SimplySmart Child Care Centre

SimplySmart Child Care Centre

SimplySmart Child Care Centre operates licensed child care and Montessori centres for children from six months to six years. It was founded in 2012 by Harleen Laroia, whose own difficulty choosing a daycare for her two children prompted the business. The franchisor is SimplySmart Franchising Corp. and head office is on Ironoak Way in Oakville, Ontario.

Programs cover infants, toddlers, preschool and kindergarten, plus a Montessori CASA program, and franchisees choose between a play-based or Montessori curriculum. The offer includes meals, enrichment activities such as yoga, dance and music, an app providing daily reports and parent-teacher communication, and live streaming. The company has opted into the Canada-wide early learning and child care agreement.

There are around eleven centres, all in Ontario, including Brampton, Breslau, Courtice, London, Mississauga, Newmarket, Oakville, Toronto, Vaughan and Waterloo.

This is a premises-based business with a long runway: the franchisor states 18 to 24 months from selecting a location to opening. Critically for this sector, it provides assistance obtaining a Ministry of Education licence along with established policies and procedures. Support also covers site selection, lease negotiation, interior design to brand standards, pre-launch marketing and project management. Training is delivered through an online platform of over 55 courses, with pre-launch training for franchisees and site directors.