Our Franchise Organization Welcomes Owners with Backgrounds in Different Fields

At Discovery Point, our franchise organization is formed by a franchise family of passionate entrepreneurs from a range of professional backgrounds. While these individuals have different types of professional experience, personal strengths, and skill sets, they all share a passion for working with children.

Over the past 30 years, our franchise organization has grown to include nearly 50 locations across the southeastern United States. Some of our most successful centers are owned and operated by individuals who started with no previous experience in the field of child care. Instead, they were driven to open a Discovery Point center based on their desire to help families in their local community. Along the way, they found they were able to leverage their skills and experience from different industries to help their new business reach its full potential.

Of course, our franchisees are never left to their own devices to find the formula for success. Instead, we offer support with every aspect of business ownership. From the moment we award a franchise, our team of experts is ready to assist with site selection, construction, training, and licensing. 

In addition, we provide ongoing operational support from the first day onward. Franchisees have the opportunity to work according to our proven business model and leverage our expertise. When they add their own skills and experience to the mix, the end result is magical.

Our Franchisees’ Wide-Ranging Experience

Many of our franchisees chose to pivot from careers in corporations to become Discovery Point owners, while others have more eclectic backgrounds. Although some members of our franchise family do have experience in child care or education before joining our organization, this is hardly the rule. 

Below, we’ve outlined just a few of the different fields Discovery Point owners have spent time in prior to making the decision to purchase a Discovery Point franchise.  

• IT. Rozina Muradali-Lakhani, the owner of Discovery Point Cruse Road, left her position as a Senior IT professional to follow her lifelong passion for early childhood education. She says she has “not looked back since” and that “working with children has brought with it a sense of satisfaction” that was not present in her previous career.     
• Accounting. Cary O’Donnell, co-owner of Discovery Point Silverthorn and Discovery Point Seven Hills, previously worked as a corporate CPA. He’s able to utilize his many years of business finance and operations experience in his current role as a franchisee.
• Education. Robbin Plesher became the owner of Discovery Point Jones Bridge after spending time in the field of education. While her previous experience is certainly relevant to her work in the child care industry, she does not feel this has been a leading factor in her success. She explains, “What I’ve come to learn after all this time is that while my degree is important and my teaching experience is helpful, it is my ‘mother heart’ that drives many of the decisions I make” as a Discovery Point owner.
• Human Resources. With a professional background in HR, Cyndi Virgilio, owner of Discovery Point Hamilton Mill, feels she has the right skills to build a team of passionate teachers and staff members. “Making sure that the right people are in the right job is very important to me,” she says of her role as a Discovery Point owner.
• Healthcare Administration & Law. Maryann Di Leo has a master’s degree in Hospital Administration, while her sister and co-owner at both Discovery Point Symmes and Discovery Point Summerfield has a Juris Doctor. However, the sisters feel their experience as parents is more valuable than their graduate degrees when it comes to running their own child care business.

Building a Successful Franchise Organization Through Ongoing Support

Because our franchisees come from various professions and have different skill sets and personal strengths, we make training and ongoing support a priority. This kind of support is crucial in our industry, as parents need to have full confidence their children are receiving high-quality care in a safe, nurturing environment.

All Discovery Point owners undergo a comprehensive training course before opening their centers. This training consists of both in-classroom learning and on-site practice. 

We also provide instruction in our proprietary Discovery Point Connections^® curriculum and the Creative Curriculum^® package from Teaching Strategies. Together these two complementary programs include all the tools and resources needed to implement an effective and engaging learning program for children.

Our franchise team ensures every franchisee is fully equipped to manage their child care center at maximum capacity enrollment from day one. In addition to training owners, we oversee the child care licensing process and assist with staff training and development. Most importantly, our Quality Assurance department works to uphold safety standards and encourage best practices at every Discovery Point center.

Are you ready to make a career switch? Learn more about joining our franchise organization today! Call Discovery Point at 770-623-1140 to explore our daycare franchise opportunities.