Start a Drama Kids Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: #399 Ranked #419 last year

Initial investment: $48K - $57K

Units as of 2025: 181 12% over 3 years

Drama Kids International was founded in 1979 as a children's after-school acting program that believes in the value of instilling self-confidence and self-esteem in its students. Since its opening, Drama Kids has received international recognition for its programs that help kids build life skills. Kids aged 4 to 18 have benefitted from Drama Kids' programs that seek to build creative thinking, public speaking, creativity, and social skills in kids worldwide.

Over the past 35 years, Drama Kids has enrolled an average of 15,000 students each year, highlighting its popularity as an after-school drama program. With over 60 franchises in the United States to go along with more than 150 international franchises, Drama Kids has continued to succeed.

Why You May Want to Start a Drama Kids Franchise

The drama program's curriculum is original, fun, creative, and has a scale for advancement that adjusts to each child's pace as they grow and learn. The Drama Kids programs, workshops, and camps have yielded positive results and many happy customers.

Some of the most attractive programs under the Drama Kids umbrella include the Drama Kids Preschool Workshops, Drama Kids at School, and the Drama Kids Summer Camps. The consideration of students from all school levels may make Drama Kids a great partner to students’ continuous growth and development.

What Might Make a Drama Kids Franchise a Good Choice?

To be part of the Drama Kids team, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company's set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

Drama Kids franchisees are offered the opportunity to run the business as a part-time business and/or a home-based business, increasing the flexibility that you may be offered as a franchisee.

The ideal candidate for the Drama Kids franchise family is an individual who loves to work with children and is passionate about growing their potential.

How To Open a Drama Kids Franchise

To begin the process of opening your own Drama Kids franchise, start by completing an informational form. After this, Drama Kids officials may reach out to allow you to know more about the franchise as they get to know you, too.

The benefits of joining the Drama Kids franchise start with a comfortable training schedule that adapts to your needs as a franchisee. At the start, Drama Kids offers a multi-day initial training followed by on-the-job training in the first year of operation. Additionally, as a family company that believes in the value of training, Drama Kids seeks to ensure that all franchisees acquire marketing, administration, teaching, and management skills before opening.

If your values align with Drama Kids' expectations, it may be the right place to launch your business and transform your community.

Company Overview

About Drama Kids

Industry	Children's Businesses
Related Categories	Children's Enrichment Programs: Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous Children's Businesses, Tutoring, Children's Education/Enrichment
Founded	1979
Parent Company	Drama Kids
Leadership	Faith Gavelek, President
Corporate Address	15271 McGregor Blvd., #16-282 Ft. Myers, FL 33908
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube

Business Overview

Franchising Since	1989 (36 years)
# of employees at HQ	7
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises worldwide. This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming
# of Units	181 (as of 2025)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Drama Kids franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$42,500
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$48,000 - $57,000
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$50,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$30,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	10% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	8%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	1%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	7 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Drama Kids has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	11 hours
Classroom Training	40 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	Yes
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	Yes
# of employees required to run	1
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes