Safari Kids

What Safari Kids does

Safari Kid is a privately-held, franchise-based early childhood education company headquartered in Milpitas, California, operating a multi-country network of schools across the United States, Canada, and India. The company delivers a structured, age-segmented program portfolio spanning infant care, toddler programs, multi-level preschool, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade elementary education, plus after-school and summer camp extensions, serving families with children from infancy through approximately 6th grade.

The company's central product asset is the proprietary WISDOM Learning Path, a research-rich curriculum framework that integrates Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and other respected early-childhood methodologies around a 'whole child' model spanning cognitive, social, language/literacy, physical, emotional, and health/care domains. The curriculum is delivered through franchise-operated school locations that provide standardized environments, qualified teachers, and regular child-progress assessments, with the franchisor supplying curriculum, brand, and operational playbook to licensees.

Safari Kid generates revenue from franchise fees paid by franchisees to open and operate schools under the brand, supplemented by tuition collected at the franchisee level for recurring educational services. The go-to-market motion is franchise-led, supported by a corporate website (safarikid.com), a content-marketing blog, and a dedicated franchise-recruitment site (safarikidfranchise.com). The company has received consecutive industry recognition from the Franchise Business Review across 2023-2025 in categories including Top Franchise, Top Franchise for Women, Top Franchise Culture, Most Innovative Franchise, and Recession-Resistant Franchise.

Name

Safari Kids

Legal name

Safari Kid

Website

https://safarikidca.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Safari Kid is a Milpitas, California-based franchise operator of early childhood education schools delivering proprietary Montessori- and Reggio-inspired programs to families across the United States, Canada, and India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Preschool Programs within Private K–12 Schools (EDACABAM)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Preschool programs
• Education franchise
• Childcare services
• Kindergarten programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Multiple Locations

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees and Tuition: Safari Kid generates revenue through franchise fees paid by franchisees to open schools, as well as tuition collected from families for early childhood education programs serving infants through 6th grade.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Safari Kids operates franchised early childhood education schools that deliver structured learning programs for children from infancy through second grade, built on its proprietary WISDOM Learning Path curriculum. The company sells both franchise rights to operators and tuition-based enrollment to families across learning centers located in the United States, Canada, and India.

Product overview

Safari Kids is an early childhood education provider offering a comprehensive, multi-level program portfolio spanning from infant care through 2nd grade elementary education. The core offering consists of age-based programs (Infant, Toddler, Entry Level Preschool, Intermediate Level Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade) supplemented by extended care services (After School, Summer Camp, Preschool Summer Camp). The company differentiates through its proprietary WISDOM Learning Path curriculum, which integrates Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and other respected methodologies, supported by a Whole Child Development approach covering cognitive, social, language/literacy, physical, emotional, and health/care domains. Programs are delivered at franchised locations across the United States, Canada, and India.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Infant Care Program
• Toddler Program
• Preschool Program
• Pre-Kindergarten Program
• Elementary Program (Kindergarten through 2nd Grade)
• Safari Kids Franchise Opportunity

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Heritage Montessori: Heritage Montessori is a US franchise of authentic Montessori early childhood schools. It is a regional/methodology peer to Safari Kid, targeting the same premium early-childhood segment with a Montessori foundation versus Safari Kid's blended approach.

Emerging players

• KLA Schools: KLA Schools is a US-based franchise preschool system explicitly inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, serving infants through pre-K. It overlaps with Safari Kid's Reggio-inspired whole-child curriculum positioning in the premium franchise segment.
• Celebree School: Celebree School is a growing US franchise offering infant care, toddler programs, preschool, and before/after-school care. As an emerging franchise player, it competes with Safari Kid for franchisees and families in the premium private preschool segment.

Broad incumbents

• Cadence Education: Cadence Education operates one of the largest US private early childhood education networks (including Cadence Kids, Montessori Unlimited). It is a broad incumbent competitor to Safari Kid with comparable infant-through-kindergarten programs at greater scale.
• KinderCare Learning Companies: KinderCare is the largest US provider of early childhood education and childcare with thousands of centers. As a scaled broad incumbent, it competes with Safari Kid for families across the full early-childhood age range, though with broader, less premium positioning.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Bright Horizons is a publicly-traded provider of high-quality early education and child care, including employer-sponsored centers. It is a broad incumbent competing with Safari Kid in premium early-childhood education, with a larger, more diversified portfolio.

Direct peers

• Goddard School: Goddard School is a US franchise system operating play-based preschool programs for infants through 6-year-olds. It is a directly comparable competitor to Safari Kid in private preschool franchising with proprietary curriculum differentiation.
• Maple Bear Global Schools: Maple Bear operates a Canadian-origin bilingual preschool franchise with locations across the Americas, Europe, and Asia—including India. It is highly comparable to Safari Kid given its international franchise model, proprietary curriculum, and presence in overlapping geographies like Canada and India.
• Primrose Schools: Primrose Schools is a leading US franchise preschool operator offering Balanced Learning curriculum for infants through after-schoolers. It directly competes with Safari Kid in the premium private preschool franchise category with comparable proprietary curriculum branding.
• The Learning Experience: The Learning Experience is a fast-growing US franchise preschool and child care provider with hundreds of locations. It competes head-to-head with Safari Kid in the franchise early-childhood education space, offering similar infant-through-pre-K programs with proprietary curriculum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/safari-kids

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Safari Kids