business plan template for after school program

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After-School Program Business Plan

After-school programs are advantageous for both working parents and kids looking for extracurricular activities that match their interests. In fact, they are a fantastic approach for educators to increase their audience and generate more cash with additional activities.

Are you looking to start writing a business plan for your after-school program business? Creating a business plan is essential to starting, growing, and securing funding for your business. We have prepared an after-school program business plan template for you to help in start writing yours.

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• Fill in the blanks – Outline
• Financial Tables

How to Write an After-School Program Business Plan?

Writing an after-school program business plan is a crucial step toward the success of your business. Here are the key steps to consider when writing a business plan:

1. Executive Summary

An executive summary is the first section of the business plan intended to provide an overview of the whole business plan. Generally, it is written after the entire business plan is ready. Here are some components to add to your summary:

Start with a brief introduction:

Market opportunity:, mention your services:, management team:, financial highlights:, call to action:.

Ensure you keep your executive summary concise and clear, use simple language, and avoid jargon.

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2. Business Overview

Depending on what details of your business are important, you’ll need different elements in your business overview. Still, there are some foundational elements like business name, legal structure, location, history, and mission statement that every business overview should include:

About the business:

Home-based childcare:, child care center:, preschool child care:, school-age child care:.

• Company structure of your after-school program business whether it is LLC, partnership firm, or others.
• Location of your after-school program and the reason why you selected that place.

Mission statement:

Business history:, future goals:.

This section should provide an in-depth understanding of your after-school program business. Also, the business overview section should be engaging and precise.

3. Market Analysis

Market analysis provides a clear understanding of the market in which your after-school program business will run along with the target market, competitors, and growth opportunities. Your market analysis should contain the following essential components:

Target market:

Market size and growth potential:, competitive analysis:, market trends:, regulatory environment:.

Some additional tips for writing the market analysis section of your business plan:

• Use a variety of sources to gather data, including industry reports, market research studies, and surveys.
• Be specific and provide detailed information wherever possible.
• Include charts and graphs to help illustrate your key points.
• Keep your target audience in mind while writing the business plan.

4. Products And Services

The product and services section of an after-school program business plan should describe the specific services and products that will be offered to customers. To write this section should include the following:

List the services:

Give a thorough explanation of the after-school program services provided in this section. The particular activities that will be offered, such as:

• Help with homework,
• Extracurricular activities,
• Enrichment activities,
• Social & emotional support, and
• Other potential programs

Describe each service: For each service, provide a detailed description of what it entails, the time required, and the qualifications of the professionals who will provide the service.

Provide information on staff and facilities:

Give a succinct description of your staff’s credentials, mentioning both their training and pertinent work experience. Additionally, give details about the program’s facilities, along with any tools or materials that will be required.

Overall, a business plan’s product and services section should be detailed, informative, and customer-focused. By providing a clear and compelling description of your offerings, you can help potential investors and readers understand the value of your business.

5. Sales And Marketing Strategies

Writing the sales and marketing strategies section means a list of strategies you will use to attract and retain your clients. Here are some key elements to include in your sales & marketing plan:

Develop your unique selling proposition (USP):

Determine your pricing strategy:, marketing strategies:, sales strategies:, customer retention:.

Overall, the sales and marketing strategies section of your business plan should outline your plans to attract and retain customers and generate revenue. Be specific, realistic, and data-driven in your approach, and be prepared to adjust your strategies based on feedback and results.

6. Operations Plan

When writing the operations plan section, it’s important to consider the various aspects of your business processes and procedures involved in operating a business. Here are the components to include in an operations plan:

Hiring plan:

Operational process:, curriculum:.

By including these key elements in your operations plan section, you can create a comprehensive plan that outlines how you will run your after-school program business.

7. Management Team

The management team section provides an overview of the individuals responsible for running the after-school program business. This section should provide a detailed description of the experience and qualifications of each manager, as well as their responsibilities and roles.

Key managers:

Organizational structure:, compensation plan:, board of advisors:.

Describe the key personnel of your company and highlight why your business has the fittest team.

8. Financial Plan

When writing the financial plan section of a business plan, it’s important to provide a comprehensive overview of your financial projections for the first few years of your business.

Profit & loss statement:

Cash flow statement:, balance sheet:, break-even point:, financing needs:.

Remember to be realistic with your financial projections, and to provide supporting evidence for all of your estimates.

9. Appendix

When writing the appendix section, you should include any additional information that supports the main content of your plan. This may include financial statements, market research data, legal documents, and other relevant information.

• Include a table of contents for the appendix section to make it easy for readers to find specific information.
• Include financial statements such as income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. These should be up-to-date and show your financial projections for at least the first three years of your business.
• Provide market research data, such as statistics on the size of the industry, consumer demographics, and trends in the industry.
• Include any legal documents such as permits, licenses, and contracts.
• Provide any additional documentation related to your business plans, such as marketing materials, product brochures, and operational procedures.
• Use clear headings and labels for each section of the appendix so that readers can easily find the information they need.

Remember, the appendix section of your business should only include relevant and important information that supports the main content of your plan.

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

This after-school program business plan sample will provide an idea for writing a successful plan, including all the essential components of your business.

After this, if you are still confused about how to write an investment-ready business plan to impress your audience, then download our after-school program business plan pdf .

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Frequently asked questions, why do you need an after-school program business plan.

A business plan is an essential tool for anyone looking to start or run a successful after-school program. It helps to get clarity in your business, secures funding, and identifies potential challenges while starting and growing your business.

