Choosing a childcare franchise is a major decision—professionally, financially, and personally. If you're exploring ownership opportunities, knowing the right questions to ask a childcare franchisor can help you evaluate the brand, understand the support you'll receive, and make a more confident investment decision.
While franchise fees, startup costs, and financial projections are important factors, they only tell part of the story. The franchise opportunity you choose should also align with your goals, values, and long-term vision for business ownership.
During the discovery process, asking thoughtful questions can provide valuable insight into a franchisor's educational philosophy, operational support, growth potential, and overall franchisee experience. The answers you receive can help you determine whether the brand is a strong fit for your needs and expectations.
The ten questions below serve as a practical framework for evaluating some of the most important aspects of a childcare franchise opportunity. Use them to gain a deeper understanding of the franchisor's system, including site selection and development, day-to-day operations, marketing support, training programs, ongoing guidance, and opportunities for long-term scalability.
1) What Does an Ideal Franchisee Look Like in Your System?
Not every childcare franchise is designed for the same type of owner. Some systems are best suited for executive leaders focused on strategy and growth, while others require a more hands-on approach. Understanding the traits, skills, and behaviors that align with the franchise model can help you determine whether the opportunity matches your goals and leadership style.
Follow-Up Questions:
- What professional backgrounds are most common among franchisees in your system?
- How involved are franchisees expected to be in the day-to-day operations of their school?
- What does a typical week look like for a new franchisee versus an established franchisee?
- How does the role of a franchisee evolve as the school grows and matures?
- Are franchisees expected to be on-site owners, or can they operate the school through a leadership team?
What to Listen For:
Many leading childcare franchise owners come from outside the education industry, so the franchisor should be able to explain how they help franchisees build the skills needed to lead a childcare business. This question often reveals whether the franchisor is looking for operators, leaders, investors, and/or long-term multi-unit owners and whether you're the right fit for their system.
2) What Key Performance Metrics Should I Use to Evaluate the Opportunity?
When evaluating a childcare franchise, it's important to look beyond the initial investment and understand the metrics that can influence long-term performance. While every market and school is different, strong franchisors should be able to identify the key indicators they monitor and explain how they help franchisees measure progress.
Understanding these benchmarks can also help you compare franchise opportunities, set realistic expectations, and identify opportunities for growth after opening.
Follow-Up Questions:
- What are the biggest factors contributing to EBITDA performance outlined in your Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD)?
- How do occupancy rates vary across mature and newer markets, and what does that indicate about market saturation and future expansion opportunities?
- What tools do franchisees use to track performance over time?
- How does the franchisor help franchisees identify opportunities for improvement?
What to Listen For:
Listen for a franchisor that can clearly identify the key metrics they use to measure school performance and explain what those metrics mean. Their answer should help you understand how they evaluate growth, profitability, enrollment, and operational performance, as well as the tools and support available to help franchisees track and improve results over time. Franchisors should be comfortable discussing the drivers of performance while staying within appropriate franchise disclosure guidelines.
Learn more about The Goddard School's franchise revenue and EBITDA benchmarks.
3) How Do You Help Franchisees Select a Location?
In childcare, location can have a significant impact on enrollment, visibility, accessibility, and long-term growth. Even the strongest educational program may face challenges if it's not located in a market with the right demographics and demand.
An experienced franchisor should have a clear, data-driven approach to site selection and market analysis. Understanding how they evaluate locations can give you confidence that your investment is being built on a strong foundation.
Follow-Up Questions:
- Is there a real estate support fee, and if so, what services are included?
- What demographics do you evaluate when determining whether a market is a good fit for a new school?
- How do you assess demand for childcare and the competitive landscape in a market?
- Do you provide a dedicated real estate team to help franchisees identify, evaluate, and approve sites?
- How do you project enrollment potential and long-term growth opportunities for a specific location?
What to Listen For:
Listen for details about the tools, resources, and support available to help franchisees make informed site selection decisions. This may include market research, demographic analysis, real estate expertise, site approval processes, enrollment projections, and guidance throughout development. Their answer should help you understand both the level of support provided and the role you're expected to play in identifying and evaluating potential locations.
