The Company

Goddard Systems, Inc. (GSI), the franchisor of The Goddard School, is the recognized leader in the childcare franchise segment, awarding franchises to qualified applicants who want to go into business for themselves, not by themselves. Goddard School franchisees benefit from the extensive support structure that GSI has developed over nearly 30 years in franchising. Our goal as a franchisor is to provide our franchisees with an exceptional foundation to ensure consistency of programs and services for our customers as well as to provide guidance as they achieve their personal goals as business owners.

GSI was recently named the #1 Childcare Franchise in the United States by Entrepreneur magazine for the fifteenth consecutive year (January 2016) and one of the Top 200 Franchise Systems (in worldwide sales) by Franchise Times for the ninth consecutive year (October 2015). Headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, GSI is expanding The Goddard School system throughout the United States. GSI currently licenses more than 440 franchised Schools with more than 50,000 students in 35 states.

Each Goddard School shares the same passion and vision for early childhood education that has been set forth by GSI. To support our schools and their families, our GSI Corporate Communications team goes far beyond standard daycare centers to provide the support materials necessary to achieve success.

Corporate Communications and Support Teams:

• Real Estate & Site Development
• Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations
• Operations
• Quality Assurance & Training
• Information Technology
• Curriculum & Compliance
• Goddard Systems University 
• Educational Advisory Board

CEO Joseph Schumacher has committed GSI to providing a level of quality that surpasses anything currently available in the industry. As a result, The Goddard School has earned AdvancED and Middle States accreditation by demonstrating excellence in early childhood education. Our Goddard School programs meet or exceed quality standards and support the emotional, social, behavioral and physical development of every child.

MARKET FACTS

• More than 15 million children under the age of six potentially require childcare (Child Care Aware, 2014);
• The childcare industry was recently valued at $1.8 billion (Yang, 2014);
• The industry is expected to grow 4% annually, reaching $2.1 billion by 2019 (Yang, 2014).

MARKET FOR CHILDCARE DEMAND DRIVERS

• 3.9 million babies are born in the United States every year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012);
• 64% of mothers with children under the age of six are in the workforce (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013);
• According to the US Census Bureau, there are currently 24.1 million children under the age of six, of which 10.9 million require childcare (Yang, 2014).

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2013). Employment Characteristics of Families. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). FastStats: Births and Natality. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/births.htm

Child Care Aware. (2014). Child Care in America: 2014 State Fact Sheets. Retrieved from http://www.ks.childcareaware.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/2014-Child-Care-in-America_State-Fact-Sheets.pdf

Yang, David. (2014). IBISWorld Industry Report OD5594: Child Education & Developmental Center Franchises in the US. IBISWorld.