Franchisee Spotlight: Neeti Agarwal

Neeti Agarwal and her husband are both engineers by trade, so when they heard about Engineeringfor Kids, they knew they could utilize their background to transition to this opportunity.

Neeti came to the United States 15 years ago with her husband to work in the engineering profession. Her husband is an industrial engineer and Neeti an electrical engineer who has been in the digital analytics business for Comscore for the past eight years. Before that, partly as a need to stay home to raise her kid, Neeti worked as a freelancer and consultant in the analytics business.

What do you have coming up to launch your Engineering for Kids business?

We have an open house planned for May 11 showcasing activities from our curriculum. We have hands-on activities planned for children such as designing and constructing rockets, roller coasters to robotics, and much more! 

How did you learn about the brand?

I have a 12-year-old daughter and was looking for after-school programs that can teach her Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics concepts through hands-on activities. I found EFK doing a Google search. Once I looked into the curriculum and program I knew it was a right fit for me.

Why did you choose an opportunity with Engineering for Kids?

I came to this country 15 years ago. This country has given me so much; I was looking for a way to give back to the community. I found the perfect opportunity through EFK. I love the curriculum. EFK makes learning fun.

Are you involved with any charities or do any community outreach with your business?

I recently worked with the middle Tennessee Girl Scouts on STEM stimulus day. I was there to talk about electrical engineers and did a small workshop on building a circuit from the EFK curriculum. I am looking forward to doing more outreach activities like this.

What will your staff be like when you offer the summer camps?

Right now, I have six part-time teachers and they’re going to teach the summer camps, but I’ll be there to supervise the EFK curriculum. Our teachers have a higher education background, whether currently in school, recently graduated, or seasoned educator; some are even Engineers! Each instructor goes through a national background check and complete training on our curriculum and classroom management. Our student teacher ratios are the lowest! 

What are your expansion or development plans? What is your end goal with Engineering for Kids?

My end goal will be to collaborate with schools within Davidson and Williamson counties and offer the programs in partnership with them. I am considering adding more counties too.

What are some of the publications you read? Local? National? What is your goal publication with your business?

The Tennessean and other local papers in Nashville and surrounding areas would be good to be in. The Nashville Parent already covered a press release on me, and I advertised there.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies or passions?

I like to teach kids math and I also paint and cook a lot.

Engineering for Kids Reaches System-Wide Sales Increase of 124 Percent in Q1

Growing STEM Educator Begins 2013 Strong and Maintaining Goal of Adding 50-60 Locations This Year

Engineering for Kids, a 50-plus-unit Fredericksburg, Va.-based franchise offering a range of learning-based classes including after school programs, camps, evening classes, in-school field trips, workshops and even birthday parties, today announced a 124 percent system-wide sales increase in the first quarter of 2013. With expansion, the company has seven new openings in areas of the country including Tennessee, Maryland, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Texas and California.

Sales strength has allowed them to complete a total of 15 signings in the first quarter, further demonstrating the rate of growth the company has experienced thus far and helping to maintain the aggressive goal of adding 50 to 60 locations by the end of the year.

“As we have now had some time to get Engineering for Kids up and running, I am very encouraged by the rate of growth and actual expansion we have experienced to-date,” said Dori Roberts, Engineering for Kids’ founder and CEO. “What is interesting is although we are a relatively new company, our emphasis helps show strategic STEM-focused curriculum is a strong and lucrative topic for education. We started out on the East Coast, but are now really starting to expand. For anyone with a true passion for teaching the sciences, Engineering for Kids offers a great niche option.”

Engineering for Kids highlights not only the importance of learning engineering skills at a young age, but also the potential success children can have in engineering fields in the future, while not forgetting one of the most important features of learning – fun.

With 5,300 children enrolled across the network to-date, enrollment has never been higher and offers a suite of programs for children ages four to 14 that introduce them to science, technology, engineering and math through a variety of workshops all aimed at developing problem-solving skills.

In areas of the country where STEM education is particularly emphasized and where there is a strong base of IT and science-based jobs, success has been very high. For example, Juanita Leung, who runs the San Francisco Engineering for Kids, experienced 10 times the sales revenue for her first month compared to others’ first-month sales in the network.

“While Juanita’s story is only one example and cannot be assumed in all cases, we do see a correlation between the demand for engineering-based positions and stressing the importance of teaching the curriculum properly, and enthusiastically, at a young age,” Roberts added. “Time will tell as we continue to grow, but we are excited to see what developments come as we head into the next portion of 2013.”