4) How Long Does It Typically Take to Open a School?
Understanding the typical timeline to open a school can help you set realistic expectations, plan your investment strategy, and prepare for key milestones along the way. It also provides insight into the development process and the support available as you move from signing a franchise agreement to opening your doors.
Follow-Up Questions:
- What is the average timeline from signing a franchise agreement to opening day, and what factors most commonly affect that timeline?
- Which stage of the development process typically takes the longest, i.e., site selection, permitting, construction, licensing, staffing, or enrollment building?
- What are the most common reasons schools experience delays, and how do you help franchisees avoid them?
What to Listen For:
Listen for a clear and realistic explanation of each stage of the development process, including site selection, real estate approvals, construction, licensing, hiring, and enrollment building. The franchisor should be able to explain where delays most commonly occur, what support is provided at each milestone, and what resources are available to help keep the project moving forward. Their answer can help you set expectations for the timeline and better understand what will be required of you throughout the process.
5) How Are New Franchisees Trained?
Many childcare franchise owners come from business, healthcare, finance, sales, or other professional backgrounds rather than early childhood education. A strong training program should help franchisees develop the knowledge and confidence needed to navigate school operations, licensing, team development, enrollment growth, and family engagement. Childcare franchisors often emphasize ongoing support, operational guidance, and access to proven systems as part of their franchise model.
Follow-Up Questions:
- What does your initial training program cover, and how is it delivered (in-person, virtual, online, or a combination of formats)?
- Do you offer a mentorship program or opportunities to learn from experienced franchisees?
- What ongoing training, conferences, networking events, or professional development opportunities are available after opening?
- How does training evolve as franchisees grow from operating one school to managing multiple locations?
What to Listen For:
Look for a training program that extends beyond opening a school. The franchisor should be able to explain how they support franchisees through initial training, ongoing education, operational coaching, peer networking, and leadership development. Their answer should give you a clear understanding of the resources available to help you navigate different stages of ownership as your school grows and evolves.
6) What Support Do You Provide During the First 12 Months After Opening?
Opening day is a major milestone, but it's only the beginning of the franchise's ownership journey. The first year is often when franchisees focus on building enrollment, hiring and retaining staff, establishing operational routines, and becoming a trusted part of the community.
Understanding the level of support available after opening can help you evaluate how invested a franchisor is in helping franchisees navigate challenges and build momentum during this critical period.
Follow-Up Questions:
- What are the most common first-year challenges you see, and what resources are in place to help franchisees address them?
- Can you walk me through what support looks like during a typical franchisee's first 90 days, six months, and first year?
- Will I have a dedicated business consultant or operations support contact?
What to Listen For:
Listen for a franchisor that views support as an ongoing partnership rather than something that ends after opening. Their answer should provide a clear understanding of the resources, coaching, and guidance available during the first year, as well as how they help franchisees navigate common challenges related to enrollment, operations, and growth.
7) How Do You Help Franchisees Drive Enrollment?
A strong enrollment strategy is essential to building and sustaining a childcare business. Even in communities where demand for high-quality education is strong, families still need to become aware of your school, understand what makes it different, and feel confident taking the next step. Asking how a franchisor supports marketing, lead generation, and family engagement can provide valuable insight into the resources available to help franchisees grow enrollment and build a strong presence in their local market.
Follow-Up Questions:
- How do you help build brand awareness in the local community?
- What strategies do you use to generate tour requests and family inquiries?
- What digital marketing and advertising support do you provide?
- How do you help franchisees convert inquiries into enrollments?
What to Listen For:
Look for a franchisor that takes a comprehensive approach to enrollment. They should be able to explain how they support franchisees with brand awareness, digital marketing, lead generation, community outreach, and the enrollment process. Understanding the tools, resources, and ongoing guidance available can help you evaluate how the franchisor partners with franchisees to attract and engage families.
