Franchise Interview – Tracey Hanley, Four Seasons Preschool Franchise

Karen Arena founded Four Seasons Preschool in 1981. She always dreamed of owning her own school and went to school for Early Childhood Education and has successfully had her program for over 40 years. In 2022 her and her daughter, Tracey Hanley, decided to franchise their model in hopes to help other teachers open and operate high quality education centers. There is a large need not only for high quality centers but also a need to find and retain teachers. Our model helps owners find the right staff and we train their staff to ensure they are comfortable in the classroom and that they have the proper background needed. Part of our training is also assisting the owner on management tips to help retain teachers year after year, keeping the turnover rate as low as possible at each center.

Our mission is to help improve Early Childhood Education Across the Nation and it starts with finding the right owners. We go through an interview process to ensure that each owner is the right fit for our model. We guide our owners through the entire process of applying for the license, zoning, permits, absolutely everything. We keep our costs low so teachers are able to get financing and we do all of the training as well.

Finding the right locations is always the hardest part of opening a school. Ideally, finding a location that was once a school and needs little remodeling is always the best but it does not always work out. What is your Goal for the Business Moving Forward? Our goal for the business is to grow nationwide and to be known as the school that helped to improve early childhood education across the nation for children and their families as well as teachers. So many wonderful teachers leave the field for many reasons and we hope to give them reasons to stay.

We go to the location for a total of 18 days over the first three months. Three full days are in the classrooms before the children start to do training sessions. We also do virtual training 2 full days. Once the school opens, we offer 10 full days of onsite training/mentoring. We also continue quarterly training and mentorship throughout the life of the ownership.

We offer an extensive training for the onboarding of the owners as well as all of their staff prior to the grand opening.  As more staff come on, we make sure the owner is trained and comfortable properly training them while supporting them through the process. We also provide yearly in person training for all staff members of every school to provide up to date training on the programs we use and to assist in any new staff that needs more training,

$50,000 Franchise Fee, 6% monthly royalty fee, 1% monthly advertising fee

We can open in all 50 states and need a minimum of 10 miles between centers.

Structure of a school day, running and organizing the office which includes staff and children files, safety patrol indoor and outdoor, observing staff members, meeting with families and staff members on a schedule, newsletters both parents and staff, inventory of supplies, etc.

Running a school is always different from day to day! Ensuring the proper ratios are followed and the staff are scheduled throughout the day is important. Always making sure the safety of children and staff is a top priority and the owner is in charge of observing all classrooms throughout the day and ensuring all staff are following procedures.

A former teacher and/or director of a center is our ideal choice for a franchise owner.

We are on our first franchised location opening this summer so nothing to report yet!

To be well known across the nation as a high quality education program that also has a wonderful reputation for the staff we hire. We want parents to know they are getting the best care when they choose any Four Season Preschool to send their children to. I want families to think of our school first when they begin their search for childcare for their child.