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FRANCHISE RESALES

Buy a Celebree School Franchise

Celebree School is an early childhood education franchise serving infants through school-age children. Programs span infant and toddler care, preschool, before- and after-school care, and summer camps, pairing state-licensed childcare with a structured early-learning curriculum.

The business began in 1994 as a single center in Maryland, operated for years as Celebree Learning Centers, and brought its franchise offering to market in 2019 after adopting the Celebree School name. It remains founder-led under Richard Huffman’s Huffman Family Brands group, which keeps a substantial base of company-owned schools alongside its franchised units.

The model is center-based and territory-protected, run by an on-site owner-operator with a staffed team of directors, lead teachers and assistants. Curriculum is delivered through Teaching Strategies’ Creative Curriculum for infants through Pre-K, with proprietary programming for school-age children. The network has grown beyond its Maryland and Delaware roots into roughly 17 states and more than 30 markets, blending corporate and franchise locations.

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Why buy a Celebree School Franchise?

Celebree School sits in a category with steady, non-discretionary demand: working parents need reliable, licensed childcare regardless of the wider economy. To buy a Celebree School franchise is to step into a recurring-tuition model backed by an established curriculum, brand recognition built over three decades, and a franchisor that still operates its own schools and understands unit-level economics first-hand.

The brand’s appeal lies in support depth and operational maturity rather than a quick-launch pitch. The model does not require an education background from the owner; teaching credentials sit with a hired School Director, which widens the pool of suitable buyers. Multi-unit development agreements are available for owners who want to scale, and protected territories limit in-network competition.

Celebree School Franchise Costs & Information

Based on 2025 data reported in the 2026 FDD

  • Brand Profile

    • Year Founded

      1994

    • Franchising Since

      2018

    • New Startup Cost

      $1,023,550 – $1,404,100

    • Avg. Resale Price

      Contact us for details

  • Franchise Fees

    • Initial franchise Fee

      $75,000

      for new territories

    • Transfer Fee

      $20,000

    • Royalty Fee

      7%

      of Net Revenue

    • Marketing Fee

      2%

      of Net Revenue

  • Unit Performance

    • Total Units *

      72

    • New Units Opened *

      16

    • Units Transferred *

      1

    • Avg. Unit revenue *

      Not Disclosed

    * Based on 2025 data reported in the 2026 FDD

Celebree School – Additional  Information

  1. Training & Support

    Incoming owners complete the Celebree School Management Training Program, which includes 38 hours of classroom and 40 hours of on-the-job training within a broader onboarding of close to 120 hours. Ongoing support comes through an assigned Franchise Business Consultant who acts as a business coach, a full-service marketing team providing co-op advertising and digital tools, a national call center supporting enrollment leads, and proprietary operating software. Resale buyers should confirm what transfer training and Franchise Business Consultant support carry over to a new owner and existing staff.

  2. Ideal Owner

    The model suits a hands-on, community-minded operator comfortable leading a sizeable on-site team rather than working in the classroom. An education degree is not required; the owner's role centers on managing daily operations, hiring and retaining staff, building local enrollment, and upholding licensing and care standards, while a credentialed School Director leads instruction. Celebree requires a dedicated on-site owner-operator at each location, so buyers should expect to be present and active. Strong people management, local relationship-building, and process discipline matter more than prior childcare experience.

  3. Recognition & Awards

    Celebree has earned steady industry recognition as it has scaled. It has ranked in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 across multiple years (most recently in 2026, and #418 in 2025) and holds a place among the country's 25 largest daycare franchises. Other honors include the IFA's Emerging Franchisor Award (2024), a Franchise Update Media Franchise Innovation Award (2025), Franchise Dictionary Magazine's FDM 100, and a Franchise Times Top 400 listing. For resale buyers, this brand-level credibility should be weighed alongside the specific school's local reputation, online reviews and referral strength.

  4. Industry / Market

    The U.S. childcare and early-education market is large and demand-driven: roughly 12.5 million American children are in childcare each week, and about 60% of parents prefer center-based care over in-home options. Industry revenue was estimated to approach $60.9 billion by 2024, supported by dual-income households, persistent waitlists, and rising expectations around licensed, curriculum-led programs. Demand is relatively recession-resistant, as working parents need care regardless of conditions. For resale buyers, local supply gaps and young-family density in the territory are the clearest signals of a school's enrollment strength.

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