Wonderschool Continues National Expansion to Bring In-Home Early Childhood Care and Education to Millions of Families

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wonderschool, a network of modern early childhood education programs, today announced its plans to expand nationally, beginning with the cities and metropolitan areas surrounding Boston, Mass., Chicago, Ill., Houston, Texas, and Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. Since its founding in 2016, Wonderschool has worked with hundreds of educators and child care providers in California, New York and most recently the Denver, Colo. area and Nebraska to start and sustain successful programs and to deliver high-quality care to thousands of working families. 

These new markets are part of Wonderschool's rapid national expansion plan to serve families and children affected by child care deserts and a national early childhood education gap. According to a report by the Center for American Progress, 51 percent of people in the United States live in a child care desert, meaning more than half of Americans live in an area where there are more than 50 children under age 5 that contain either no child care providers or so few options that there are more than three times as many children as licensed child care slots. This percentage is even higher in two of the states to which Wonderschool is expanding, with 58 percent and 53 percent of people in Illinois and Massachusetts living in child care deserts, respectively. In Texas, 48 percent of residents live in a child care desert. By expanding into these new markets, Wonderschool advances its mission to ensure every child under the age of five has access to early education to help them realize their potential. 

"There is a nationwide shortage of high-quality child care options. And programs that meet a family's philosophy, location, and schedule are even more difficult to find," says Chris Bennett, co-founder and CEO of Wonderschool. "Expanding into more markets means we can have an even greater impact on families, and continue to encourage early childhood education entrepreneurship by providing Directors and families with the resources they need."

Wonderschool is recruiting existing licensed providers, as well as aspiring child care providers, in new markets and existing cities including Denver, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nebraska and New York City. The company provides guidance and setup assistance for those interested in opening or growing in-home programs. Wonderschool's technology platform supports the Director's ability to manage enrollment, operations, licensing and accounting. The Wonderschool early childhood education experts help generate advanced custom curriculum ideas for each program and assist with any challenges Directors may encounter.

Parents can discover and enroll in programs in their neighborhood by searching the Wonderschool website, instantly scheduling tours and applying directly online. A diverse array of program pedagogies or philosophies are available including language immersion, Montessori, play-based and Reggio Emilia. All programs are thoroughly vetted and constantly supported by Wonderschool's team of early childhood education experts with low teacher-to-student ratios to give children the individualized attention they deserve.

For more information, please visit www.wonderschool.com.

About Wonderschool
Wonderschool is building the largest network of high-quality early education programs. Wonderschool offers a diversity of options and combines engaged teachers and thoughtful education with the warmth of a family program while maintaining standards that go above and beyond state requirements. By providing dedicated support, technology, training, mentorship, and community, Wonderschool lets teachers focus on what they do best -- teaching -- and allows them to earn a sustainable living in the field they love. Named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in Education in 2019, Wonderschool is based in San Francisco and venture-backed by Andreessen Horowitz, First Round, Omidyar, Unusual Ventures, and Gary Community Investments, among others. www.wonderschool.com.

SOURCE Wonderschool