Overall, a well-written plan can help you make informed decisions, which can contribute to the long-term success of your business.

How to get funding for your after-school program business?

There are several ways to get funding for your after-school program business, but one of the most efficient and speedy funding options is self-funding. Other options for funding are:

Small Business Administration (SBA) loan

Crowdfunding, angel investors.

Apart from all these options, there are small business grants available, check for the same in your location and you can apply for it.

Where to find business plan writers for your after-school program business?

There are many business plan writers available, but no one knows your business and idea better than you, so we recommend you write your after-school program business plan and outline your vision as you have in your mind.

What is the easiest way to write your after-school program business plan?

A lot of research is necessary for writing a business plan, but you can write your plan most efficiently with the help of any after-school program business plan example and edit it as per your need. You can also quickly finish your plan in just a few hours or less with the help of our business plan software.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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After School Program Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business ideas » Education Industry » After School Program

Are you about starting an after school program? If YES, here is a detailed sample after school program business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE .

Engaging children in fun, creative and educative activities when they are not in school is one sure way of making money in the United States hence the thriving nature of after school businesses.

So, if you are looking for a business to establish as an entertainer or children-oriented business person, you could start an after school program business.

Opening an after school business in an area with loads of children of school age but fewer recreational centers can be very lucrative.

The truth is that one of the easiest ways for parents to get their children active and happy during holidays or even at weekends is to take them to after school program centers.

Starting an after school program business comes with its own fair share of challenges, but that does not rule out the fact that it is indeed a profitable business venture.

An aspiring entrepreneur can either choose to start by choosing a niche or offering general after school activities. Below is a sample after school program business plan template that can help you to successfully write your own with little or no difficulty.

A Sample After School Program Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

The After-School Program Providers industry comprises of establishments that organize youth programs that take place outside of the traditional school day. After-school programs can occur at various times of the day and in a variety of places, including the school building, community centers, libraries or parks.

Activities include everything from sports and study groups to performing and creative arts. As many industry operators are nonprofit organizations, they are exempt from federal income tax. Players in this industry also operate franchised fitness and recreational sports facilities for children aged 18 and younger.

The After-School Program Providers industry has indeed coped well over the last five years, as it recovered from the economic downturn that affected most businesses in the united states. Rising per capita disposable income as well as growing awareness of the benefits of playing and exercising regularly, especially in response to the rising childhood obesity rate, have driven demand for this business.

Going forward, rising per capita disposable income and lower unemployment levels will continue to drive up demand for franchises. The After-School Program Providers industry is indeed a very large industry and pretty much thriving in all parts of the world.

Statistics has it that in the United States of America alone, there are about 224,792 licensed and registered After-School Program Providers responsible for employing about 1,083,089 employees and the industry rakes in a whooping sum of $23 billion annually with an annual growth rate projected at 2.3 percent.

Please note that the After-School Program Providers industry has no companies with major market shares. According to IBISWorld, the After-School Program Providers industry organizes youth programs that take place outside the traditional school day.

After-school programs are held in a variety of locations, including schools, community centers, libraries or parks. Activities are wide ranging but often include sports, homework-assistance, and opportunities for creative expression. Over the five years to 2018, the number of students participating in after-school activities has risen due to increased demand, a large portion of which remains unmet.

Rising per capita disposable income and greater workforce participation among two-parent households have driven revenue growth for the industry. Over the five years to 2018, revenue for the industry is estimated to increase an annualized rate.

According to the most recent 2009 survey conducted by the Afterschool Alliance, about 8.4 million children participate in after-school programs nationwide for an average of 8.1 hours per week. Despite the number of children in after-school programs having steadily risen from 2004 to 2009, participation has since stagnated with the onset of the recession.

High unemployment allowed more parents to supervise their children instead of enrolling them in industry programs, mitigating growth in participation rates since 2009. In recent time, the industry has experienced revenue growth, despite many families being time – strapped.

While the industry contended with mounting competition from alternative leisure activities, such as bouncy castles and cinemas, many operators generated industry revenue growth on the basis of convenience. In the coming years, the industry revenue is forecast to grow as the After-School Program Providers continue to enhance their product portfolios to attract children and families, despite their reduced leisure time.

Starting an after-school program business in the United States of America can be stressful, it requires enough cash to acquire land large enough to accommodate the kind of activities you want to start and also cash equip the indoor and outdoor playground facility to meet the standard expected by potential users.

2. Executive Summary

Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. is a licensed after school program provider that will be located in a growing community in East Rutherford – New Jersey. Our basic aim of setting up the business is to contribute our quota in ensuring that children who live in East Rutherford and neighboring towns engage in after school activities that will help them stay off crime and also for them to have fun.

We are committed to nurturing the play, imagination and creative side of children. We have been able to secure a standard indoor playground facility in a central and easy to locate area in East Rutherford – New Jersey.

Our aim of starting the business is to engage children in after school activities that include sports, homework-assistance, opportunities for creative expression, physical activities, educational assistance, food and concessions, music and art, workforce development and family activities.

We are well equipped to services the whole family cum community as well as visitors and travelers. Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. is going to become the leading after school program provider in the whole of East Rutherford – New Jersey and we will work hard to build our business to match the needs of the average child under the age of 18.

Before launching the business, we conducted a thorough market research and feasibility studies and we came to the conclusion that East Rutherford – New Jersey community is the right place to open our business. Brighter Future®

After School Program Provider, Inc. will at all times demonstrate her commitment to sustainability, both individually and as a business, by actively participating in our communities and integrating sustainable business practices wherever possible.

