Bright Years franchise
2026 filing · March 13, 2026Shares sales figures
Bright Years at a glance
A childcare and early education center. At the end of 2025 there were 10 Bright Years locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Bright Years Franchise, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Typical size
- 10,000–12,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.89M–$2.76M
- A leased location
- Franchise fee
- $80,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 7%
- 4% of gross revenue for the first six months after opening, then 7%, paid monthly, plus 2% to the brand fund (up to 3%) and a technology fee (currently $1,125 a month)
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross revenue, paid monthly; it can rise to 3%
- Agreement length
- 15 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 10
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 10
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
From Bright Years Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Bright Years among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Bright Years | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $2,328,086 | Costs more than 94% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $80,000 | Higher than 97% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 7% | Higher than 70% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 10 | Fewer than 61% of franchises |
How much a Bright Years franchise costs
Opening a leased location costs an estimated $1,891,641 to $2,764,530. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Bright Years Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 15
Bright Years franchise fee
The franchise fee is $80,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Bright Years Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 8
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 4% of gross revenue for the first six months after opening, then 7%, paid monthly, plus 2% to the brand fund (up to 3%) and a technology fee (currently $1,125 a month). |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross revenue, paid monthly; it can rise to 3%. |
| System Technology Fee | Currently $1,125, subject to increase not to exceed $2,000 |
| Additional Training | $500 per person, plus expenses incurred |
| Required Minimum Expenditure for Local Marketing and Advertising | 1.5% of Gross Revenues, subject to increase |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Bright Years Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 9
Other fees as filed, from pages 9–10. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Bright Years publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Bright Years Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 38
How Bright Years compares
Of the 40 daycare franchises on this site, Bright Years is the 36th cheapest to open and the 21st largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Bright Years | Typical daycare brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.89M | $737K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $2.76M | $1.44M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $80K | $65K | $40K |
| Royalty | 7% | 7% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 10 | 10 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 29 of 40 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 40 brands in daycare franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 (0) | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 (0) | 10 | 0 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: daycare franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Bright Years Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, pages 44–45
Who owns Bright Years?
Bright Years franchises are sold by Bright Years Franchise, LLC.
From Bright Years Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Bright Years Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 8
Bright Years filings
The figures on this page come from Bright Years Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued March 13, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | March 13, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other daycare franchises
All daycare franchises
Bright Years is also on these lists: education franchises.