere to our shared goals and vision throughout the process as we work together to:

  • Resolve final licensing and other necessary approvals
  • Implement initial systems and processes
  • Celebrate your Grand Opening
  • Build up your franchise’s enrollment to ideal capacity
  • Enhance the student and family experience by adding additional programs
  • Optimize the financial model to generate the best results
  • Consider your options for opening another Willowbrae Academy location
The Support We Offer

Contact Us

Ready to begin your journey to franchise ownership with Willowbrae Academy? Take the first step by filling out and submitting the form below!

START A WILLOWBRAE ACADEMY FRANCHISE OF YOUR OWN TODAY!

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