Wendy Barry opened her Kiddie Academy franchise on March 15, 1993 at the age of 35. Her focus on education has proven that the Kiddie Academy’s child care model is not a typical day care.
Background: As its first franchisee, Wendy Barry has a long, rich history with Kiddie Academy. Prior to becoming a franchisee, she spent 10 years as a special education teacher at a high school in Maryland. Wendy began looking into a child care franchise after the birth of her daughter, Taylor. After reading an article in her local paper about the Millers, who were looking to begin franchising their child care company, Wendy arranged a meeting to discuss the possibility of becoming a franchisee. The Millers’ educational philosophy matched hers, and she was impressed by the overall business. She automatically knew Kiddie Academy was the right fit for her — both professionally and personally.
Goals: With a strong background in education, Wendy is continually focused on achieving the highest educational standards. She became MSDE approved for her four-year-old program and is currently working to achieve the MSDE (Maryland State Department of Education) Early Childhood Accreditation. Wendy looks to continually build her enrollment and rapport with her current families and the local community.
Challenges: Being the first Kiddie Academy franchisee has its advantages, but it also presented a challenge for Wendy when opening her location. With no other academies in the area, she was faced with a lack of brand awareness and peer support that future franchisees would benefit from. However, her status as the only franchisee offered her the ability to have the corporate staff’s undivided attention and assistance. With that, and her hard work and dedication, she was able to overcome all challenges.
Results: Wendy is thrilled at how her business has grown and progressed. For the last 17 years, she has provided a safe environment for children to learn and a place that parents can rely on for the care of their children. She receives positive feedback from her families and enjoys a terrific reputation within the community. Wendy and her academy have won numerous awards and accolades, including: Brand Champion Award, #1 Child Care in Cecil County for 2009 and 2010, and the 2010 Director of the Year Award. She also takes pride in knowing she has offered her employees a work place that has helped achieve their career goals. *The information in this post was provided from this document*
When I read about Wendy’s success along with the challenges she faced along the way it just reiterated that this is something anyone who has the desire can do! I love sharing these case studies with you. I have about 3 more coming over the course of the next several weeks so be on the watch out for those and see how people turned their dreams of owning their own business into a reality! If you are looking to own your own business and you think this is right for you read up on how you can get started by visiting the Kiddie Academy website.
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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I don’t think I have ever heard of this company. Thanks for sharing