We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our client’s needs precisely and completely. Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. is owned and managed by Mercy Colby and her immediate family members.

Mrs. Mercy Colby has robust experience in the children entertainment and family recreation industry and she possess B.Ed. in Physical and Health Education.

3. Our Products and Services

Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. is in the After-School Program Providers industry to provide children’s fitness center, entertainment and recreation facility for residents of East Rutherford – New Jersey which is why we have been able to put up an outdoor and indoor playground facility that can help us achieve the goal.

We are optimistic that everyone who enroll in our after school program will definitely derive fun and of course have value for their money and time. These are the activities that will be made available to our clients;

• Standalone academic programs
• Standalone child care
• Other after-school programs
• Gymnastics instruction
• Dance instruction
• Swimming instruction
• Additional children’s fitness activities instruction
• Homework-assistance, opportunities for creative expression, physical activities, educational assistance, food and concessions, music and art.

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

• Our Vision is to build a world – class after-school program business and also to contribute our quota in encouraging families and children in East Rutherford – New Jersey to actively engage in creative and recreational activities.
• Our mission for establishing Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. is to create a movement in the community that supports total engagement of children of school age in after school programs (creative and recreational activities).
• We want to contribute our quota towards ensuring that East Rutherford – New Jersey community produces some of the brightest and crime – free children of school age in the whole of the United States of America.

Our Business Structure

Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. is in business to become the leading after school program providers in the whole of East Rutherford – New Jersey and we are fully aware that it will take the right activities, management and organizational structure to achieve our goal.

We will ensure that we recruit only the best hands that can help us achieve all that we are set to accomplish. Our business will not be built for giving our members value for their money and time, but also, we will ensure that we make our work environment highly conducive for all our employees.

We will provide them with employee packages that will help them stay motivated. In view of that, we have made provisions for the following positions to be occupied by highly qualified and experienced staff;

• Chief Executive Office – CEO
• After School Programs Coordinator
• Accountant / Cashier
• Marketing and Sales Officer
• Indoor / Outdoor Playground Safety Instructors / Assistant (5)
• Customer Care Executive / Front Desk Officer

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Executive Officer – CEO:

• Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results
• Creating, communicating, and implementing the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
• Responsible for fixing prices and signing business deals
• Responsible for providing direction for the business
• Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
• Evaluates the success of the organization
• Carrying out staff induction for new team members

After School Program Coordinator

• Set educational standards and goals, and help establish policies, procedures, and programs to carry them out.
• Plan afterschool programs to cater to the individual needs of students enrolled in the program
• In charge of homework-assistance programs, physical activities, educational assistance, food and concessions, music and art.
• Implement the curriculum by creating appropriate lesson plans and imparting them in a strategic manner
• Make presentations for the students so that they can understand what is to be expected of them during the course of the program
• Develop and implement procedures and policies for afterschool programs
• Ensure and encourage positive student behavior through modeling
• Interview and hire instructors to provide sustenance to the afterschool program
• Make sure that each instructor is provided with guidelines for his or her lesson
• Establish communication between school management and students
• Evaluate students on the basis of their ability to handle information
• Document findings of the evaluations and discuss the same with parents
• Maintain records of students enrolled in the afterschool program in a confidential manner
• Implement emergency procedures when necessary
• Identify student misconduct and attempt to correct it
• Check that all program areas are kept neat and clean at all times

Indoor/Outdoor Playground Safety Instructors/Assistant (5)

• Ensure that children follow safety measures when they make use of our play facilities
• Handle amusement and recreation services
• Handle registration for sports tournaments and matches
• Responsible for handling and giving instruction for services such as meals, coin-operated games and rides, amateur sports teams and club services et al.

Marketing and Sales Officer (2)

• Identify, prioritize, and reach out to new clients, and business opportunities et al
• Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts
• Writing winning proposal documents, negotiate fees and rates in line with organizations’ policy
• Responsible for handling business research, market surveys and feasibility studies for clients
• Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with clients
• Document all customer contact and information
• Represent Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. in strategic meetings
• Help increase sales and growth for Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc.

Accountant/Cashier:

• Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
• Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports; analyzes financial feasibility for the most complex proposed projects; conducts market research to forecast trends and business conditions.
• Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
• Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting for the organization
• Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
• Responsible for administering payrolls
• Ensuring compliance with taxation legislation
• Handles all financial transactions for Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc.
• Serves as internal auditor for Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc..

Client Service Executive

• Welcomes members and potential members / clients by greeting them in person or on the telephone; answering or directing inquiries.
• Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
• Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the organization’s products and services
• Manages administrative duties assigned by the management in an effective and timely manner
• Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the organizations’ products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to clients when they make enquiries

Cleaners (3):

• Responsible for cleaning in and around the outdoor and indoor playground facility
• Clean up after customers
• Wash glassware and utensils after each use
• Maintain a clean play area by sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning of glass doors and windows, etc. if required.
• Ensure that toiletries and supplies don’t run out of stock

6. SWOT Analysis

Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. provides after-school activities for children of school age in East Rutherford – New Jersey. We are aware that there are competitions in the After-School Program Providers industry which is why we took out time to conduct an effective SWOT Analysis before investing our hard earned money into the business.

We hired the services of Dr. Emmanuel Bright, a HR and Business consultant with bias in business structuring to help us conduct SWOT analysis for our company and he did a pretty good job for us. Here is a of the result we got from the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc.;

One of the apparent strengths that will definitely stand as a plus for Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. is the fact that our indoor and outdoor facility is centrally located in a densely populated residential area in East Rutherford – New Jersey; our location is in fact one of our major strength.

