Children's Lighthouse franchise
2024 filing · April 30, 2024GrowingShares sales figures
Children's Lighthouse at a glance
A private preschool and child care school for children from six weeks to 12 years old. At the end of 2023 there were 69 Children's Lighthouse locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- Childrens Lighthouse Franchise Company
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Fort Worth, Texas
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.07M–$1.47M
- Building leased from a developer
- Franchise fee
- $85,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 7%
- 3.5% of gross revenue for the first six months, then 7%
- Brand fund
- 0.5%
- 0.5% of gross revenue, paid monthly; it can rise to 2%
- Agreement length
- 20 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 69
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 69
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- +11
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 9
- Most in Texas, North Carolina and Kansas
Support and records
- Initial training
- 3 programs
- Owners' training: 40 hours in class; Directors' training: 40 hours in class; Pre-opening training: 40 hours on the job
- Lawsuits disclosed
- Yes
- Bankruptcy disclosed
- None
- Franchisor revenue, 2023
- $9.6M
- The company, not one location
- Franchisor net income
- $5.95M
- Latest filing
- Apr 30, 2024
- 2024 filing
From Childrens Lighthouse Franchise Company’s 2024 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 68; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Children's Lighthouse among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Children's Lighthouse | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,270,815 | Costs more than 87% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $85,000 | 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 | 69 | More than 70% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $1,941,556 | Higher than 86% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 1.5× | Lower than 53% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Children's Lighthouse franchise costs
Opening building leased from a developer costs an estimated $1,074,580 to $1,467,050. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are furniture, fixtures, and equipment ($343,580 to $421,000) and additional funds (3 months) ($275,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Fee | $60,000 | $85,000 | |
| School Development Fee | $25,000 | ||
| Lease Deposit | $50,000 | $150,000 | |
| Developer Deposit | $0 | $75,000 | |
| Project Management | $25,000 | $30,000 | |
| Utility and Security Deposits | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment | $343,580 | $421,000 | |
| Playground Equipment. | $178,000 | $213,000 | |
| Financing Costs | $5,000 | $27,500 | |
| Interim Interest | $40,000 | $70,000 | |
| Opening Training Fee | $15,000 | $25,000 | |
| Buses | $2,500 | $5,000 | |
| Pre-Opening Marketing Expenses | $35,000 | ||
| Travel and Living Costs while Training | $4,000 | $6,000 | |
| Insurance and Professional Fees | $10,750 | $13,250 | |
| Agency License | $750 | $1,300 | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $275,000 | ||
| Total | $1,074,580 | $1,467,050 | |
Source: Childrens Lighthouse Franchise Company, 2024 filing, page 16
Children's Lighthouse franchise fee
The franchise fee is $85,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Childrens Lighthouse Franchise Company, 2024 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 3.5% of gross revenue for the first six months, then 7%. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 0.5% of gross revenue, paid monthly; it can rise to 2%. |
| Software Fees and Upgrades | $49 per month as of the date of this disclosure document |
| Local Advertising | 1% of Gross Revenue |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Childrens Lighthouse Franchise Company, 2024 filing, pages 12 and 13
Other fees as filed, from page 13. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Children's Lighthouse publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average revenue
- $1,941,556
- Median revenue
- $1,906,407
Yearly figures for 2023, covering franchised schools open all of 2023 (67 locations). The average is about 1.5 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: Childrens Lighthouse Franchise Company, 2024 filing, page 44
SBA loans to Children's Lighthouse franchisees
Lenders approved 106 SBA-backed loans for Children's Lighthouse franchisees from 2001 to 2026, $235.4M in all: 78 7(a) loans and 28 504 loans. All 55 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off. The other 51 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2023 / 2021–2023. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Children's Lighthouse | Typical daycare brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +3% / +19% | +4.3% / +19% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 0% / 4.5% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical daycare brand is the median of the 15 brands in daycare franchises with three years of counts.
How Children's Lighthouse compares
Of the 40 daycare franchises on this site, Children's Lighthouse is the 31st cheapest to open and the 7th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Children's Lighthouse | Typical daycare brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.07M | $737K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.47M | $1.44M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $85K | $65K | $40K |
| Royalty | 7% | 7% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 0.5% | 2% | 2% |
| Sales per location | $1.94M | $2.19M | $794K |
| US locations | 69 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 64 (+6) | 0 | +6 | 0 |
| 2022 | 67 (+3) | 0 | +3 | 0 |
| 2023 | 69 (+2) | 0 | +2 | 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: Childrens Lighthouse Franchise Company, 2024 filing, page 46
Where Children's Lighthouse locations are
At the end of 2023, Children's Lighthouse had franchised locations in 9 states. The most are in Texas, North Carolina and Kansas.
- Texas53
- North Carolina6
- Kansas3
- California2
- Alabama1
- Colorado1
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Texas | 53 |
| North Carolina | 6 |
| Kansas | 3 |
| California | 2 |
| Alabama | 1 |
| Colorado | 1 |
| Florida | 1 |
| Illinois | 1 |
| Virginia | 1 |
Source: Childrens Lighthouse Franchise Company, 2024 filing, page 47
Who owns Children's Lighthouse?
Children's Lighthouse franchises are sold by Childrens Lighthouse Franchise Company. Its filing names no parent company.
From Childrens Lighthouse Franchise Company’s 2024 filing, page 8.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on pages 10–11. |
|---|---|
| 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: Childrens Lighthouse Franchise Company, 2024 filing, litigation on pages 10–11, bankruptcy on page 11
Children's Lighthouse filings
The figures on this page come from Childrens Lighthouse Franchise Company’s 2024 filing, issued April 30, 2024, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | April 30, 2024 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other daycare franchises
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Children's Lighthouse is also on these lists: education franchises.