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When she was just 23 years old, Natàlia Perarnau founded her first English school. Full of enthusiasm and excitement, she eagerly opened her doors to teens and adults. She was young, but English had been one of her greatest passions and teaching it was a good excuse to share her passion with the rest of the world whilst continuing to broaden her knowledge. Natàlia eventually realized that, even though her students put years of effort into learning English, their competency levels were still low. Instead of giving up, Natàlia decided that her students would not just become another statistic that points out the failure of the education system and of the traditional method.
In the year 2000, Natàlia became interested in the world of early stimulation in children. After becoming a mother herself, and thinking about how she would like her daughter to learn English, she expanded a part of her school so it had a space for children ages three and over. She realized there was a hole in the market and a lack of a quality product for young students. So, whilst watching how her daughter learned the language, in 2003 she began to create her very own method under the name of Kids&Us.
After three years of implementing it in her school, she decided to offer the method to other language schools in order to have sufficient resources to develop it further while ensuring its quality. It was at that point that the rules of learning English changed. As of today, that method is used in 527 schools spread across nine different countries to over 160,000 students in Spain, Andorra, Italy, France, Belgium, Mexico, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Japan.
A unique method
The natural English method is based on the mother tongue acquisition process. Although learning a language lasts a lifetime, it is during the early years in which people are most susceptible to learning it unconsciously; that is why it is so important to start as young as possible.
This natural process of mother tongue acquisition follows a determined, natural, and spontaneous order that goes through five stages: listening, understanding, speaking, reading, and writing. The natural English method accompanies children in their academic and personal development. From the first year and until they are 18, the materials are adapted to the reality of each age group and the courses are taught in very small groups.
Students experiment with the language inside and outside the school, thereby making English become part of their day-to-day. The end goal for Kids&Us is to help children achieve the highest level in English and for them to gain the necessary confidence to allow them to open the doors to their future. Almost 90 per cent of its students stay with the brand year after year.
A recognizable brand proposition
Kids&Us is also characterized by a very recognizable brand proposition, far removed from what is conventionally expected of an English language school. It is a brand that is meticulously crafted down to the last detail and coherent with the image which, along with the unique methodology, generates a very special bond between all the members of its community: a feeling of belonging.
An essential objective: the success of the franchisee
Kids&Us’ success story cannot be told without the success of its franchisees. That is why providing an excellent service to its franchisees is part of the company’s DNA. An extensive team is responsible for training franchisees and their teams in all areas necessary for the schools to achieve the best results in a timely manner.
Methodology, operations, marketing, systems, and finances; each and every one of these areas, with 20 years of experience, is at the service of the franchisee with the aim of guaranteeing their success. For this reason, 36 per cent of the franchisees in Spain have more than one school, accounting for 70 per cent of new openings.
During the last two years, 41 new Kids&Us schools have been opened. This is all comes down to two factors: the solidity of the business and the infinite commitment that its franchisees have with Kids&Us.
An investment for the future, now
The brand has produced great results over the last two years after speeding up the digitalization process in all areas of the company, adapting to the current circumstances, and a network fully aligned with the head office. At this point, the brand’s short-term objective is to accelerate the international expansion of the company, first in Italy and then in France; in five years, it envisages a network as extensive in both countries as the one Kids&Us has in Spain.
The brand will continue to consolidate its presence in all the countries where it is already present, and will continue its expansion in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Kids&Us wants to be a leader in all of the markets in which it is present and to achieve its unifying goal: that all of its students achieve the highest level of competence in English.
In order to achieve this objective, the brand will continue with the digitalization project of the entire company, to obtain the formula that will allow it to fully automate all the processes of lower added value so that the teams, those of the head office and those of the franchisees, can focus on those processes that really provide differential value.
In short, the brand’s objective is to continue to grow, in a sustainable way, in order to achieve its educational objectives for its students, and its service and satisfaction objectives for its franchisees.
A business opportunity with sense
Becoming part of Kids&Us means betting on the future of the new generations; it means participating in the growth of a company whose objective is to open doors for children and give them the freedom to communicate; it means helping them to grow, to flourish as people, and to do so following a unique method. As well as being backed by a team that is totally committed to the service of the franchisee.
At a Glance Kids&Us
Established: 2003
Number of franchised outlets: 527
Location of units: Spain, Andorra, Italy, France, Belgium, Mexico, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Japan.
Investment range: €120,000 – €150,000
Minimum required capital: €200,000
Contact: Cristina Boniquet, cboniquet@kidsandus.com