We equally have a team of highly qualified professionals who will work with our clients to achieve their aims of enrolling in our program and lastly our membership package is going to be one of the best that anybody living in East Rutherford – New Jersey can get; it is cheap and affordable.

Before setting up this business, we looked into our Business model and we were able to identify two major weakness. One is the fact that we are a new business.

The second is the fact that we may not have the financial resources required to match up with existing indoor playground facilities and even government own entertainment and recreation facilities in East Rutherford – New Jersey when it comes to acquiring latest children entertainment and fitness equipment and also in generating the needed hype that can drive traffic towards our facility.

• Opportunities:

Part of the advantages we have is that, we are centrally located in one of the busiest areas with the right demographic composition in East Rutherford – New Jersey and we are open to all the available opportunities that the city has to offer.

When unemployment rises, parents are more likely to care for kids outside of school hours instead of enrolling them in industry programs. unfavorable government policies , demographic / social factors, downturn in the economy which is likely going to affect consumers spending and lastly, the emergence of new competitors within the same location where our business is located.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

• Market Trends

The After-School Program Providers industry is part of the industry that has benefited from recent marketing campaigns which is targeted towards encouraging people (children inclusive) to participate in recreation activities and sports, as well as consumer trends toward healthy living.

Going forward, many people who are part of the baby boomers generation are expected to sign up their children for health and fitness club memberships in their communities. However, patrons of after school program providers are anticipated to increasingly pick up membership from less expensive facilities as against expensive all – inclusive clubs.

Lastly, for after school program provider to remain operational despite less government funding and stagnant participation in industry programs, most operations are increasingly relying on volunteer labor and community support, which is benefiting the industry.

8. Our Target Market

The target market for after school program providers cuts across children of school age from different backgrounds. Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. will work towards providing services, facilities and environment that will help us reach out to our target market. These are the category of people that we intend marketing our family entertainment center to;

• Households and families with children under the age of 18 in an around East Rutherford – New Jersey
• Churches and Religious centers

Our competitive advantage

The After-School Program Providers industry is indeed a prolific and highly competitive industry. Clients will only enroll in your after school program if they know that you can help them achieve their goals.

Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. is centrally located in a densely populated – residential area with the right demographic composition in East Rutherford – New Jersey; this is obviously going to give us an edge amongst our competitors.

We equally have a team of highly qualified professionals who will work with the children to achieve their aims of enrolling in our after school program and lastly our membership package is going to be one of the best that anybody living in East Rutherford – New Jersey can get; it is cheap and affordable.

Lastly, our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category in the industry. It will enable them to be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and objectives.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

• Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

Our marketing strategies will be directed towards achieving specific objectives that support the strategic goals of the organization. The truth is that all that we do will be geared towards creating new market channels, increasing sales and our market share.

We will leverage on improving on our services to ensure that we win new clients and retain old members. At Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc., our marketing strategies will be consistent throughout the marketing mix and we will take into consideration product improvement, promotion, and price.

Our unique selling proposition is that we are well positioned and people can easily access our facility, our prices are affordable and we have a complete package for families, schools and religious organizations. Part of the marketing and sales strategies that we will adopt are;

• Open our after school program with a big party for children that reside in and around East Rutherford – New Jersey
• Advertise Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. on national dailies, local TV and radio stations
• Promote our after school program online via our official website and all available social media platforms
• Introduce our after school program by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to religious organizations, schools, households and key stakeholders in East Rutherford – New Jersey
• Print out fliers and business cards and strategically drop them in offices, libraries, public facilities and train stations et al.
• Making our first impression count positively to those making use of our indoor or outdoor playground facility for the first time
• Make use of attractive hand bills to create awareness and also to give direction to our facility
• Adopt direct mailing coupon marketing approach
• Position our signage / flexi banners at strategic places in and around East Rutherford – New Jersey
• Create a loyalty plan that will enable us reward our consistent members especially those that registered as a family or groups
• Engage in roadshows within our neighborhood to create awareness for our after school program business.

Sources of Income

Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the After-School Program Providers industry and we are going to ensure that we do all it takes to attract clients on a regular basis. Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. will generate income by offering the following services;

10. Sales Forecast

It is important to state that our sales forecast is based on the data gathered during our feasibility studies and also some of the assumptions readily available on the field. It would be hard to create a sales forecast with a newly opened business because the statistics that will be provided will be on a short term basis.

Experts said that usually a business should be in operation for at least one year before they can generate the statistics that will help in accurate forecasting; statistics should be at least one year old in order to show the trends and pattern in consumer spending.

We expect to welcome a minimum of 12,000 children i.e. one thousand children per month within our first year of operation and then in subsequent years we will grow by 25 percent or more. Below are the sales projection for Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc., it is based on the location of our after school program business and the services and products that we will be offering;

• First Fiscal Year (FY1):  $200,000
• Second Fiscal Year (FY2):  $450,000
• Third Fiscal Year (FY3):  $750,000

N.B : This projection was done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major competitor offering same services as we do within 4.5 miles radius from our facility.

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We have been able to work with our branding and publicity consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the heart of our target market. We are set to become the number one choice in the whole of East Rutherford – New Jersey which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our after school program business.

Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc.;

• Place adverts on both print (community – based newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
• Sponsor relevant community – based sport events and academic competitions
• Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook, twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our brand
• Install our billboards in strategic locations all around East Rutherford – New Jersey
• Engage in roadshow from time to time in targeted neighborhoods
• Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
• Contact Families and schools by calling them up and informing them of Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. and the services we offer
• List Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. on local directories / yellow pages
• Advertise our after school program business in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site.
• Ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirts and all our official vehicles are well branded with our corporate logo.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

Our pricing system is going to be based on what is obtainable in the industry, we don’t intend to charge more (except for premium and customized services) and we don’t intend to charge less than what our competitors are charging as gate fees or membership fee in East Rutherford – New Jersey.

Be that as it may, we have put plans in place to offer discount services once in a while and also to reward our loyal customers especially when they refer clients to us or when they register as a family or a religious organization and schools.

• Payment Options

The payment policy adopted by Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different customers prefer different payment options as it suits them but at the same time, we will ensure that we abide by the financial rules and regulation of the United States of America.

Here are the payment options that Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. will make available to her clients;

• Payment by via bank transfer
• Payment via online bank transfer
• Payment via check
• Payment via mobile money
• Payment with cash

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our clients pay us without any difficulty.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

From our market research and feasibility studies, we were able to come up with the following financial projections and costing as it relates to establishing our own after school program business in the United States of America;

• The total fee for registering the business in the United States of America – $750.
• Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits as well as the accounting services (software, P.O.S machines and other software) – $3,300.
• Marketing promotion expenses for the grand opening of Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. in the amount of $3,500 and as well as flyer printing (2,000 flyers at $0.04 per copy) for the total amount of $3,580.
• The cost for hiring business consultant – $2,500.
• The cost for insurance (general liability, workers’ compensation and property casualty) coverage at a total premium – $2,400.
• The cost for payment of rent for 12 months at $1.76 per square feet warehouse facility in the total amount of $105,600.
• The total cost for facility remodeling (construction of racks and shelves) – $20,000.
• Other start-up expenses including stationery ($500) and phone and utility deposits ($2,500).
• Operational cost for the first 3 months (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – $60,000
• The cost for start-up inventory (stocking with a wide range of sport wares, writing implements, stamps and stencils, stationery and loose-leaf paper, notebooks, binders and organizers and other related items) – $100,000
• The cost of purchase and installation of CCTVs – $5,000
• The cost for the purchase of furniture and gadgets (Computers, Printers, Telephone, TVs, Sound System, tables and chairs et al) – $4,000.
• The cost of launching a website – $600
• The cost for our opening party – $7,000
• Miscellaneous – $10,000

We would need an estimate of $350,000 to successfully set up our after school program business in East Rutherford – New Jersey.

Generating Funds/Startup Capital for Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc.

Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. is owned and managed by Mrs. Mercy Colby and her immediate family members. They decided to restrict the sourcing of the startup capital for the business to just three major sources.

• Generate part of the startup capital from personal savings and sale of stocks
• Generate part of the startup capital from friends and other extended family members
• Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the bank (loan facility).

N.B: We have been able to generate about $250,000 (Personal savings $200,000 and soft loan from family members $50,000) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $500,000 from our bank. All the papers and documents have been duly signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

The future of a business lies in the number of loyal customers that they have, the capacity and competence of their employees, their investment strategy and business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business, then it won’t be too long before the business closes shop.

One of our major goals of starting Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running. We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to come up with creative recreational activities for children of all ages.

Brighter Future® After School Program Provider, Inc. will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and retraining of our workforce is at the top burner.

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of ten years or more. We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry and they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.

Check List/Milestone

• Business Name Availability Check : Completed
• Business Registration: Completed
• Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
• Securing Point of Sales (POS) Machines: Completed
• Opening Mobile Money Accounts: Completed
• Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
• Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
• Application for business license and permit: Completed
• Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
• Acquiring indoor and outdoor facility and remodeling the facility: In Progress
• Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
• Generating capital from family members: Completed
• Applications for Loan from the bank: In Progress
• Writing of Business Plan: Completed
• Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
• Drafting of Contract Documents and other relevant Legal Documents: In Progress
• Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
• Printing of Promotional Materials: In Progress
• Recruitment of employees: In Progress
• Purchase of academic resources, office appliances and suppliers: In progress
• Creating Official Website for the Company: Completed
• Creating Awareness for the business both online and in the neighborhood: In Progress
• Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement (License): Secured
• Opening party/launching party planning: In Progress

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What to Include in Your After-School Program Business Plan

To start a successful afterschool program, you first need an effective business strategy, which starts with a good business plan

A high-quality afterschool program business plan is essential. It provides a comprehensive overview of your program by running it through multiple types of analyses, approaches, and perspectives.

After all, just like any other business, an after-school program has a leadership structure, offers a service to paying customers, has competition to outperform, and a budget to adhere to.

A business plan should consider how all these factors come together to form a cohesive and effective structure.

In this article, we go over the elements comprising a typical business plan and the most optimal way to approach writing each of them.

Elements of an After-School Program Business Plan

So, which elements should you include in your after-school business plan?

Of course, there is no single definitive answer. Business plans are used by private companies and organizations alike, regardless of size, and they can be tailored to internal or external use.

However, there are still many common components most business plans will include.

These elements form the basic business strategy stress test, which will help you polish your after-school program ideas .

Executive Summary

To start, your after-school program business plan must include an executive summary.

An executive summary is to a business plan what the business plan is to the business itself—a brief and clear synopsis of the most relevant information, written to entice the reader to invest.

The main purpose of an executive summary is to grab the reader’s attention. It should be clear and concise and serve as a highlight reel of the strongest points from the remaining sections of a business plan.

It usually includes the following:

Illustration: Regpack

Because you need to flesh your ideas out before summing them up, the executive summary should be the last section you write.

