Wonderland Kids Academy

 

Wonderland Kids Academy will be located in Abilene, Texas as a new, upscale daycare focusing on offering a safe, play-based, nurturing environment to promote the physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and creative development of children and infants through five years of age. The goal is not simply to look after our client’s children while they attempt to prioritize their various other time commitments but to truly facilitate the advancement of young minds and bodies during critical years of development. 

Wonderland Kids Academy will be a new, premier daycare that seeks to attract customers that value their children’s growth and hopes to be viewed as a center that facilitates the lifelong journey of discovery — one that is informative, enlivened, and enriched by academic achievement, entertainment, and personal growth. The aim of Wonderland Kids Academy is to provide a nurturing environment where every child learns better and is surrounded by affectionate and caring people. 

The center will be a licensed childcare facility and will operate on weekdays from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm. The center will have a capacity of 170 children and is staffed with qualified, skilled supervisors and attendants who will look after the children in a motherly/fatherly way trying to teach healthy eating habits, team spirit, a caring attitude, and hobby development in every child who comes to the center. The staff will be responsible for the daily care and teachings of the children, meals, first aid, and cleanliness. 

Wonderland Kids Academy will be staffed with qualified supervisors and attendants who will act as facilitators and teachers. The education curriculum will be based upon the principle that children learn and develop best through carefully supervised play with educational materials. The Childcare Center environment will provide stimulating, challenging materials, experiences, and equipment for children. Each child will have the opportunity to grow emotionally, socially, intellectually, creatively, and physically. 

Wonderland Kids Academy’s mission is to provide an upscale learning environment while offering a safe and secure setting at all times. Close personal attention to each child is essential to providing a quality experience for all children; therefore, adequate personnel will be hired to ensure each child has the proper supervision and attention at all times while in our care. 

Wonderland Kids Academy will be a partnership between Mandy Irizarry and William Irizarry. The center will have a board of directors, which will consist of Mandy Irizarry, William Irizarry, the Assistant Director/Education Coordinator, and the Assistant Director. Together they will be responsible for recruiting and hiring the staff at the center and making sure that all the activities run smoothly without any interference. In the event that an issue arises, the Board of Directors will convene at the earliest possible time to resolve the issue. If the matter is in regard to an employee, The Board of Directors will decide upon the best course of action to aid in the rehabilitation of said employee. Depending on the severity of the offense, if rehabilitation is thought not to be possible, other measures will be taken to ensure the issue is resolved in the best interest of the center. Mandy Irizarry and William Irizarry will be in charge of determining the policies that will be used to run Wonderland Kids Academy based on the terms and conditions of the Texas Health & Human Services, as well as, the budget for every financial year. This will ensure that the funds allocated will be used accordingly thus preventing any mishandling. Wonderland Kids Academy will be a profit-making organization with most of the funds being used to develop the center further while some of it is used to pay the salaries and benefits of the employees. 

Wonderland Kids Academy will primarily serve the residents within Abilene, Texas, and Dyess Air Force Base. Wonderland Kids Academy will be an exciting opportunity that will provide safe and secure child care to the area. Through a combination of well-priced services and a well-seasoned management team, Wonderland Kids Academy will quickly gain market share and reputation as a premier child care center. 

Wonderland Kids Academy will be led by Mandy & William Irizarry. Mandy has been in the daycare business for 20 years and has operated several home child care facilities, as well as a daycare center in Missouri. Mandy has in-depth knowledge of the child care business including the operations side (e.g., running day-to-day operations) and the business management side (e.g., staffing, marketing, etc.). Mandy graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education Administration in 2019 from Ashford University. 

William is an active-duty Air Force working for the fire department on Dyess Air Force Base. William has been in the military for 15 years and is invested in the local community. William is a couple of classes away from completing his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Park University, with a projected graduation date of Fall 2022. William has in-depth knowledge of information technology and will be handling the technical support, security, and maintenance portions of the business. 
 

