Friday, May 24, 2013

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

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