Kids Garden franchise
2026 filing · May 7, 2026Growing
Kids Garden at a glance
A drop-in center for toddlers to pre-teens offering preschool, art enrichment, after-school care and seasonal camps. At the end of 2025 there were 8 Kids Garden locations in the US, 6 franchised and 2 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Harvest The Garden, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Typical size
- 1,800–5,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $151K–$361K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 7%
- 7% of gross sales, paid monthly, plus 1% to the brand fund
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid with the royalty
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 50% of the then-current Initial Franchise Fee
- Agreement length
- 5 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
- Franchisor financing
- Some financing offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 8
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 6
- Company-owned
- 2
- Change in 3 years
- +2
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 4
- Most in South Carolina, Colorado and North Carolina
From Harvest The Garden, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Kids Garden among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Kids Garden | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $256,075 | Costs less than 62% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 7% | Higher than 70% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 8 | Fewer than 65% of franchises |
How much a Kids Garden franchise costs
Opening one Kids Garden costs an estimated $150,850 to $361,300. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($50,000 to $150,000) and initial franchise fee ($40,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Furniture, Fixtures and Décor | $11,000 | $19,000 | |
| Play Equipment & Materials | $6,000 | $12,000 | |
| Computer System | $1,500 | $3,500 | |
| Months’ Lease Payments | $4,000 | $7,000 | |
| Lease Security Deposit | $2,000 | $16,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $50,000 | $150,000 | |
| Utility and Security Deposits | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Signage | $3,000 | $10,000 | |
| Licenses and Permits | $250 | $1,000 | |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $5,500 | |
| Professional Fees | $2,000 | $6,000 | |
| Architecture Fees and Permits | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Aprons | $100 | $300 | |
| Miscellaneous Expenses | $2,500 | $5,000 | |
| Mural Painting | $1,500 | $5,000 | |
| Classroom and Art Supplies | $3,000 | $7,000 | |
| Technology and Software Setup | $1,500 | $5,000 | |
| Safety & Security Equipment | $3,000 | $10,000 | |
| Outdoor Play Surfacing & Installation | $5,000 | $20,000 | |
| Cleaning & Sanitation Supplies | $500 | $2,000 | |
| Training | $1,000 | $2,000 | |
| Initial Marketing Expenditure | $3,500 | ||
| Additional Funds – 3 Months | $2,000 | $16,500 | |
| Total | $150,850 | $361,300 | |
Source: Harvest The Garden, LLC, 2026 filing, page 16
Kids Garden franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Harvest The Garden, LLC, 2026 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 7% of gross sales, paid monthly, plus 1% to the brand fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid with the royalty. |
| Computer System | $1,500 |
| Transfer Fee | 50% of the then-current Initial Franchise Fee |
| Renewal Fee | 50% of the then-current Initial Franchise Fee |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Harvest The Garden, LLC, 2026 filing, pages 10 and 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 14–16. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Kids Garden does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Harvest The Garden, LLC, 2026 filing, page 39
SBA loans to Kids Garden franchisees
Lenders approved 2 SBA 7(a) loans for Kids Garden franchisees from 2018 to 2019, $55K in all. All 2 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off.
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, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Kids Garden | Typical daycare brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / +50% | +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 Kids Garden compares
Of the 40 daycare franchises on this site, Kids Garden is the 5th cheapest to open and the 22nd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Kids Garden | Typical daycare brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $151K | $737K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $361K | $1.44M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $65K | $40K |
| Royalty | 7% | 7% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 8 | 10 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 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 | 4 (0) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 6 (+2) | 2 | +2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 6 (0) | 2 | 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: Harvest The Garden, LLC, 2026 filing, page 39
Where Kids Garden locations are
At the end of 2025, Kids Garden had locations in 4 states. The most are in South Carolina, Colorado and North Carolina.
- South Carolina4
- Colorado2
- North Carolina1
- Texas1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Colorado | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Texas | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Harvest The Garden, LLC, 2026 filing, page 40
Who owns Kids Garden?
Kids Garden franchises are sold by Harvest The Garden, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Harvest The Garden, LLC’s 2026 filing, page 8.
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: Harvest The Garden, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
Kids Garden filings
The figures on this page come from Harvest The Garden, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued May 7, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | May 7, 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
Kids Garden is also on these lists: education franchises.