However, it is the first one people will read.

Therefore, you need to make a strong first impression.

Remember, investors often have dozens of business plans to pick from. If they are not hooked by the end of the executive summary, they can easily decide to move on to the next one.

In short, the starting page of your after-school program business plan should contain an executive summary, a short and to-the-point representation of the business plan and its main ideas.

Business Description

The next element to include in your after-school program business plan is the business description.

This section should briefly convey to the reader what the program is about and what its purpose is.

For the first part, provide basic information such as the program’s name, business model, industry, key personnel, history, and planned opening date.

Next, write your program’s short-term and long-term goals.

Whether you strive for 60 sign-ups in a month or two student groups by the end of the year, it is important to choose goals that fit the acronym SMART—smart, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound.

Your objectives should align with your program’s mission, vision, and value statements. These make up the essence of your program and the driving force behind it.

The mission statement has to sum up the purpose of your after-school program in one to two sentences.

Here’s a good example from Urban Youth Harp Ensemble:

Source: Urban Youth Harp Ensemble

A business description should also include a vision statement. This is an aspirational description of the program’s desired academic enrichment in society.

In the case above, it might be: “To raise a musically literate generation.”

All in all, a business plan should include a description of what your after-school program does, why it exists, and its plans for academic achievement.

Description of Services

After defining what your after-school program is generally about, it is important to provide a detailed description of its services.

Begin by defining the educational focus of the program. Are you planning to teach one subject in depth, provide various extracurricular activities, offer homework assistance, or present professional development skills?

Or do you envision a less-focused, more entertaining environment to keep children busy while their parents work?

Elaborate with more specific details about the service.

For example, the students’ age, the location, and the size, length, and frequency of the classes. Include anything you think would be relevant to a person interested in the program.

Take a look at a service section from the Trackers organization:

Source: Trackers After School Basecamp

Ultimately, a good service description is necessary for an after-school program business plan because it provides a clear plan of the program’s real-world application process.

Organizational Structure

The next section to include in your after-school program business plan is the organizational structure.

List out all the people involved or required to run the program. Begin with yourself.

Write your name and position in the program, then provide a short biography, listing relevant skills and a background check.

Do the same for the other team members . In case you don’t have any partners or employees yet, name and describe the positions you plan to fill with future candidates. Also, add your proposed salaries for each position and include them in your financial projections.

When applicable, highlight your or the staff’s experience compatible with your program, like in this example:

Source: Workshop Houston

Workshop Huston offers creative, artistic programs for their students, which is reflected here—the CEO is a musician, and the program director is a multimedia artist.

The involvement of experts gives the program stronger legs to stand on, making it more possible for an interested party to invest or enroll .

In summary, the organizational structure is an overview of the job positions that make up the inner workings of your after-school program, providing insight into the people who fill those positions and their skills.

Operations Plan

The operations plan is the logistical strategy for your after-school program, making it a key element to include in your business plan.

In it, describe in practical terms what your program’s day-to-day operations look like.

Specify what it takes to run the program in terms of finances and resources, and your plan on securing them.

In other words, explain your idea of how to manage the program for it to stay operational and achieve set goals.

The type of questions the operations plan needs to cover include:

• What is the weekly schedule?
• How many groups of students will there be?
• Which teacher will be running which group?
• What will be the staff-to-child ratio?
• Does the program require props or materials, and where will you get them?
• What does the registration process look like for students and parents?
• Will the program be for high school or middle school students?

Also, don’t forget to research city and state legal requirements for working with children. You can usually find it on your state’s government website.

Ensuring you have a compliant system in place will protect the children from potentially dangerous conditions and help you avoid fines or even closure.

In conclusion, an operations plan should be included in your business plan to explain how you intend to fulfill the various requirements of running your after-school program .

Market Analysis

This section of the business plan should provide an overview of the market conditions for your after-school program.

To begin, do in-depth research into the state of the industry and the competition.

Look into the number of programs on a local and national level and extrapolate any noticeable trends regarding growth in recent years. Are after-school programs on the rise or decline?

Find out how your city or state compares to the others in the number of programs to assess the need for one in your area.

If you’re unsure where to find the answers, the Afterschool Alliance offers a lot of useful resources to help you start:

Source: The Afterschool Alliance

Find after-school programs in the vicinity and do a so-called SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis. Do the same program evaluation for your own, and then compare the results.

To have a chance of succeeding, you have to stand out from your competitors by utilizing your strengths and compensating for your weaknesses.

Once you define the competition’s weak spots, you can carve out a place in the market by offering a better value for money, providing unique enrichment activities, or catering to a specific niche audience.

Overall, the market analysis should illustrate how your program plans to succeed in the context of direct competition and the industry as a whole.

Marketing Strategy

After an exhaustive analysis of the market conditions, your business plan should map out the marketing strategy for the after-school program.

Research different marketing channels to decide which one best fits your needs.

You can pass out flyers, take out ads in the paper, use social media advertising, or use legacy media to market your program. You should come to a decision based on your budget and the target audience.

There are many free and paid solutions that can help you efficiently spread the word, each with its upsides and downsides.

For example, a radio commercial on the local station during rush hour is expensive, but it could also reach many working parents in the area.

Social media is cheap and allows you to market to target audiences, but, depending on where you live, it’s possible that relatively few working adults use it.

All in all, your business plan needs a marketing strategy that can reach the most amount of people by using the limited resources available to the program.

Pricing Strategy

The pricing strategy for your after-school program is vital for its financial stability and eventual success in the real world.

