Discovery Point #56 Fayetteville – Franchisee Profile: Shanette Battle

Shanette Battle always wanted to own her own education-based business. In fact, she had been telling her family for so long that she doesn’t even remember the first time she mentioned it.

“I didn’t realize it, but I had been telling my family since I was younger that I would own my own school,” Shanette said. “It was something I had always wanted to do.”

Her entrepreneurial spirit ran in the family. Her great-grandmother had her own school in her home and was a big role model for Shanette. She wasn’t just looking for any type of business, though. After spending 10 years teaching in the Rockdale and Dekalb county school systems in the state of Georgia, she didn’t want to lose that part of her life.

“I still wanted to keep my drive for education, but I wanted to be an entrepreneur and start my own business,” said Shanette. Her two combined passions – education and entrepreneurship —
are what led her specifically to childcare franchises. But, Shanette was looking for a specific type of franchise. She didn’t want her facility to be a glorified babysitter.

“I wanted it to be an educational experience for the children, not just a place their parents dropped them off,” she explained.

With all of her experience in childcare, Shanette had a very specific vision of how she wanted her center to look, feel and run. However, the search for the perfect facility wasn’t easy. Shanette and her husband spent almost two years searching for the perfect match. And then, she met Diane Clark.

“After meeting co-founder Diane Clark, I was sold,” said Shanette. “She was very influential in my decision, and once I met her, we decided on Discovery Point.”

Shanette was also interested in a franchise that would allow her to utilize her decade of educational experience.

“Another focus of mine was the curriculum. A lot of the franchises we looked at had their own cookie-cutter curriculum,” she said. “With Discovery Point, they were using Creative Curriculum®. They gave me the flexibility to use my past teaching experience in the curriculum and bring my experience into my center.”

One unique component of Shanette’s curriculum is her center’s on-site garden. The center is focused on teaching children to eat healthy, and to help the students learn first-hand, Shanette planted a garden in the center’s backyard.

Shanette enjoys the flexibility that owning her own business has provided her in both her work and her personal life. “I love the fact that I am my own boss. Within the rules and guidelines, I still have the freedom to run my center how I see fit,” she explained.

“I also have the time to be a part of my community and get involved with my children’s schools,” said Shanette. Both of her children attended Discovery Point Fayetteville, whether it was in daily childcare or through the summer camp program. Her oldest son, who just graduated high school, also worked as a teen helper at the center’s camp.

Even though she has the flexibility to create her own schedule, Shanette still spends most of her days working with the teachers and the children.

“You just have to have a love for it, and you have to be hands-on. I found that the more that I am there, with the kids and teachers, the better the center runs,” said Shanette.

Photo by Marco Page, 2015.