Safari Kid Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $402K – $1.8M
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 14 loans
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]. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $402K – $1.8M
- 60th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 21st pct Education
- Units
- 25
- 43rd pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education median · 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.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 41/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative: net -1 franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 1 closed); 12 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- 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.
- FDD Item 1, page 6 of the 2025 FDD
- 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
- $1.7M
- vs $1.4M 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 460% above the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown17 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 | |
| Total initial investment | $402K | $1.8M |
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%
- 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% |
| 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 makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Safari Kid unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
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% (near the Education median).
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
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 medians
How Safari Kid Compares
Category median of published Education brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
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
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 12
- 0.48 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
29 current owners across 5 states.
- CA 24
- WA 2
- CT 1
- NJ 1
- OR 1
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
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
- Limited · 14 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 14 loans, rate hidden until 10 have resolved and loans reach 2% of franchised units
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Limited · 14 loans
- 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%
- n=2,945 loans
- 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.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Safari Kid from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 0.0%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 78%
- Avg interest rate
- 6.53%
- Lender concentration
- 40.0%
- Job velocity
- 1.3 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 2.3%
- NAICS 624410
- Jobs supported
- 142
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 40% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Live Oak Banking Company | 4 | $4.0M | 0.0% |
| 2 | JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | 3 | $1.2M | 0.0% |
| 3 | Heritage Bank of Commerce | 1 | $1.6M | 0.0% |
| 4 | KeyPoint CU | 1 | $3.1M | 0.0% |
| 5 | Fremont Bank | 1 | $899K | 0.0% |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| CACalifornia | 8 | 0 | 0.0% |
| OROregon | 1 | 0 | -- |
| WAWashington | 1 | 0 | -- |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
What could kill this investment?
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)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
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)
Franchisor revenue reflects royalty revenue, service fees revenue, and franchise fees revenue (franchisor-level income, not per-unit sales).
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 41 / 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 | Exclusive territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | 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
- Site selection
- franchisor approval required; franchisee selects with franchisor advice, real estate broker assistance, and final approval right
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- 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
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 makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Safari Kid?
Safari Kid is franchised by Safari Kid Franchising, LLC. Its parent company is Safari Kid Global Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
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?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Safari Kid (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
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 C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 41 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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
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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.