Established in 1989, Rainbow Station is the brainchild of pediatric registered nurse, Gail Johnson. 5 months after opening, the facility had 100 CHILDREN enrolled; at the end of the following year, her FACULTY & STAFF had grown from 12 to 32 out of sheer necessity; in 1997, Gail was named Virginia’s "Small Business Person of the Year;" and by 1999, demand had become so great that she EXPANDED to 5 more LICENSED FACILITIES.
Though it doesn’t even begin to sum up all of what the business does, Rainbow Station is a FACILITY with 3 primary parts to the business: an accredited preschool, an accredited afterschool program, and an infirmary designed both for sick children of working parents and children who are chronically ill. It is those essential features that are the primary reasons that the business does so well. The accreditation of both the preschool and the SCHOOLAGE program set the entire company apart, because sadly, only 6% of all preschools in the United States are accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs. As well, virtually no one else has an on-site medical facility with specialized, pediatric nursing care. In every way, Rainbow Station is a children’s franchise in a class entirely of its own.
Today the business encompasses 9 different locations in 3 states (Virginia, North Carolina, and Texas). Each one thrives wherever it arises because of the expert business model, based on providing exceptional education, care, security, and fun to every child that passes through the doors of a Rainbow Station franchise business. The HIGHLY TRAINED & QUALIFIED FACULTY & STAFF spends every day educating the little ones and recreating with them at a level of quality that few facilities can match. The CHILDREN have fun and learn all at the same time, and the franchisee is responsible, primarily, for overseeing the daily operations and serving CHILDREN, parents, FACULTY & STAFF wherever possible.
As true as this all may be, though, there is no better opinion than that of a firsthand witness to Rainbow Station’s quality. Franchisee Parks Hunter definitely has an opinion, holding that Rainbow Station is what he so emphatically calls a "category killer," meaning that it is so much the dominant force in the market that it puts others in its class to shame. Hunter writes, "Rainbow Station differentiates itself from the competition on every level. The After School program has no peer, and the parents quickly see the differences. The Get Well Place and full time nurse on FACULTY & STAFF are not found in 99% of most child care facilities. Gail Johnson is a visionary.
My wife, Michelle Mistele, and I just opened our first Rainbow Station in Charlotte, NC. This project was 3 years in the making. We got interested in Rainbow Station while living in Richmond, VA where we lived less than 2 miles from a Rainbow Station. At that time we had three small children, ages one, three, and five. Our children attended a School near our house because the waiting list at Rainbow Station was a mile long. We were paying around $3,000 a month in tuition, and that was when I realized we might be in the wrong business. Michelle and I met with Earl [Johnson] in early September of 2005 to discuss the possibilities of becoming franchisees.
Michelle and I knew immediately that Rainbow Station was and is a category killer. We were so convinced that we were willing to relocate to Charlotte to make this idea a reality. There simply isn't any other child care operation that I have seen (and I have seen most) that is even remotely on the level of Rainbow Station. This belief has been overwhelmingly confirmed by the response we have received in Charlotte.
The parents can't enroll their children fast enough. One parent shared with me the conversation she had with the director of the preschool her child was attending when she told the director she was moving her child to Rainbow Station. The director reiterated how well her child was doing and that moving her might cause a huge adjustment. Finally the Mom said ‘Terry have you seen Rainbow Station? Let me put it to you this way, your preschool is like Carowinds and Rainbow Station is like Disney World.’
The expertise and the helpfulness of the Rainbow Station corporate staff is unparalleled. Earl Johnson, Gail's husband, made at least 10 trips with me to Charlotte from Richmond to help me deal with development issues. Their commitment to ensuring you are successful is extraordinary."
He sums up his lengthy letter of praise for this rare franchise opportunity by saying, "Hopefully you could tell my level of excitement for Rainbow Station is basically off the charts." And indeed, it would be hard to conclude anything else about this "category killer" among education business opportunities. If caring for young children and owning a business that exists in a class by itself are two of your great goals in life, then there should be nothing stopping you from joining Rainbow Station as it continues to expand across the nation, helping to educate and facilitate as many CHILDREN and families as possible.
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