8) What Makes Your Educational Program Different?
A childcare franchise's educational philosophy is often one of its biggest differentiators. Understanding the curriculum, learning outcomes, and classroom experience can help you determine whether the brand aligns with what today's families are looking for.
Follow-Up Questions:
- Does your brand have its own proprietary curriculum or educational program?
- What educational philosophy serves as the foundation for the program?
- How do you measure children's developmental progress and learning outcomes?
- How do you ensure consistency in educational quality across all schools?
- What aspects of your educational program are most valued by families?
What to Listen For:
Look for a franchisor that can clearly explain its educational philosophy and how it translates into the classroom experience. The childcare franchisor should be able to describe how children's progress is measured, how educational quality is maintained across locations, how teachers are supported through training and development, and how families are kept informed and engaged. Understanding these elements can help you evaluate whether the educational program aligns with your expectations and the needs of families in your market.
You can also check out our Goddard vs Competition guide to learn what sets top-performing brands apart.
9) What Does a Top-Performing School Do Differently from an Average-Performing School?
One of the most insightful questions you can ask a franchisor is what separates the highest-performing schools in their system from the rest of the network. The answer can reveal whether strong results are driven by factors within an owner's control, such as leadership, culture, community engagement, and operational discipline.
Follow-Up Questions:
- Are the differences primarily due to the operator, the market, or execution of the model?
- What best practices from top-performing schools can be replicated by new franchisees?
- What common mistakes do lower-performing schools tend to make?
- How quickly do top-performing schools typically reach maturity compared to average-performing schools?
What to Listen For:
Look for answers that focus on repeatable behaviors rather than luck or market conditions. Childcare franchisors should be able to clearly identify patterns among their highest-performing schools, whether that's leadership development, staff retention, enrollment management, community engagement, or operational execution.
The most valuable answers will help you understand not only what drives performance today, but also how franchisees can continue to improve and grow throughout their ownership journey. Understanding how to evaluate and track that progress is equally important, which is why prospective owners should know how to measure success in a daycare franchise beyond revenue alone.
10) What Operational Changes Should I Expect When Moving from One School to Multiple Schools?
For many franchisees, opening one school is just the beginning. As they expand into multi-unit ownership, their role often shifts from overseeing daily operations to building teams, developing leaders, and managing a larger organization.
Understanding how the business changes as you grow can help you evaluate the scalability of the franchise model and determine whether the franchisor has the systems and support needed to help owners expand.
Follow-Up Questions:
- At what point do franchisees transition from being heavily involved in daily operations to leading multiple schools strategically, and what does that evolution and school leadership structure look like?
- What leadership and management structure do your most well-established multi-school owners put in place to maintain quality and culture across all locations?
- What responsibilities should remain with the owner, and which are typically delegated as a franchisee expands from one school to multiple schools?
What to Listen For:
Look for evidence that the franchise system is designed to scale. Childcare franchisors should be able to explain how ownership evolves from operating a single location to leading a multi-unit organization. Their answer should include insights around leadership development, organizational structure, technology, operational support, and growth planning.
Pay particular attention to how many existing franchisees have expanded within the system. A franchisor with a strong track record of multi-unit ownership often demonstrates confidence in the brand, repeat investment from franchisees, and a clear pathway for long-term growth.
Check Out These Additional Resources
We hope this article has helped you better understand the questions to ask when evaluating a childcare franchise opportunity.
Asking thoughtful questions throughout the discovery process can provide valuable insight into a franchisor's educational philosophy, support systems, growth potential, and long-term vision. The more informed you are, the more confident you'll be in determining whether a franchise aligns with your personal, professional, and financial goals.
Here are some additional resources you may like to explore:
- Steps to Franchise Ownership with The Goddard School
- 7 Reasons to Become a Goddard School Franchisee
- How to Get Funding to Buy a Childcare Franchise
Are you ready to become part of our expanding network of thriving franchise owners? Reach out to us today to explore the Goddard School franchise opportunity and learn how you can forge your own meaningful journey in early childhood education.