Safari Kid Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Safari Kid is an early education franchise offering preschool, childcare, and academic enrichment programs. Franchisees run the schools, managing teachers, curriculum, enrollment, and parent relationships.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Safari Kid franchise requires a total initial investment of $402K – $1.8M, including a $70K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 14 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $402K – $1.8M
- 60th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 18th pct Education
- Units
- 25
- 44th pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $402K – $1.8M including a $70K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 53/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 14 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- DECLINESystem contracting at -10.5% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Safari Kid Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Safari Kid Global Inc.
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Manager & Member
- Deepak Mudakavi
- CEO experience
- 18 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- California
- HQ
- 34899 Newark Blvd., Newark, California
- Auditor
- CPA Auditor, Inc.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.4M
- vs $1.7M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Deepak Mudakavi
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2006
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 4
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 64% above the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown21 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Feenot refundable | $70K | $70K | |
| Pre-Opening Services Feenot refundable | $30K | $30K | |
| Booksnot refundable | $900 | $5K | |
| Suppliesnot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Training Program Travel Expensesnot refundable | $4K | $10K | |
| Leased Real Estatenot refundable | $8K | $55K | |
| Equipmentnot refundable | $5K | $10K | |
| Furniture & Materialsnot refundable | $5K | $120K | |
| Build Out of Learning Centernot refundable | $200K | $1.2M | |
| Business Permits & Licensesnot refundable | $200 | $6K | |
| Liability Insurance (for 6 months)not refundable | $1K | $6K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $6K | $15K | |
| Initial Advertisingnot refundable | $15K | $15K | |
| Print, Design, Marketingnot refundable | $3K | $9K | |
| Security Systemnot refundable | $1K | $10K | |
| Accounting & Legal Expensesnot refundable | $2K | $7K | |
| Additional Fundsnot refundable | $50K | $208K | |
| Franchise Fee (Area Developer)not refundable | $120K | $120K | |
| Pre-Opening Services Fee - 1st unit (Area Developer)not refundable | $30K | $30K | |
| Pre-Opening Services Fee - 2nd unit (Area Developer)not refundable | $30K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $883K | $3.6M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $402K – $1.8M
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $208K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $70K – $70K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $30K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Total fee load | 8.5% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Safari Kid did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Safari Kid unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
9%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.5% — below the Education average of 10.6%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System contracting at -10.5% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Multi-unit rate
55% of franchisees own multiple units — high repeat-buyer rate signals strong unit economics and operator satisfaction.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Education averages
How Safari Kid Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 25
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 4.0%
- Company-owned
- 8
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 68%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 54.5%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -10.5%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -10.5%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 3
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Continuity rate
- 94.4%
- Units that stayed open
- Ceased ops
- 4.0%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 5 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 14
- Loan volume
- $18.1M
- Median loan
- $775K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 5
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 6.5%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 5.3%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 142
- 1.3 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 40%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 33% went to startups / new businesses, 67% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in child day care services, franchised businesses charge off at 5.3% vs 13.0% for independents — franchising is associated with 59% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Safari Kid franchisees
Showing 3 of 5 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Safari Kid's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 5 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 3 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 6-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 14 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Safari Kid flags financial distress with a small net loss of -$6,576 despite positive net worth of $680,586, and units declined 10.5% to 25. No Item 19, no litigation, and no going-concern note. Stacked minor concerns: unit contraction plus a slight loss.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · CPA Auditor, Inc.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 53 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNet unit decline -10.5% to 25 units
- 02MINORSmall net loss -$6,576
- 03MINORNo Item 19; positive net worth $680,586
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 15 years |
| Territory type | Households |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory population | 12,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Newark, CA |
| Governing law | California |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 51 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 46 hrs
- Training location
- Newark, California and/or Union City, California
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 18 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Procare
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Procare
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
29 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Safari Kid · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Safari Kid franchise?
The total investment to open a Safari Kid franchise ranges from $402K – $1.8M, with an initial franchise fee of $70K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Safari Kid franchise owners earn?
Safari Kid does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Safari Kid FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Safari Kid FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Safari Kid's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Safari Kid has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 14 loans, meaning 0.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Safari Kid franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Safari Kid has 25 total units in the United States, including 17 franchised units and 8 company-owned units.
Is Safari Kid a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Safari Kid as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 53 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Safari Kid, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.