by Courtney Dabney
In the early years of child care, the focus was only on the safety and well-being of children while out of their parents care, but by the 1980s the tide was beginning to turn in the direction of redeeming the hours children were spending in front of a television set or merely being babysat, as was too often the case. Parents were looking for a productive and educational experience for their children.
"We saw a need in the industry," Mike Brown said. "We spent two full years researching every aspect of the business before we ever built one." You can hear the passion in his voice when he explains what they have accomplished so far. Pat Brown adds, "Parents want their kids to learn. Our students are typically two years ahead of their peers by the time they enter the school system." The two brothers opened the first Children's Lighthouse Learning Center in Fort Worth in 1997. The company has been locally grown and is still family owned.
The design, which they have been constantly improving upon, now has a proven track record. In 2008, the Dallas Business Journal named Children's Lighthouse one of their Best Places to Work. Mike says, "That is one area that has really helped us grow. Our ability to retain great employees has been key to our success." The company is scheduled to double in size over the next 18 months, with 32 centers currently operating in six states (14 of which are right here in DFW) and 31 now in development. Business is booming.
With more than 35 years of child care experience, Rose Morelock serves as vice president of Operations. She thought the vision of Children's Lighthouse was refreshing when she was recruited to their ranks. She believes in the company motto, "Educational Child Care With a Purpose," and is proud to work for the leading values-based educational child care system in the country.
"We feel that we are contributing to the community and providing our children with the best opportunity to succeed," Morelock says. She adds that the curriculum makes a huge difference in the experience and the outcome of their students. "We teach a highly phonetic A Beka curriculum at Children's Lighthouse. Our students are blending sounds, and most are reading before kindergarten, when many other pre-schools are just beginning to teach reading skills." A Beka is the No. 1 home school curriculum in the nation with proven results, and it is the curriculum of choice for some local private schools.
While Children's Lighthouse is on the pricier end of child care, it seems to be providing the results parents are willing to pay for. It is more like a private school than traditional day care, and although the teacher-to-student ratios are similar in the industry, the classes are more structured and instructional with less wasted time.
Pam Gamble is a mother of four. She has sent all of her kids to Children's Lighthouse (two are now school age) and says her children have benefited both socially and academically from their experience. "My older two kids were well advanced to their peers when they entered the school system. My younger two adapt quickly in social settings and are well behaved because of the values being taught to them at Lighthouse. The staff really takes the time to get to know us as parents, and they reinforce what I am trying to teach my kids at home."
They led the industry in transparency. Morelock says, "We were the first to put cameras into the classrooms so parents could log on and monitor their child throughout the day." Cameras had been typically seen as a potential liability in the child care field, but now it is commonplace, and most of the competition has cameras installed as well. "Teachers actually perform better when they know they are being observed." It also provides a great sense of security to the parents who are leaving their children in someone else's care.
With the success of the model locally came opportunities to franchise, which they began doing about seven years ago. That side of the business is now run by Steve Dixon, who is their vice president of Franchise Development. He says, "Along with the transparency within our facilities, that same feeling permeates this family-owned company. Our franchisees find no layers between them and the owners, unlike many larger chains. It also allows them to improve and share what works." The company encourages a creative flow of ideas.
Dixon says, "Our model speaks for itself. None have ever closed or failed. And, the child care industry will continue to grow over the next 20 years, as 70 million grandchildren of baby boomers become parents themselves." The owners are able to make better long-term decisions than many of the national child care chains, who are naturally more focused on short-term profits to please the market. "Our owners stay close to the business."
Children's Lighthouse is "attractive to people who are passionate about children," Pat Brown says. "While our franchise owners come from varied backgrounds, our center directors are all experienced child care professionals. The stable hours at our facilities are 6:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., and that is also appealing to people looking to own their own business."
Finally, Children's Lighthouse leads the pack in training. Franchise owners are given 120 hours of training, center directors receive a minimum of 80 hours of training, and classroom teachers are trained for 24 hours per year (a standard which is unequalled in the industry). On top of that, they host yearly conferences where everyone can come together, learn from one another and continue to improve the model. So, from their values-based, award-winning curriculum to transparency in and out of the classroom and training, Children's Lighthouse is committed to leading the industry and getting the results families expect.