Wonderland Kids Academy is uniquely qualified to succeed due to the following reasons: There are currently no accredited high-end child care centers in the community we are entering.  Abilene and Dyess Air Force Base have a lot of dual-income families that include a significant number of business professionals. This means that the customer demographics indicate that individuals have the financial means and the prerequisite demand for our company to thrive. Parents are also becoming increasingly concerned regarding the lack and quality of childcare centers in the area leaving many struggling to work and support their families. 

There is always a long waitlist at the centers that are currently open in Abilene, Texas. As our survey shows over 90% of parents are on waitlists and 58% of those people are having to wait nine months on average to get a spot for their children. 

After 20 years teaching children through home-based child care and a few years at a child care center, Mandy Irizarry realized what a significant impact she was having upon bright young minds and the limitations that the home-based environment had upon her services. After moving to Abilene, Mandy recognized that her services were in high demand. After surveying the local customer base and hearing from locals how desperate the community is in need of a new, bigger child care center, she decided to expand her operations. 

The business is currently being run out of Mandy’s home, but once she has secured a partnership with an investor she will start the endeavor of opening the center. 

Below are Wonderland Kids Academy’s daily service offerings that will engage its attendees on a daily basis. All items are classified under the following main categories: 

Quality Educational Programs

In addition to these general principles, the center will maintain a classroom learning environment, coupled with elements of play, which will allow attendees to bond with their classmates and allow staff members to provide personal attention to each member.
 

Accreditation

Within the first year of opening, we will strive to gain national accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs (NAC), and the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA). Seeking accreditation is no easy feat, as it requires an outside agency to inspect and critique our facility through classroom observations, and health and safety checks. These outside agencies have high standards that often go above and beyond the state’s minimum licensing requirements. During the surveying of the local community, it was discovered that the accreditation status of a child care center was a high priority for most families and weighed on their discussion to place their child in that center. 

The center’s facilities will operate on weekdays from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm. Wonderland Kids Academy will offer services to both traditionally paying families and for Child Care Services paid through the state, also known as CCS. Full-time care will be the primary type of care with 1 spot for the part-time per classroom. 

Wonderland Kids Academy will be partnered with the USDA food program to ensure healthy meals and snacks are prepared and served to every child within the center. We will employ two cooks who will cook and serve all meals and snacks. They will be required to attend classes throughout the year to keep up their skills and knowledge to best serve the children's nutrition. 

For the safety of the children and employees, Wonderland Kids Academy will provide a security system with cameras inside and outside of the center. There will also be a keypad for parents and staff to enter the facility with a specific code. Visitors will utilize a camera like a ring doorbell so management can screen individuals requesting access before buzzing them in. 

Wonderland Kids Academy will develop a 22,000 square-foot child care center whose key elements will include the following: 

• Classrooms for 6 weeks old to 5 years of age 
• Administration Offices
• Employee Lounge/Training Room
• Recreational Area (inside & outside) 

• Kitchen & Washer/Dryer Area 
• Restrooms (children & adults) 

Today, childcare centers have become a common and necessary part of millions of Americans’ lives. More women in the workforce, longer workweeks and educational research supporting the importance of early childhood education have contributed to the rise of early childhood centers throughout the United States. Since working parents are unable to pay attention to the proper academic and mental growth of their children during the days, they opt for the services of child care centers. Working parents face numerous decisions when balancing their work and home life, including choosing the type of care to provide for their children while they work. 

The following industry size facts and statistics bode well for Wonderland Kids Academy: 
 

“The global child daycare services market is expected to grow from $271.67 billion in 2020 to $295.99 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate of 9%” according to Global Child Day Care Services Market Report (2021 to 2030). [1] 

It is expected that the increase of women in the workforce will be growing as well. The share of women in the labor force in the USA is currently expected to increase 47.2% by 2024, which increases the demand for good quality child care. In the USA, 27% of families have difficulty accessing child care spots, Abilene, Texas is high on that list as all the licensed centers and home daycares currently have waitlists for all ages. [2] 

According to numbers published by American Progress, 20% of mothers who do not currently work would look for a job if they had better access to quality child care. National estimates from the National Household Education Survey, 58% of working parents with children five years old and younger — or about 6.38 million parents across the nation — use center-based child care options. [3] 

