Shanie and Judy opened their Kiddie Academy franchise, March of 2009 in Gainesville, Florida.
A love of children runs in the family for this mother-daughter team, you’ll definitely notice it if you visit their academy. They have been able to combine their two goals — owning a business and educating children — into one and have been very successful. Their success is shown not only in their enrollment numbers but the support and feedback from their community.
Background: A former marketing director, Shanie began looking for child care for her daughters after moving to a new area. After having an in-home child care business for six years, Shanie and her mother, Judy, were disappointed and uncomfortable with the options in the area. The two discussed starting a new child care business. Judy, who has an background in education, previously worked for a different child care company. After deciding a franchised child care organization was the best option, Shanie and Judy began researching companies. They were impressed by the Kiddie Academy website and overall philosophy, so they, along with their husbands Michael and Ray, visited corporate headquarters. Their trip confirmed their decision and they chose to join Kiddie Academy.
Goals: As owners, Shanie and Judy understand the importance of keeping the business successful. However, their number one goal is the children, and making a difference in the lives they come in contact with every day. They strive to provide children with a safe, nurturing place that they can learn and grow and provide parents with the consideration and service that they wouldn’t get from a competitor.
Challenges: Overall, Kiddie Academy of Gainesville has been extremely successful. The biggest challenge Judy and Shanie faced was finding staff whose level of passion for children and education matched their own. They have been able to overcome this challenge through staff training and positive reinforcement, and leading by example.
Results: Every day, Judy and Shanie see the results of their hard work and dedication — from the smiling faces of their students to the parents who trust Kiddie Academy to care for their children. They have created an environment that is warm and welcoming with stellar customer service, which is consistently praised by their current families. As an added testament to their success, they received the 2009 New Academy of the Year award at Kiddie Academy’s annual conference.
Sounds like they found something that was a win/win in my opinion. They got to enjoy their family and make a difference in the life of other families, through the children. What a great testimony!
*The information in this post has been provided to me. I am partnering with Kiddie Academy Franchising to write a series of posts, however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own. For more please see my disclosure under the PR Friendly tab
Toni Patton
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Thanks for sharing this great story.