The pricing strategy is firstly informed by market analysis.

For example, if comparable programs in your vicinity charge an average 100$ per week, you should either price gauge them or match their price, but stay in a 100$ ballpark.

If necessary, seek the advice of a financial expert who can carefully go over your projected costs and earnings and set a balanced price.

Next, you have to figure out how you will manage payments. Are you going to charge on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis?

When deciding on payment management, consider using a registration service like Regpack for your program.

Regpack offers an automated billing feature that is easy to set up and simple to use.

Source: Regpack

This is a practical solution that saves you time and energy in collecting payments.

In conclusion, the pricing strategy of an after-school program should outline how much you intend to charge for the service and your method of managing payments.

Financial Plan

In the last section of the business plan, you need to provide all the financial information regarding your after-school program.

Since you are just starting out , this data will be largely theoretical. However, mention the numbers you do have, such as your starting budget proposal, expenses, and any additional investments you have so far.

For the rest, use the financial estimations from previous sections to come up with projected earnings and expenses.

To approximate expenses, add up all the costs of running the program. These include the salaries, the rent for the location, the cost of marketing, and the price of materials you will need.

A simple way to calculate projected earnings is by multiplying the number of students by the monthly price of admission per student.

By juxtaposing earnings with expenses, you can make a better case for the sustainability or growth of your program.

To sum up, a financial plan should contain all the costs and expenses for operating an after-school program, and make reasonable goals and projections based on the numbers.

Your after-school program business plan provides detailed insight into your program services, operational strategies, business goals, funding sources, and finances.

It should include every piece of information that is pertinent to the program’s success in the market and the enrichment opportunities for the students.

The research you do will help you sharpen up your business strategy and convince others of your after-school program’s potential.

Therefore, whether you are looking for investors or just hammering out your plans, write a business plan that follows the route outlined in the article, and by the time you’re finished writing, you will have a stronger after-school program for your school district.

Asaf, Founder and CEO of Regpack, has extensive experience as an entrepreneur and investor. Asaf has built 3 successful companies to date, all with an exit plan or that have stayed in profitability and are still functional. Asaf specializes in product development for the web, team building and in bringing a company from concept to an actualized unit that is profitable.

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Sample After School Program Business Plan

• January 25, 2024

We welcome you to read this guide on how to write your after-school program business plan.

After-school programs have grown in popularity over the years. These schools not only keep kids engage in useful activity but teach vital skills to kids of all ages.

If you’re reading this article because you wish to start one, you’re at the right place.

AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM BUSINESS PLAN SAMPLE

Unlike the complex stuff you’ve probably heard about tutoring service business plans , we’ve simplified the process to help with easy comprehension.

We’re certain that as you read on, you’d find all the information you need to write a good plan for your after-school program business.

Incorporating Key Elements

The journey to writing an effective plan starts by connecting or including the constituent parts to form a whole. In other words, certain elements of your after-school program business plan must be included if you’re to come up with a great plan.

These key elements or sections include the executive summary, the company description, as well as the products & services sections. Others are the market analysis section, strategy & implementation, organization & management team, and the financial plan & projection sections.

All of these elements combined to make a great after-school program business plan. However, the contents of these sections are equally important. You’ll need to provide certain basic information for each of them.

Let’s take a look at what’s contained under each section of the plan.

i. Executive Summary

The name says it all!

The executive summary section of your after-school program business plan is a summary of your plan. It’s meant to provide brief, yet quality information about your business, the problem it solves, your target market as well as financial highlights.

This appears first in the plan. It’s positioned that way to help the reader get an idea of what the rest of the plan is about. Although this section is placed at the beginning of the plan, it should be written last.

This is important as it helps you include all the information contained in the other sections.

An executive summary should include certain basic components. These include your business name & location, services offered, mission & vision statements, and the objective or purposes of your plan.

Business Name & Location

Your after-school program should have a name. This is what gives it an identity. Under this section, you’re expected to include information on the name as well as where the program will be located.

You’ll need to be clear and concise here as you’re writing an executive summary. Finer details can be supplied in other sections of the plan.

Services Offered

An after-school program is service-based. As such, you’ll need to list the range of services being offered. This will include programs and curriculum as well as skills being imparted.

Do such services have any real impact on the development of kids? Include such in brief.

Mission & Vision Statements

Writing this section of your executive summary will include clearly stating your mission and vision. For your mission statement, should be brief and must explain your program’s goals and what it does for kids as well as the business.

Your after-school program’s vision statement should be able to clearly depict where you want your business to be at a certain point in the future. This can be termed your goals and aspiration for the after-school program.

Objective or Purpose of the Plan

Every business plan must have a purpose and so should yours. Clearly state such plan(s) for the business. In some cases, such a plan may be to either secure investment or to achieve set strategies.

ii. Company Description

This is the next section of the plan that must also be clearly written. Here, you basically need to provide information on who you are, you’re your after-school program operates and the goals you intend to achieve.

The key information here includes your legal structure, history, and if there are demands for after-school programs in your community. What are your services like?

Also, provide a summary of the growth of your program with special reference to the market and financial details.

iii. Products & Services

After-school programs are basically service-based. The focus should be on how kids will benefit from the program.

You’ll need to explain your program’s market role. Are you researching better ways to ensure service excellence? What are they?

iv. Market Analysis

Writing the market analysis section requires thorough research. Here, you’re expected to show an appreciable level of industry experience. You may want to include all findings in an appendix.

Contents of the market analysis section should include a targeted customer segment sketch.