And compared to pre-pandemic, 62% of families are more concerned, while 10% of families are less concerned about the cost of child care. Of the 62% who are more concerned, 43% said it was because of the increased cost of child care due to safety protocols, and 32% said it was because they had to shift to a different child care arrangement. [4] 

Abilene, Texas is home to more than 125,000 people and serves as the economic focus in a 19- county area (Militaryonesource.mil, n.d.). Abilene also features Dyess Air Force Base, which has a population of over 13,000 active-duty military members, civilian employees, dependents, and retirees (Militaryonesource.mil, n.d.). The base is consistently rotating personnel in and out as military members move away and move in to fill vacant slots. The need for daycare for military members is critical as the base only features one Child Development Center, and it is currently full with a year-long waiting list. 

The average income for the area is around $46,000 per year, which is well below the national average of $57,000 per year (Bestplaces.net, n.d.). This could reflect in families not being able to afford high-priced childcare, so pricing will be a huge factor. However, the income for personnel at Dyess Air Force Base, the largest employer in the area, is consistent and would likely be our main target demographic, especially being a veteran-owned business. 

We would use a combination of marketing strategies, to include an undifferentiated marketing mix, or mass marketing, and a differentiated marketing mix, or target marketing. Using an undifferentiated marketing mix would be our best angle to take as a startup, as we are targeting a broad group of potential customers. The design behind our business is a play on the classic Disney movie Alice in Wonderland. Our big marketing strategy is to market our establishment as a place of wonder and excitement, so we want to market that to our potential customers. We would also use a targeted marketing approach to try and market to the military members and first responders, such as police, fire, medics, and nurses, by offering a special discount for those who serve our nation and community. 

The best way to market the child care center is by segmenting the business into demographics. Child care is a big industry, and while the services provided are all the same, the decision based on which to choose lies on several demographics. Some families are limited by their income, so price could be a huge factor in their selection. Some may choose to sacrifice price for the quality. Upon interviewing several child care providers, they may be willing to pay more money to choose a center that they feel offers better features and, what they feel is better care. 

We will primarily target the following three customer segments: 

Stay-at-home moms: Although it may seem counter-intuitive to market Wonderland Kids Academy’s services to this particular segment, marketing services to this group may have some distinct advantages. First, although traditional child care centers do not offer a comprehensive set of services, Wonderland Kids Academy will offer its customers a thoroughly nurturing environment that combines the concepts of play with actual learning (articulated in its extensive class offerings). Furthermore, our services allow children to interact with one another through play, an experience not easily fulfilled by stay-at-home mothers. Lastly, these individuals often have many children and thus many responsibilities – it may be easier for them to handle all of their responsibilities if they utilize our services a few times a week. 

Business Professionals: The Abilene area is filled with affluent individuals that work in professional environments (this means long work hours as well). These individuals include those who are currently using but are unsatisfied with, competitors of Wonderland Kids Academy. For this reason, these individuals need the services that Wonderland Kids Academy can provide. 

Single Parents: Single parents often work long hours and do not have a spouse to take care of their children. This segment of individuals is looking primarily for reliability (a child care center that is both dependable and flexible around their hectic schedule). 

Child care is one of the fastest-growing business sectors in the US. In the age of stiff competition, a sustainable competitive advantage is crucial for the success of players in the child care industry. While the need for child care services continues to grow as does the number of people interested in providing this service, child care centers are becoming an extension of personal parental care. These centers differ in relation to the types and the quality of services offered. With the demand expected to increase in the future, this industry is poised to grow. 

There are not enough child care centers and licensed/registered home daycares in the Abilene and Dyess AFB area to serve the growing need. Only a handful of them are providing quality care other than just “watching your child” and no center offers accredited services. These providers are typically just offering “babysitting” for children without any curriculum. Quality, curriculum-based, and non-religious care should be the emphasis to stand out amongst the market. Nearly all of the providers in Abilene & Dyess Air Force Base all have current waiting lists, with an average wait time of approximately six months. 

