BALTIMORE, MD—Celebree School, a leading early childhood education provider, has been awarded the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) first-ever Emerging Franchisor Award. The award recognizes the brand’s rapid and responsible growth since its inception in 1994. The award was presented at the IFA’s annual Emerging Franchisor Conference in Austin, Texas, to Celebree School Founder & CEO Richard Huffman, his wife Dawn, and over eight executive team members. The IFA specifically lauded Celebree School’s commitment to responsible franchising practices, its positive impact on communities, and its strong fundamentals for long-term growth.

“Celebree School has consistently stood out for the work it has done to not only help the families it serves but is a leader in franchising responsibly,” said Matt Haller, IFA president and CEO.

In 2019, Celebree School began franchising its proven model, allowing entrepreneurs to spread the brand’s mission of growing people big and small. The brand has since grown to 55 open schools with 73 franchisees operating over 160 sites across 19 states. The brand serves over 7,200 children weekly.

“This award is truly a testament to the hard work and dedication that our entire team, at all levels of the brand, put in,” said Huffman. “When we began franchising, we set out on a mission to deliver quality early childhood education to communities across the country. Every day since, we’ve seen the impact of our work in our franchisees, teachers, and families. As we celebrate this brand milestone, we continue to look forward to our future as we aim to empower more students, teachers, and entrepreneurs across the country for many years to come.”

The Emerging Franchisor Award is open to brands that have been franchising for less than 10 years, have filed 3 years of FDDs, have a minimum systemwide sales of $25M, a closure rate less than 10%, and have included an Item 19 in their most recent FDD.

Celebree School attributes its success to its careful selection of franchisees who share its core values of education, community involvement, and integrity. This focus on quality over quantity has resulted in the opening of seven new schools and the securing of 23 new agreements in the past year.

As Celebree School continues to grow, it seeks to partner with individuals who are passionate about childhood education, are actively involved in their communities, and are eager to explore franchising opportunities.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Photo via Celebree School of Carney