Choosing the best approach to create or run a preschool is a critical decision for aspiring educators and entrepreneurs. When it comes to opening a preschool, you have two options: purchase a preschool franchise or going non-franchise. Each option has its own set of benefits and considerations. In this post, we’ll look at the major criteria to assist you in deciding which option is ideal for your goals and objectives. After all, this is one entrepreneurial opportunity where you get to make a positive difference in the lives of children while making profits. An important decision, however, is whether to set up a play school on your own or to opt for a franchise of an established Day care. Here are the many reasons why we believe you should opt for partnering with an established creche and partake in the benefits of one of the best franchise businesses in India.
Brand Equity
Firstly, if you opt to go with a well-established play school, the biggest thing you benefit from is their established brand equity. It is important to know that while parents are increasingly recognizing the need for quality early education, the space is crowded. In such a scenario parents would like to go with a pre-established name that has made a mark for itself, and which has solid equity in terms of making a real difference in the lives of children. After all, with children being most treasured, you wouldn’t play with their future as a parent, would you?
Brand equity in turn comes from a whole lot of factors. The equity of founders and their credibility has a strong role to play. As does the kind of institution that they have set up. A strong part of it is played by aspects such as what kind of curriculum is taught. The choice of a scientifically designed curriculum goes a long way in the holistic development of children. By contrast, if you set out to develop this curriculum on your own, you may not have access to many insights that are required to develop one. Also, the process of re-inventing the wheel will be marked with several trials and errors that will not bode well for your school.
Mentorship and Support
As a passionate educator, you may be thinking of just the aspect of teaching children and may not have the necessary expertise that is required for garnering admissions, training staff, setting up an operational framework and more. What you will also need is strong technical support that keeps the operation running and ensures that the safety and security of students isn’t compromised at any point. Needless to mention that these are aspects that are hard to achieve as a single-person operation.
The big advantage that you have when you partner with a quality play school is that they hand hold you through the process. Not only do they train your staff, help with marketing efforts and more, but quality Schools will also offer you a minimum admission guarantee, making your venture really risk free. With such schools you will also be able to analyse their success rate, evaluate whether they offer you a buyback option and more. Post evaluation of these parameters, it stands to reason that you will be stress free and be able to focus on what you want to do best- namely make a difference in the lives of children.
Cost Effectiveness
As opposed to setting up a play school from scratch, investing in a preschool franchise is highly cost-effective. With an established school, you will not have to invest in aspects such as curriculum development, marketing, brand building and more. While there will be a franchise fee that will be payable, the return on investments will be substantial. Additionally with quality schools offering you a minimum guarantee on admissions, a buy back guarantee and more, you can rest assured that you have a winner on your hands.
With an established name, you also reap the advantage of economies of scale leading to cost savings.
Other than the cost aspect, the mentoring and support that you receive from the partner will enable you to explore other revenue streams such as summer camps, after school programs and more that will not only increase profitability but also enhance your reputation.
Operational Guidelines and Best Practices
Armed with well documented operation guidelines and best practices, it stands to reason that your operations will be streamlined and that you will offer high quality education and an overall experience that students and parents alike, will cherish.
Long-term sustainability
With a well-oiled machinery, odds are that your preschool builds a positive reputation among parents quickly, giving you the opportunity to leverage this to scale and build a network of Child care. Contrast this with a scenario where you are doing everything on your own and that your efforts are scattered. Despite your best intention then, you may or may not be able to build a strong institution that has a pull amongst parents.
To Sum Up
Go ahead and live your entrepreneurial dream as you partner with an established name in the early education domain. A word of caution here through- the answer to how to open a preschool lies in conducting the due diligence in ascertaining the right brand which is making a real difference in the education space, and which is in sync with your own philosophy towards education.
At Footprints, we are committed to the cause of bringing about holistic development in the lives of our students. Set up by IIT-IIM alumni, our chain of preschools set up across the country benefit from our dedicated team, well-crafted curriculum, and safe, nurturing environment. We are on the lookout for passionate partners who are committed to the cause of early childhood education and who want to make a positive difference in the lives of students by taking on a preschool franchise.
Here’s to raising children who can remain learners for life!