The Goddard School Franchise Owners Association (GSFOA) is an affiliate chapter of the American Association for Franchisees & Dealers (AAFD), which provides guidance and assistance to the GSFOA. The AAFD has nearly 50 affiliate chapters formed by franchisees from some of the largest franchised brands in the country.
Our Mission
- Protect and strengthen the business value and profitability of our franchisee members.
- Foster cooperation among members to resolve common business problems and develop better approaches to communicating with our franchisor regarding franchisee wants, needs, and suggestions to improve our businesses.
- Contribute to the success of our franchisor.
Stronger numbers through strength in numbers
In 2020, several franchisees formed the Great Schools Franchisee Owners Association (GSFOA), an independent association of The Goddard School® franchisees, to gain access to AAFD benefits such as healthcare, retirement plans and other services and discounts. Since then, the association’s purpose has evolved to focus on protecting and strengthening the business value and profitability of The Goddard School franchisees and promoting a constructive relationship with GSL that improves the franchisee experience and the franchise.
Today the GSFOA has members representing nearly 25% of Goddard School locations. Some members have owned their schools for more than 10 years and others less than three years.
How we operate
GSFOA is overseen by an interim board of franchisee founders and a representative from AAFD. In 2024, now that the association has achieved a critical mass of more than 100 school locations, the interim board expects to replace itself with a board of elected volunteers.
The board holds remote bi-monthly meetings open to all members and the AAFD representative holds remote monthly new member onboarding meetings.
As the board evolves and membership grows, standing and temporary board committees will be formed. Committees may include Advocacy, KPIs & Best Practices, FMS & Business Management Tools, HR & Compensation Practices, Marketing, Technology, Facilities, Wonder of Learning, and other areas of interest to members.
We may also set up mentored or moderated networking groups such as New Owners, Small Market Owners, Large Market Owners, High Wage & Low Ratio Market Owners, etc.
Please click this link to the AAFD website to join our association. We look forward to your active participation!
