A service in the Early Childhood Education and Care sector is one of the most rewarding businesses to own and operate, both personally and professionally.
Fewer business opportunities can be as satisfying and rewarding as nurturing, developing and shaping our future generations. Every day our Franchisees, their team and our Support Office strive to provide children with the best possible start in life.
Quality education in the first five years of a child’s life is crucial to their development and wellbeing as, during this time, children learn at a faster rate than at any other stage in their lives. These years are a crucial period where children develop the foundations of their social, emotional, physical and intellectual wellbeing for life.
Early Childhood Education and Care is critical to the employment of Australian families, which in turn assists in driving economic growth, boosting Australia’s financial security and improving social, health and economic outcomes for families. The Federal Government continues to invest in the sector in the form of subsidies and incentives to Australian families.
Around 35 per cent of the national population (9 million people) live in areas where Early Childhood Education and Care is in short supply. This includes 1.1 million Australians who live in neighbourhoods where there is no Early Childhood Education and Care available at all. The Early Childhood Education and Care sector is in high demand in key areas of Australia and is experiencing strong business growth.
All Explore & Develop services are privately owned and operated by Franchisees who appreciate and value the contribution that high quality Early Childhood Education and Care makes to children, families and the local community.
Our franchise business model enables people with a passion to manage, develop and support a team of highly qualified Educators and nurture children’s potential, to be hands-on Owner-Operators. Trading under the same successful, and well respected Explore & Develop brand, they receive professional training, ongoing support and advice and are able to utilise Explore & Develop’s extensive intellectual property, resources and ideas. All our Franchisees are encouraged to create their own learning environments for children that reflects Explore & Develop and their local community values.
As part of the Explore & Develop community, Franchisees are supported by highly experienced, professional management and operations teams who uphold and contribute to the values and philosophy of the business. They provide ongoing personal development, training, support and guidance in all operational legislation and procedural aspects of the business.
Explore & Develop Franchisees are able to focus on managing and supporting their teams and the needs of children and their families, while our Operations Managers and Support Office ensure that they are resourced and fully compliant with regulatory requirements. In addition, Explore & Develop Educators feel supported, respected and motivated to achieve in their roles due to ongoing professional development and training opportunities, resulting in higher employee retention.
Franchisees do not necessarily need to come from an Early Childhood Education and Care background, as we provide full training, support and mentoring. We also guide and assist Franchisees to attain qualifications and operational licences. We provide constant ongoing training and development to both Franchisees and their teams via our online and face-to-face professional development courses and resources.
Explore & Develop provides comprehensive and extensive ongoing support to Franchisees during the full term of the franchise. Each Franchisee is assigned a professional Operations Manager, who has extensive experience in the sector, to work with in the ongoing operation and growth of their business. In addition, we also provide management and support in marketing, financial budgets, site sourcing, lease negotiations and group purchasing.
First and foremost, you’re someone who really wants to make a difference in the lives of young Australians and have proven skills in people management, having led a team in previous roles. You will be genuinely passionate about providing quality Early Childhood Education and Care services to families, and a desire to make a positive contribution in your local community.
You are willing to work full time in your business to establish a high quality service and ensure its success. You have proven leadership, communication and people management skills to lead your team from the front. You also possess sound business acumen and understand the essential principles, practices and management processes required to ensure the profitability and success of your own business.
You will be prepared to obtain the required qualifications required by Explore & Develop to own and operate your own Early Childhood Education and Care service. You will have either the funds, or a combination of funds and access to capital, to finance your new business.
The Early Childhood Education and Care sector in Australia is valued at over $13.7 billion (2022) and employs over 193,000 people. It has grown at an average rate of 2.1 per cent over the past five years and is expected to grow by a further 2.8 per cent in 2022. (IbisWorld 2022 – Industry Research Analysis.)
The Federal Government is continuing to invest more in the sector to encourage more family participation and to provide greater employment opportunities for all.
A Franchisee can come from a variety of backgrounds, but must at a minimum have previous experience and enjoy managing teams of people. We look for people who are genuinely passionate about providing quality Early Education and Care services to families, and a desire to make a positive contribution to their local community.
Our extensive training program will build on this knowledge and provide training and guidance in relation to the National Quality Framework, a national system for regulating early childhood education and care. The NQF includes the National Law which sets a nationwide standard for children’s education and care across Australia, the National Regulations which support the law by providing detail on a range of operational requirements for an education and care service, and also the National Quality Standards and approved learning frameworks.
Franchisees will be required to undertake a minimum qualification of a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. They will also be required to undertake mandatory Police Checks and Working with Children Checks in addition to completing Child Protection, Mandatory Reporting and Reportable Conduct training.
Explore & Develop will support and provide guidance and training in relation to the National Quality Framework in preparation to become an “Approved Provider”.
Yes, all Explore & Develop Franchisees have their own, exclusive geographical territory in which they operate. No other Explore & Develop franchise can be established in your territory without your permission.
There is an initial Franchise Joining Fee as well as an ongoing Licence/ Management Fee and Marketing Fee which is paid on a monthly basis. We will discuss these fees personally with you.
The cost to establish an Early Childhood Education and Care service with Explore & Develop can vary considerably and depends on many factors such as the location, size of service, type of development, etc.
We recommend that Franchisee applicants have access to approximately $750,000 in funds and can discuss ways to secure funding based on their circumstances.
