Here’s Why You Should Join the Kool Kidz Childcare Franchise Family

If you’re exploring childcare franchise opportunities in Australia, you’ve probably noticed that most providers operate as corporate chains run by managers. Kool Kidz Childcare is different.

As a family-owned, family-operated early education franchise with 30 years of heritage, we’ve built something that can’t be replicated on a spreadsheet: an ecosystem of families supporting families.

So what does that really mean for you as a potential franchisee? We sat down with CEO Zachary Hortis to unpack the culture, the vision, and the growth plans shaping Kool Kidz.

 

A Family Business Built on Passion & Experience

Kool Kidz was founded by Zac’s parents three decades ago, but Zac didn’t step straight into the corner office. After a life-changing personal experience crystallised what mattered most to him: family, giving back, and leaving a meaningful legacy, so he joined the business as an intern.

He earned his Certificate III in Early Education and Care and spent months working on the floor alongside educators. “I developed a very deep and profound respect for educators living and breathing their experience every day,” he explained. “Everything I do, either directly or indirectly, affects children and educators, so my experience on the floor continues to inform the way I operate and think.”

That lived experience now shapes how Kool Kidz supports every franchisee in the network.

 

The Kool Kidz Vision & Philosophy

The vision is clear: to empower young Australians to become the best versions of themselves through quality education and care.

That vision is delivered through the Kool Beginnings Curriculum, developed from the National Quality Framework and the Early Years Learning Framework, but translated into a language families actually understand.

And, for Zac, quality means education that is bespoke and tailored to the child, not the group. If a child is fascinated by trains, the curriculum flexes around trains. Maths, science, literacy and social skills all become part of that adventure. That’s what the Kool Beginnings Curriculum is all about.

As a franchisee, one of the things you inherit is a curriculum that’s already doing the heavy lifting, so you can focus on building a thriving centre in your community.

 

What Makes Kool Kidz Different as a Childcare Franchise

Most childcare providers are corporate businesses where managers run centres. At Kool Kidz, the person who runs the business owns the business.

“They have skin in the game, which creates an added level of incentivisation,” Zac said. “Families respond well to that structure. They like that they can connect to the person who owns the business.”

That ownership mindset extends to how each centre is run. We want every Kool Kidz service to feel like its own, to reflect the community around it, and carry the personality of the franchisee at the helm.

What stays consistent is the standard. Every service needs to be a happy, welcoming place for everyone who walks through the door: children, families, and educators alike.

It needs to be led by strong leadership, anchored by the Kool Beginnings Curriculum, and underpinned by best practice in every room, on every floor, and in every playground.

 

The Onboarding Journey

Unlike many franchise models that ask you to hunt for your own location, every Kool Kidz opportunity comes with a site already chosen and a lease agreement in place.

Head office signs the development lease with the landlord, and you sign the operating lease when your centre is ready, so the hardest property negotiations are sorted before you even come on board.

Kool Kidz secures franchisees 12 to 18 months before a centre is ready for operation, though we can also sign you on once construction begins.

The build itself typically takes around 12 months, and while the walls are going up, government approvals and licensing move forward in parallel.

That runway gives you time to learn the business, meet the network, and step into opening day with confidence rather than chaos.

 

Support That Goes Beyond the Handover

Kool Kidz offers an end-to-end, turnkey franchise model that covers you from design and fit-out to licensing in one of the most regulated industries in the country.

But the relationship doesn’t wrap up when your doors open.

Once you’re operating, support continues through a dedicated operations team working on the floor with your leaders, yearly service evaluations (a support tool, not an audit), a SharePoint library of current policies and curriculum resources, and communities of practice where franchisees collaborate and share wisdom. You’re never figuring things out alone.

“We hold your hand all the way through,” Zac explained. “We don’t just abandon you once the service is handed over. We provide as much support as you need, and we earn the royalty fee on an ongoing basis.”

 

Network Growth Plans for Our Centres

Kool Kidz has a pipeline of roughly 30 sites across four major growth areas in Victoria: Geelong, the West, the North, and the South East. Centres come in standard size of 130 licensed places.

Every site is backed by a 2.5 to 3-kilometre exclusive trade territory informed by census data, so the demand is there before the doors open.

The growth pace is deliberately measured. “We can do two to three services per year comfortably,” Zac explained. “Our team is over-resourced and prepared for growth so that we can provide quality service to our franchisees.” In five years, the network is projected to sit at 25 to 30 services.

 

The Franchisees Who Thrive at Kool Kidz

If you’re coming from another industry, a little scepticism about stepping into childcare is natural, and, in our experience, unfounded.

The Kool Kidz network includes franchisees who’ve come from backgrounds in other food-related franchises, accounting, engineering, and plenty of other fields. What they share isn’t a CV full of early education experience; it’s the right mindset.

“We’re less concerned about skills in childcare or education,” Zac said. “We’re looking for people who share our family values and are willing to work hard. People with a good attitude and work ethic can learn anything.”

Expect to work both in and on the business. And expect the impact on children, families, and your own financial future to make every hour worth it. And remember that we’re here to support you every step of the way.

 

Ready to Join the Kool Kidz Family?

If a values-aligned, family-owned childcare franchise with a proven model and a sustainable growth pipeline sounds like your next chapter, we’d love to hear from you.

Explore our current franchise opportunities across Victoria and take the first step toward owning a business that genuinely changes lives here.