When work is child's play

THE rise of the dual income family has created a boom in franchises catering for parents. Whether it’s childcare, education or entertainment, there is a wide choice of franchises involving working with children. Franchisors in this sector are naturally very choosy about whom they recruit, so expect Criminal Records Bureau checks as part of the recruitment process.

‘It helps if you are a parent or have childcare experience so you understand what children and parents want,’ says Tony Franks of Little Impressions, a franchise that involves taking casts of children’s hands and feet and turning them into three-dimensional keepsakes. Little Impressions franchisees can start out working from home, in shopping malls or in concessions — there are units in Harrods, Selfridges and some Debenhams stores — and they cost £15,000, including training and start-up materials.

Bear in mind that child-centred businesses can be heavily regulated, which is where the help of an experienced franchisor can reduce the burden for a new business. Mark Crosby of the Mon-key Puzzle Day Nurseries franchise says: ‘Ofsted rightly insists that nurseries meet very high standards. So to ensure all our 12 franchised nurseries are always ready for inspection, we visit each one monthly to check procedures are being followed.’ Nursery premises also have to meet specific requirements, and Monkey Puzzle helps its franchisees to find suitable buildings. The company looks for franchisees with all-round management experience, rather than a child care background (one of its franchisees used to run a steel foundry) and it puts together a team of nursery managers and staff for you. Set up costs start from £18,000. Children’s entertainment is also a growing business. It’s fun, but expect to work weekends, warns Gordon Cutting, of the Creative Kids Parties franchise. ‘The children’s party business is growing as parents have more money to spend on their children and less time to organise parties themselves,’ he says. ‘Most of the business is at weekends, in school holidays or in the evenings.’ His franchisees organise parties with dances and games, led by entertainers employed by the franchisee. You also have to do local marketing and administration. Setup costs are £6,000. Franchises also offer flexibility. Monkey Music franchisees run music sessions in hired venues, for children aged three months to four years. ‘You must be musical with a strong singing voice and a passion for communicating with young children,’ says Angie Davies, who is looking for more franchisees with £10,995 to invest.
You can arrange the sessions to suit your needs.

Little Impressions 01903 230515
Monkey Puzzle 01442 878887
Monkey Music 0845 6800248
Creative Kids Parties 01494 870258