Endeavor Schools is celebrating another achievement.
Our fast-growing company hit the 50-school milestone last month when we acquired Laguna Niguel Montessori Center in Orange County, California.
Accomplishing this feat in just eight years signifies that the Endeavor Schools' philosophy and team are filling a vital need in the education marketplace and doing so with great success.
CEO Ricardo Campo founded Endeavor Schools in 2012 after realizing there was an opportunity to help private school owners who want to retire or change careers, but worry how their schools will fare under new ownership.
“There are other education management companies that acquire schools, rebrand them, and change so much of what made them special,” Campo said. “I saw an opportunity to work with school owners by understanding what makes their school special, support them in areas where they need it, and increase their value to the community.”
School owners are responding. Just six years after Campo founded Endeavor Schools, Inc. Magazine named it one of America’s fastest-growing companies and the pace hasn’t slowed down.
With 50 schools in 11 states and plans to expand, Campo and his team have grown Endeavor Schools by building trust with school owners and honoring commitments to children, parents, and school employees.
Brian and Eileen Ager, the founders of Creative Children Learning Center, a four-location preschool in Florida, sold their business to Endeavor Schools in 2015. They were relieved they could transfer their family business to a company they could trust.
“After getting to know the Endeavor Schools team, we felt confident that they would not disrupt or change our vision for the schools," the Agers said. "Most importantly, the employees and children would continue to be in excellent care.”
Smooth Transition for School Owners
Endeavor Schools makes change easy for school owners.
Immediately after acquisitions are finalized, the company uses its experienced staff and ample resources to ensure schools continue operating smoothly.
Each school is connected to the Endeavor Support Team (EST), the company’s national support network. EST includes human resources, IT, finance, billing, enrollment, marketing, facilities management and security support for each school. This allows school employees to focus on providing children with a high-quality educational experience.
For many companies and school owners, the handover process can be problematic. However, Endeavor Schools differs from the competition by taking the time to pinpoint how best to make the transition for everyone involved, including employees and students, and putting their well-being first.
It’s a process that has become more efficient during Endeavor Schools' expansion.
“We have the right strategy. More importantly, we have the right people,” Campo said. “We wouldn’t have been able to get this far without the right people on board."
Investing in Teachers
A major way Endeavor Schools supports schools is by investing in teachers.
Danielle Millman, the Chief Operations Officer at Endeavor Schools, said there is a lack of professional development opportunities in the early childhood education field. Endeavor Schools addresses that by providing developmental programs and financial support for workshops and college courses. Employees also receive a discount on tuition for their children.
“Our teachers are true professionals and they deserve the opportunity to further their development,” Millman said. “The best way to invest in education is to invest in teachers. And we do that at every school in our company.”
At the head of the Endeavor Schools academic team is Dr. Amy Brereton, the company’s Vice President of Academics and a Cambridge University-trained expert in early childhood education. Under her leadership, educators receive the latest education research and training. In addition, they benefit from teacher reflection tools, collaborative teacher networks and curriculum reviews.
“Teaching children is a craft that must be constantly honed and developed,” Brereton said. “We understand the challenges teachers face when it comes to getting the resources for professional development. That’s why we have incorporated professional teacher development into our company culture.”
With its expanding school network, Endeavor Schools also offers many opportunities for advancement. Many teachers are promoted to school leader positions and regional directors are hired from within the company.
With its vast professional support network, educator developmental programs, and positive work culture, educators can build a future at Endeavor Schools.
Keeping Momentum Going
Endeavor Schools has seen tremendous growth since its founding eight years ago and will keep growing.
In addition to expanding its school portfolio, the company offers employer-sponsored child development programs for large companies. This increases benefits for employees and helps companies attract and retain top talent.
Working with different partners and communities makes Endeavor Schools uniquely qualified to provide employer-sponsored programs, and it recently began an employer-sponsored program with one of the world's largest companies.
Endeavor Schools is on the path to hit many more milestones. However, Campo says his company’s success will never detract from its core mission.
“Early on, I never had illusions of building a huge company of a certain scale,” Campo said. “It has always been about doing something I love, working with people who are passionate about educating children, and creating a company culture where people love to work.”