STUDY NOTES

Nine education franchises worth doing your homework on.

Kids learning franchises to do your homework on.

Investing in education is increasingly popular among Australian parents. So why not tap into the learning culture and buy a business that will fuel your future, and at the same time help the next generation of Aussies fulfil their potential?

Check out these nine brands, which are focused on spreading knowledge and learning skills.

Kumon

It all began in 1945 when high school maths teacher

Toru Kumon created worksheets for his son who was underperforming in maths. The focus was on calculation skills that would set up the student for independent learning. As other children in the neighbourhood started to study and improve their academic results, Kumon opened up maths centres in Osaka in 1958. Today the international business is teaching English and maths to school-age children across 51 countries.

This highly structured learning system involves a weekly centre-session for instructors to observe children’s working processes, and daily homework.

MindChamps

The story of MindChamps began in Sydney in 1988 when Vietnamese-born Australian David Chiem applied his own acting and film-making experience to the challenge of transforming education. At its heart MindChamps has a 3-Mind philosophy based on extensive research in neuroscience, child psychology and theatre. The goal of the program is to release the potential in each child by unlocking their natural creativity and problem-solving capabilities.

It was further developed in the demanding educational environment in Singapore, where its preschool program has 32 per cent of the market share.

The program was brought back to Australia and there are now 12 MindChamps Early Learning Centres open across Sydney with further growth planned.

LCF Fun Languages

Preschoolers and primary school children up to the age of 12 learn French, German, Italian, Mandarin or Spanish with LCF Fun Languages, a business developed in the UK 25 years ago. It’s been operating in Australia for the past 12 years, taking its language lessons to schools and childcare centres country-wide.

The focus is on learning through play – lessons include drama, storytelling, technology, songs, craft and games – with a goal of giving children the confidence to communicate in a new language.

Franchisees don’t need to have a second language themselves; bilingual and native speakers may choose to teach some of the lessons, but it isn’t required.

Mathnasium Math Learning Centers

As its name suggests this franchise is all about numbers. Mathnasium is a maths-only tutoring and learning centre that teaches students to think like mathematicians. Founder Larry Martinek was an experienced teacher and education consultant in the US who had a mathematically-gifted son. After spotting a disconnect between students’ basic skills training and the curriculum they would later need to work on, Martinek developed a complete curriculum from preschool to year 12.

Students are personally assessed and provided with a customised learning plan.

The Mathnasium Method has been in use for more than 40 years; the tutoring business began in 2002 and was franchised in 2003.

Now there are opportunities to develop this brand in the Australian marketplace. Franchisees will be developing the business and employing tutors.

NumberWorks’nWords

This after-school tuition model aims to put back the fun into maths and English. Because it relates to 11 levels of the school curriculum it is able to complement what students are learning at school.

NumberWorks’nWords caters for both underperforming students and high achievers, delivering an individualised approach to learning.

NumberWorks’nWords was founded in New Zealand in 1984. Five years later the franchise expanded to Australia, and it’s also in the UK and Singapore. Today it is part of the New Zealand-based global Crimson Education business which offers various pathways to academic success including university and medical school admissions support.