What happens when you mix the interests and educational needs of primary and secondary school children with the entrepreneurial spirit of franchise ownership? The Engineering for Kids and School is Easy brands!
“While we serve markets with some of top educational systems in the world, we still see an insatiable desire from educators, parents and the kids themselves to provide more opportunities and to ensure academic success,” said David Riker, Managing Director of Engineering for Kids and School is Easy. “Engineering for Kids was founded in 2009 and has taken advantage of the boom in educational focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) while School is Easy, which was founded 21 years ago, makes launching and growing an after-school tutoring business turnkey.”
Riker, a franchise industry veteran with previous leadership posts at such brands as Jackson Hewitt, Hertz and Coldwell Banker, has guided the Engineering for Kids and School is Easy brands for the past two years. The brands combine for 69 territories awarded globally. Both are owned by LaunchLife International, which also owns Academy of Learning and Pitman Training, two of the world’s most successful adult learning franchises.
“Our franchisees are incredible people,” Riker said. “Not only are they interested in furthering the lives of young people, but they recognize that their passion can also be their career. They also understand that we can achieve success with a focus on fun, enjoyment, and success. We share that passion, and our franchisees benefit from our rich tradition of operating world-class educational platforms, years of experience in the space, ready-made curriculums, operating, hiring, and marketing programs. We provide the backbone of the business while our Engineering for Kids and School is Easy franchisees work locally to utilize our tools and systems to best connect with parents and referral partners including teachers, school administrators, Board of Education members and community and youth centers.”
Riker pointed out that the demand for tutoring and STEM programming grows each year.
“We’ve seen the estimates that the need for private tutoring is expected to grow by about 10% annually over the next several years,” Riker said. “The ‘learning loss’ that the pandemic brought about has created greater opportunities for our franchisees. We also see that even the youngest who participate in our Engineering for Kids programs are preparing now for the incredible projected increase in STEM-related careers. Our job is to help our Engineering for Kids and School is Easy franchisees build their infrastructure and hire great teachers and tutors so they can make a difference in the lives of young people.”
Engineering for Kids
Engineering for Kids is the premier out-of-school provider of STEM education for children with a presence in 22 different countries. As K-12 STEM education programs continue to become increasingly popular globally, Engineering for Kids sets itself apart with one key differentiator – it makes learning fun.
With Cognia-certified lesson plans, each topic on “Kelvin’s Core Curriculum,” named after the brand’s robotic mascot, serves to complement basic in-school subjects, such as math, chemistry, environmental science, and more. For example, children can get their first taste of chemical engineering by learning how to create their own ice cream in the brand’s “Ice Cream Factory” lesson plan. Students can also take a peek into forensic science as they solve a simulated crime scene in the “Engineer Investigators” course. Our curriculum always evolves, and our franchisees pick-and-choose from a variety of core and new programs.”
Riker pointed out that during next summer’s camp season, an important revenue driver for franchisees, the brand is creating programming tied into a wide variety of science and engineering concepts related to various events at the Olympics. Campers will get to compete against other campers from around the world in a variety of STEM activities.
School is Easy
School is Easy is a leading internationally franchised student tutoring service that has an extensive network for out-of-school enrichment opportunities. It is entrenched in six different countries.
School is Easy provides children with both online and in-person tutoring opportunities in areas such as English, math, science, social studies, and more. In addition to basic curriculum offerings, the brand’s highly qualified tutors also offer specialized assistance for standardized test preparation, such as SAT prep, ACT prep, and FSA test prep. Franchisees utilize one-on-one or small group settings as they utilize the brand’s screening and training regimen to hire and prepare tutors.
“Along with tutors, we also have a unique focus on growing the confidence of our students,” Riker said. “These young people can get easily discouraged when not fully succeeding in school. Our tutors teach them that learning is not limited to just the classroom. The kids are heroic in their desire to improve. We want them to feel like superstars and be the hero of their own story.”
For information about becoming a franchisee, please visit EngineeringforKidsFranchising.com or Franchise.SchoolisEasy.com.