LOOKING AFTER THE KIDS 

Kids are more demanding than ever. It is not always their fault - too many parents think that giving in to just about every demand is compensation for not spending enough quality time with them - but it has certainly raised the bar when it comes to franchises aimed at children. This is particularly true for entertainment franchises such as Kids Party Club, which was founded in 2006 by two parents who found it a constant struggle to source new party entertainment of a consistently high quality and felt it was about time something was done about it.

PUPPET POWER

The result was Kids Party Club, which offers high quality, unique puppet shows coupled with a puppet disco. Because the shows are professionally pre-recorded, the entertainers don't have to have any particular entertainment talent which allows many more people to get involved. "While there are certainly more distractions for kids than there used to be and there has been an obvious increase in websites aimed at kids/teenagers as well as TV channels and general marketing towards children, I still believe the simple ways are best to amuse and entertain children," said Alan Sheehan, general manager Kids Party Club. "If they could communicate their preference, I believe they would still prefer the ‘one to one' interaction and simple fun of puppets or magic. Even with the most expensive toys, kids can still end up playing with the box the toy came in. We believe that kids love puppets - they always have and they always will, no matter what new technology comes along." And, of course, this is important since they are more discriminating than ever. "Even young kids are aware of what is good and what is not. They are seeing more and communicating more with each other via the internet and mobile phones and at an earlier age. I believe that entertainment needs to recognise these changes."

Kids Party Club shows are pre-recorded in the company's studios, allowing it to present a 'live' puppet show with multiple voices, background sounds and effects. With the high quality audio and lighting systems, it delivers a high impact and very theatrical experience. The puppets are large, soft and strong on detail and character. Story lines are fun, interactive and have a moral to them. In the case of educational shows, they deliver their messages in a clear and fun but sensitive way to national school pupils on delicate subjects within Department of Education SPHE (social, personal and health education) curriculum aims, such as the current shows on 'bullying' and ‘healthy eating'. "With the party shows we also perform a few simple magic tricks at the beginning and provide a great kiddies disco as the second half of the show, with our puppet DJ 'DJ Funky'," added Sheehan. "The kids all receive stickers and washable tattoos and the birthday child gets a free gift. The whole show lasts for over an hour, which is long enough to keep the kids involved."

FOOTBALL MAD

Because of the massive coverage it generates, children (particularly girls) are more interested in football than ever before. However, for many this interest extends no further than collecting player cards or playing video games. Combined with a reduction in open spaces and parental concerns about their safety, this has led to a reduction in the numbers to be found actually kicking a ball around. Most toddlers will get a kick out of knocking a ball around their garden, which goes some way to explaining the popularity of Little Kickers.

Aimed at pre-school boys and girls between 18 months and 5 years old, it aims to teach fundamental football techniques and elementary life skills in an enjoyable, group play environment. Social skills such as listening, sharing, taking turns and teamwork are woven into the programme, which places as much emphasis on simple learning concepts like colours, numbers and socialisation as it does on fine-tuning a child's basic balance, agility and co-ordination. Niamh O'Connor, country manager for Little Kickers in Ireland explained how the franchise operates. "Individuals buy the rights to run four classes a week, effectively mini-franchises to enable them to stay under the VAT threshold [Little Kickers has not yet been classified as an educational franchise]." O'Connor, who runs her own minifranchise in Dublin, liaises with interested parties, sending them information and meeting them before approving applications in conjunction with head office and providing training.

