Since 1988, The Goddard School has been committed to helping children gain the skills they need for school and life through a high-quality, play-based learning program. As an industry leader, we have helped to shape and set early learning standards that families trust.
With more than 35 years of expertise in childhood development and franchising, The Goddard School Franchise has grown to support families nationwide with more than 627 schools in 38 states. Our robust, support program ensures that franchise owners like you open a business for yourself—but not by yourself—to ensure that you successfully meet our high early childhood education standards from the very start.
Quality Standards and Curriculum
Each Goddard School provides a safe and caring environment for children to discover the wonder of learning through play and exploration, blending together academics, social-emotional development, and a lot of fun to exceed early learning standards.
Crafted by academically-endorsed experts and backed by the latest research, The Goddard School’s exclusive Wonder of Learning™ education program is designed to embrace how children learn best—through curiosity. Wonder of Learning is the most innovative and well-rounded program to meet early learning standards, as it empowers children to explore their curiosity and ask questions while teachers serve as guides, helping them discover their extraordinary potential. This flexible and highly customizable approach makes learning fun while helping give students an enriched experience as they gain vital 21st century skills, like teamwork, problem-solving and social-emotional relationships.
Teacher Training and Professional Development
Meeting our high standards in early childhood development would be impossible without dedicated and well-trained teachers, staff and franchise owners. That’s why The Goddard School offers rigorous training and ongoing support for our franchisees to foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
From instructional program development, enrollment, and occupancy support to digital marketing, operations, and more, our variety of professional resources are poised to help your school succeed in all the right ways.
Commitment to Safety and Well-Being
Some of the most vital standards in early childhood education aren’t about curriculum at all. As the only early childhood education franchise that has a team dedicated to health and safety, The Goddard School is committed to supporting the well-being of our students through by creating a safe and caring environment. Providing a consistently secure and nurturing space for children to grow and explore is a key foundational block for them to develop a lifelong love of learning.
Each Goddard School follows rigorous protocols to ensure a clean and sanitized classroom environment through strict hygiene practices, regular safety inspections and the use of child-friendly, non-toxic materials. In addition, we implement advanced security measures to safeguard students with controlled entry systems, surveillance cameras and stringent visitor policies.
Parent Engagement and Communication
When it comes to early education and development, it really does take a village. That's why we’re here to support families on their parenting journey by nurturing the connections we all need.
Goddard’s Parent Resource Center allows families to access content designed to help nurture their child’s growth and development, including webinars, videos, blog articles and more, while daily updates from Goddard teachers help families stay connected and spark meaningful conversations at pick-up time.
In addition, our proprietary Life Lesson Library curriculum strengthens the home-to-school connection by combining storytelling, our Wonder of Learning program, and engaging, at-home activities to help children develop core skills like responsible decision-making, self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship skills. By using the resources provided, parents have the chance to engage with what their child is doing in the classroom, building deeper, more meaningful bonds.
Innovation and Best Practices
The Goddard School’s commitment to innovation and implementation of best practices ensures that we meet the highest standards for preschool, early education and development. Our passion for excellence is evident through our exclusive, carefully developed programs that are designed to create a lifelong love of learning that extends well beyond the classroom. From Wonder of Learning, which champions natural curiosity to hone 21st century skills, to Life Lesson Library, which uses the power of storytelling to foster social-emotional growth, our team of expert educators is constantly looking forward to build on our foundation of a play-based learning environment.
In addition, many Goddard Schools have opted to build in extra features for fun, including gyms and multi-purpose rooms, art studios, learning kitchens, exploration rooms, dramatic arts spaces, and specialized outdoor learning environments. Together, these areas all help to bolster learning well beyond the classroom.
Success Stories and Testimonials
The Goddard School’s commitment to the highest learning standards for preschool has helped earn the trust of families all over the country, making us one of the most successful names in the industry. Here’s what some of our parents have to say about us:
“Wonderful staff, great communication, fun learning plans, my children look forward to going to school and they are safe. We've been very impressed by the teachers and how they work with each child and set them up to be prepared academically and socially as they begin elementary school and beyond. While the children certainly play and have fun this is not just a daycare it truly is a school.”
“The teachers and staff really have our kids' best interests at heart. I love that the Goddard schools are mostly standardized in terms of level of care and what products/items they use. We switched between Goddards and it was a seamless transition for our little one. We recommend Goddard to everyone we meet!”
“Not only does the school actually provide the curriculum they say they do, the daily reports and quarterly report cards even from as early as the infant room keep you engaged with what’s going on.”
Many Goddard School franchise owners became familiar with our brands as parents first, allowing them to experience our commitment to excellence from two perspectives. Listen to Sumara and Imran’s experience:
Whether through our innovative curriculum and learning programs, robust training and support, caring approach to health and safety or our focus on the home-school connection, The Goddard School’s commitment to excellence shines through in every area of early education and development. Backed by the praises and success stories of parents, teachers and franchise owners alike, Goddard has proven a solid investment all around. Ready to take the next step in your franchising journey? Click here to set up a call with the franchisee selection manager in your region!