Average prices for child care centers in Abilene are $198/week for infants, $163-$178/week for toddlers, and $152-$156/week for preschool-aged children (CareLuLu.com, n.d.). Hours of operation for these centers vary between 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. All of these centers offer meals, snacks, outdoor play, and indoor play. Since the pandemic, some centers have had to close their doors permanently. There are also pending legal matters against other centers that have violated several state regulations and have since been closed down by the state of Texas, leaving many parents scrambling to find care. 

Management: Our management team has/will have years of business and marketing experience that allows us to market and serve customers in a much more sophisticated manner than our competitors. 

Relationships: Being a military spouse for the past 12 years, Mandy Irizarry has first-hand knowledge and knows the ins and outs of military life. Also having a veteran-owned center will give us an edge in marketing as the city of Abilene is pro-military and really supports its veterans. As we continue to communicate with the Chamber of Commerce, we will run business advertisements through their city marketing magazine, which prints quarterly. As such, it will be relatively easy for us to build awareness with the community as well as a loyal customer base. 

High-Quality Staff: The thing that truly separates Wonderland Kids Academy from its competitors will be the quality of our staff and their attention to each individual learner. Through our high-quality staff, we will provide classes that integrate fun and learning into a comprehensive package guided by the principles of efficient childhood development. 

The Marketing Plan describes the type of brand Wonderland Kids Academy seeks to create and the company’s planned promotions and pricing strategies. 

The Wonderland Kids Academy brand will focus on the company’s unique value proposition: Offering a comprehensive learning environment that not only teaches children the value of play, but using those principles to further their emotional, intellectual, and physical development. Offering a convenient location that is close to its customer base. 

Wonderland Kids Academy expects its target market to be parents working and/or living within a 15-mile radius of each of its center. The center’s promotions strategy to reach these individuals includes: 

• Social Media
 Wonderland Kids Academy will utilize various social media groups within varies social media platforms to advertise the center to the local community. 

• Advertising
 Wonderland Kids Academy will host community events to draw the local community in. We will also be a community sponsor thru local activities and organizations. 

• Ongoing Customer Communications & Partnership with the Chambers of Commerce Wonderland Kids Academy will maintain a website and publish a monthly email newsletter to the families about not only upcoming events within the center but within our community. This will partner us with the Chambers of Commerce as well. The Chambers of Commerce will be assisting us with distributing our information to all newly assigned military members from Dyess Air Force Base. Every military member is required to attend a briefing called Right Start where they learn about local businesses and attractions. 

Wonderland Kids Academy will separate children into different age groups ranging from six weeks to five years. The center will charge an enrollment fee that will match their starting rate. This will also be paid in the event of holding a spot for a child who will be starting at a later date. 

The prices break down by age group and are as follows: 

6 weeks to 11 months: $220/week full time
12 to 23 months:  $210/week full time
 2 to 3-year-olds: $200/week full time
 4 to 5-year-olds: $190/week full time 

At this time we will only be accepting full-time positions. If families choose to have their children attend for part-time they can but they will have to pay the full-time fee. 

These fees are considered very competitive with high-quality care. The center also aims at giving a 10% discount to active duty/retired military & a 5% discount to civil service members, employees of the center, and to families with two or more children in the center, also known as a multi-child discount. 

In order to execute the business model for Wonderland Kids Academy, the center needs to perform many functions including the following: 

• Administrative Functions
• General & administrative functions including legal, marketing, bookkeeping, etc. • Hiring and training staff
• Kitchen Functions
• Food preparation
• Teachers for each classrooms
• Education coordinator 

To execute upon these day-to-day obligations, the center has created a cost-effective business model that will streamline processes and create an efficient chain of command. 

Wonderland Kids Academy will maintain the student-teacher ratio required by the state of Texas licensing regulations. Each employee will be familiar and be certified with first aid and CPR and have medical clearance and fingerprints on file. The following are the requirements and background information for each position within the center:

Financial Plan

Revenue and Cost Drivers

Wonderland Kids Academy revenues will come from its daycare services. The major costs for the company will be staffing, location maintenance, and food preparation. In the initial years, the center’s marketing spend will be high, as it establishes itself in the market.

Capital Requirements and Use of Funds

Wonderland Kids Academy is seeking total funding of $200,000 to launch its business.