Welcome everyone! I'm Jason from Camps With Friends, and today we have Amy from Enriching Kidz joining us.
Enriching Kidz focuses on teaching life skills to children aged 9-12, and sometimes even younger or older. Their programs include staying home alone safely, effective babysitting, stress management, art classes, and girl empowerment, aiming to help both children and parents navigate life more easily. Jason's daughter took the babysitting class and has successfully found babysitting jobs since then, giving her extra pocket money.
The company started about 29-30 years ago when Amy, a former cardiac nurse, discovered her love for teaching while working in cardiac rehab. She began teaching babysitting classes for a Girl Scout troop, and the classes gained popularity, spreading to schools in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus, Ohio. Enriching Kidz offers primarily in-person classes at local schools. About eight years ago, they also expanded to offer online classes through Zoom, reaching children across the country and abroad.
Their main programs are the Kids Home Alone and Better Babysitter classes, also offering in-person art classes and a new Stress-less Kids class. The latter course focuses on coping strategies for children who feel stressed due to peer pressure, competition, and other factors. In addition, Enriching Kidz offers a class for parents to help them understand and manage their children's stress.
Despite the workload, Amy manages the numerous classes and related tasks to ensure the success of the company.
Amy ensures the quality of Enriching Kidz by hiring excellent teachers and providing an outstanding experience for the children. Apart from success stories like that of Kiera, Jason's daughter, Amy shares a story where a past student recognized the Better Babysitter manual in a coffee shop. This young woman had taken the class a decade ago and still had her original first aid kit!
More recent testimonials demonstrate the impact of the Stressless class. A sixth grader learned different ways to handle stress, a fourth grader recognized the power of positive thinking, and a fifth grader appreciated using essential oils and engaging in mindful activities. The frozen lemon technique intrigued another student, which Amy explains is used to counteract overthinking.
A specialist teacher introduced this method, applying a frozen lemon or orange to one's skin to distract from the anxiety-inducing thoughts. She also employs essential oils in a diffuser during class. Although some modifications are necessary for her online classes, the teacher effectively conveys this information virtually.
Amy communicates with parents through various platforms such as Camps With Friends, the company's Facebook page, or flyers distributed in schools. Their well-established reputation has parents eagerly enrolling their children. Information is also available on their website, enrichingkidz.com, where parents can download and print documents. While many states don't have specific age restrictions for staying home alone or babysitting, Amy scouts for maturity and readiness in children.
After discussing the present, Amy is asked about the future of Enriching Kidz. Will there be expansion or franchising, or will the company remain as it is?
Amy is open to increasing class offerings for Enriching Kidz and has considered the idea of franchising. However, she prefers staying closer to the children and not expanding into the franchise business. Instead, she's willing to help others who are interested in starting an Enriching Kidz branch in their city.
Staffing has been a challenge, but in recent times, Amy has found a great group of teachers, ensuring a good fit for every class. No new classes are planned for 2024 yet, but they are still refining their newest Stress-less class. They may also reintroduce a "Mom, I need money" class, which was offered years ago.
Parents can find Enriching Kidz on campswithfriends.com, enrichingkidz.com (with a Z), and their Facebook group. They also provide downloadable parent guides on their website and share class updates through newsletters and broadcasts.
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