With a franchising fee of $17,500 and a typical home-based franchise cost of $25,000 to $30,000, Engineering for Kids currently has over 56 locations spread throughout the United States that are in various forms of completion.

As a low-barrier opportunity with room to grow, Engineering for Kids franchisees have the option of taking their home-based franchise and eventually open a learning center, which are typically 1,200 square feet in size. An ideal franchisee is someone who is well connected in their community, a parent or an individual who has a passion for educating children.

“Our most successful franchisees are those who truly understand the need for supplemental education to elevate kids beyond the standards taught in public education,” explained Roberts. “These people see funding cuts and the gaps in curriculum at their own children’s schools and want to fill that need.”

Engineering for Kids also retains an active and engaging Facebook page featuring fun and informative information on engineering. ‘Like’ the page at www.facebook.com/engineeringforkids. 

Engineering for Kids Featured on WTVF News Channel 5

Engineering for Kids was recently featured on WTVF News Channel 5 in a segment titled, "Local Kids Get Big Lesson In Math and Science".

WTVF News Channel 5, Nashville’s CBS affiliate, came out for EFK's open house at the Brentwood Library. The segment showed video of the open house at the Brentwood Library, kids getting excited and enjoying the engineering activities, and the Engineering For Kids logo. The clip included a quote from Nashville EFK owner Neeti Agarwal saying, "The fun part of it, you know, not being in a classroom. Having fun and learning at the same time without knowing you're learning something.”

Click HERE to view the segment on the WTVF News Channel 5 website or view below:




NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather

Franchisee Spotlight: Patty Potts

Before starting her own Engineering for Kids franchise, Patty Potts worked in environmental and occupational health. Working primarily as the environmental and occupational health engineering specialist, Potts trained more than 1000 employees over the course of 10 years in this field.

How did you learn about the brand?

I really love science and I originally saw Engineering for Kids on a mommy blog on Facebook about a year ago. I have a six-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter and I’m always looking for things to do with them. As soon as I found out they were franchising I began looking into them.

Why did you choose an opportunity with Engineering for Kids?

This was something my kids could enjoy and that side of the business was very important to me. Also, I’m extremely passionate about science. I had looked at other concepts including a soup restaurant franchise and a toy store franchise, but Engineering for Kids was a much lower startup-cost option and I liked the fact that it could be home based.

What makes your business unique in the community?

The concept of Engineering for Kids and how we use problem solving to make kids engaged makes us not only unique in this community but across the country. With Engineering for Kids they want to learn about science and that’s important for future generations.

Are you involved with any charities or do any community outreach with your business?

We give gift cards to the different PTA auctions and I am involved with the local food pantry as well.

What are your expansion or development plans? What is your end goal with Engineering for Kids?

We are looking right now to partner with the Smithsonian Institute. As part of our process to secure this opportunity we have to pick out one or two monuments or famous sites around DC and we have to reinforce the engineering ideas behind them. Also, this year I hope to have a storefront before summer in Alexandria, Virginia.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies or passions?

I love spending time with my kids and traveling, especially when we get to go places with snow! Being from Michigan, it’s always nice to share the snow and other things I did as a child with my own children. 

Engineering for Kids Featured in Franchise Times

Engineering for Kids was featured in the Franchise Times in an article titled, "Ratcheting Up". 

The article gives the history of founder Dori Roberts and her epiphany to start an engineering program for young kids when she was unable to find one for her own children to join. Highlighting EFK's fast rise in success, the feature touches upon the emphasis to include young girls in engineering from an early age, and nurturing child's natural engineering interest. The article also discusses franchising opportunities and costs for those interested in being a part of the increasing importance of STEM education for youth. 

Click HERE for the full article or begin reading below:

Ratcheting Up

With tech jobs rising, Engineering for Kids sees opportunity

By: Jeffrey McKinney

One entrepreneur is banking on the nationwide focus on science and technology education to grow her franchise system, Engineering for Kids. Will its head start last long enough to gain traction?

After witnessing a “great spark” in her young children as they watched students clash in an engineering competition a few years ago, Dori Roberts had a business epiphany. She started Engineering for Kids, and now her franchise is poised to take off along with rising interest in STEM education, otherwise known as science, technology, engineering and math.

A former high school engineering  and technology teacher for 11 years, Roberts knew her then 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son were amazed with what the students were doing and wanted join in the competition. But she couldn’t find any programs for their age group. That void prompted Roberts to create Engineering for Kids. But she also had another inspiration to launch EFK in 2009. After she left teaching, she built an after-school engineering club that grew from eight to 180 students. Fast-forward five years: Roberts’ daughter now wants to be an architect and her son an engineer.