The company, which had considered selling a master franchise for Ireland, has been operating here since January 2007. "The first franchisee started in north Dublin and I was the second person to sign up. All our franchisees are in Dublin to date and there is still massive untapped potential in the city, although we have had a lot of enquiries from the rest of the country. We have three people operating a total of six mini-franchises and four more franchisees in the pipeline." Naturally, the idea is to extend the franchise to all parts of the country. O'Connor, who says the company is happy with its progress in Ireland so far, is looking for people who are interested in working with kids and the fitness aspect of the business as well as having the usual qualities required to make a franchise work. "A keen interest in football is an advantage but not essential," she said. "Access to indoor facilities at least the size of a badminton court is also required. While Little Kickers is well suited to someone looking for a part time business, it can become a full time job - there is one lady in the UK who runs up to 30 classes per week and has staff working for her." As children rarely enter football clubs before the age of five, this franchise is an opportunity for parents to ensure their children get some exercise and acquire skills beyond the ability to trap and pass a ball, added O'Connor, who first came across Little Kickers when she was living in London. "It teaches kids skills beyond soccer, which is why we are disappointed not to be classified as an educational franchise. Everything we do has a learning motivation as well as helping to improve co-ordination, spatial awareness etc. Some of the kids are not that crazy about football but they love the sessions." For those of us who spend more time than we would choose to at children's parties it sometimes seems like bouncy castles have become a status symbol.

THEMED ENTERTAINMENT

The little treasures usually want something that can be seen from space and the options are almost endless, explained Garvan Rigby of Bouncy Bobs, which offers licensed and themed castles for hire. "Parents do seem to have the ability to spend money on their kids, be it for a birthday party or for a First Communion. However, they also want a professional service as opposed to hiring from a person with no insurance or knowledge of the industry. Children are no longer satisfied with the party and musical chairs approach - they are more choosy and want to be entertained and their parents are happy to have items such as themed bouncy castles to do the job for them." Any parent who has ever taken their child to a party where there was a bouncy castle will inevitably point out that the best thing about it was that little Johnny or Joanne were so knackered after a couple of hours bouncing around that they were too tired to get up to anything untoward. As appreciative as they are of the exercise their kids are getting, parents also want to be reassured that they will not get seriously hurt and Rigby stresses the importance of safety measures. "Parents are conscious that their children need regular exercise and all our units have an integrated safety netting built into all walls of the castles, which is important." "Kids do not just want a ‘bouncy castle' these days - they often want a specific themed unit that all their friends can enjoy together," he added. "We provide themed bouncy castles based on characters from Warner Brothers movies and our Superman and Scooby Doo castles are extremely popular and the first to be booked up each weekend."

SUPPLEMENTRY EDUCATION 

While many parents are anxious that their children take more exercise, many more are keen to give them a mental head start by developing their academic and personal skills. This has increased the popularity of franchises such as supplementary education provider Kumon, which now has more than four million children in 44 countries following its instructional method. Niamh Hogan is area manager for Kumon in Ireland and has been running her own centre in Mount Merrion since September 2007. This was the first centre in Dublin and joins others in Cork (3), Donegal, Kilkenny and Wicklow. "The most important quality our franchisees require is that they have to want to work with children. We don't expect them to commit full time to the franchise immediately, although they will often do so after a year or two." Students typically attend a study centre twice a week where they interact with their instructor and go about their daily work. Parents sign their children up for a variety of reasons - some want to give them a boost in areas they are slightly behind in, others are looking to stimulate children who are advanced for their age. There are also those who have one eye on exams, although Hogan is keen to point out that Kumon is a long term programme rather than a hot-housing or exam cramming exercise. Some are simply concerned about large class sizes and simply want to make sure that their children are up to speed in maths and English.

"Naturally, parents want to see results because they are putting time and money into it, but this is a long term programme. The benefits of the maths teaching might become clear quickly (we look at core skills in maths and English and our activities are designed to complement school work) but they will also see an improvement in their children's confidence and personal skills. Parents are asked to check the work every night so we encourage them to talk to us about the programme." The plan for this year is to open more centres in Dublin, although Hogan does not dismiss the possibility of signing up new franchisees outside the capital. "We are looking for more instructors in Dublin and I have done some advertising and marketing to promote the business." In the longer term the objective is to become a truly nationwide franchise with a presence in every country.

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