Such a sketch should include details about size and demographics. This shouldn’t be much work as your after-school program is meant for kids and adolescents. Also include industry description as well as outlook. Marketing data on past, present, and projected operations should be added.

What other after-school programs are there in your vicinity? These are your competitors. Evaluate their strengths and weaknesses.

v. Strategy & Implementation

One of the key things you’ll need for a successful takeoff of your program is an implementation strategy. A lot of explanation is required on how you intend to launch and market your after-school program.

Also, you’ll need to provide details on pricing, costs, and promotions.

Will your after-school program need the services of employees now or in the future? Include such information here.

vi. Organization & Management Team

If you’re the sole owner of the after-school program, include basic information such as your name, extent of involvement, biography, skills, and background. The same goes for multiple owners.

Provide a profile of your management team.

Such profiles will include information on their names, responsibilities, and experience. Any board members or advisors should be added as well.

vii. Financial Plan & Projections

This section will require the input of a financial expert.

Here, you’ll need to include historical financial data. This is for after-school programs that have been in existence for some time. Details of the financial data include balance sheets, cash flow statements covering a 5 year period, and income statements.

You also need to add projected financial data. This should be realistic or achievable. It includes details such as forecasted income statements, balance sheets, capital expenditure, and cash flow statements.

This is the format your after-school program business plan should take. We’ve added key sections that are indispensable to coming up with a great plan.

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How to Start an Afterschool Program: Your Essential Guide

• brightwheel
• Running a business

Afterschool programs provide children with extra academic support, skills development, and a safe and fun learning environment after typical school hours end. They also provide critical support to working families who are able to maintain a typical workday without worrying about their children’s safety. 

Starting an afterschool program, like any other business, requires upfront costs and careful planning. This guide shares how to start an afterschool program, including factors to consider, like associated costs and licensing, and how to build a quality program.

What is an afterschool program?

An afterschool program is a set of structured activities for children of all ages, typically taking place on school days, after regular school hours, usually from 2pm or 3pm to around 6pm or 7pm. Afterschool programs support the needs of working families by filling the gap when parents or caregivers are still at work and children are done with school. 

Afterschool programs, similar to enrichment programs , can take those extra hours and turn them into meaningful learning time. Children can be exposed to safe and enriching activities that help them explore new interests and skills that regular school time constraints might not allow. These programs can also enhance leadership skills, foster positive relationships between children and adults, and promote community engagement.

Some common afterschool activities include:

• Academic activities that enhance student learning, like reading, math, and homework help
• Physical activities like soccer, dance, yoga, and free play to support physical well-being
• Specialized skills development activities focused on a specific topic like leadership, arts and crafts, science and technology, drama, writing, or poetry
• Community service activities that promote community engagement like making cards for children in shelters
• Field trips to exciting educational places like zoos, aquariums, museums, or parks

The activities vary depending on a program’s focus. For example, programs whose purpose is academic enrichment will focus more on enhancing student learning in classroom subjects like math and reading to help them perform better academically. On the other hand, programs that aim to support children’s physical activity will focus more on activities that get children moving.

If you provide afterschool care at your childcare center, brightwheel's scheduling software can manage your daily student and staff schedules and allow you to accurately plan for class sizes and ratios throughout the day. You'll also be able to accommodate a variety of scheduling needs including part-time, full-time, and other attendance patterns.

The demand remains high for afterschool programs. America After 3PM , the largest survey on afterschool programs spanning 16 years, found that for every child in an afterschool program, three are waiting to get in. This highlights the crucial need for more afterschool programs in communities across the country.

Licensing requirements for afterschool programs

Similar to starting a preschool , an afterschool program requires a license to demonstrate compliance with state laws. Each state has specific minimum licensing requirements that apply to programs serving children, including afterschool programs. Check your state’s licensing agency to learn more about your area’s specific licensing requirements. 

State regulations can include things like:

• Efficient manual or automated child tracking systems
• Ample space requirements 
• Safe food-handling policies
• Appropriate child-to-staff ratios 
• First aid and CPR certifications
• Operational policies and procedures

How much does it cost to start an afterschool program?

Cost is a huge factor to consider when starting an afterschool program. Similar to starting a daycare business , it’s essential to research and understand your financial obligation prior to starting your program. As a first step, consider the below start-up and operational costs of running an afterschool program:

• Rent or facility cost and utilities like electricity, water, heating, TV, phone, and internet
• Employee compensation
• Licensing fees
• Supplies and equipment
• Advertising and marketing
• Food (if applicable, must meet the USDA nutritional standard )

What makes a quality afterschool program?

A quality afterschool program follows state standards in child growth and development, administration and management, observation and assessment, and health and safety. In addition, a quality afterschool program uses assessment tools to monitor and continuously improve program quality. Here’s what you’ll need to do build a quality afterschool program.

Perform a needs assessment

Define your mission, vision, and goals, write a business plan, choose a location, build a curriculum, hire qualified staff, assess the program.

Performing a needs assessment helps you determine the demand for your afterschool program. It enables you to answer the questions, “Does my community need an afterschool program?” and, if so, “What exactly do they need?” Set up a task force of a few people to go around the community carrying out a survey, especially with families who might benefit. 

Find out what families and children are currently doing for afterschool care and what skill-building challenges their children face that regular school doesn’t address. Also, ask them what interests their children might have that would fit well with an afterschool program. Finally, find out what resources in your community are already available to meet their needs and find the gaps between what they need and what’s available.

Write down your program’s purpose. What’s your desired outcome? For example, is your goal to help improve children’s academic skills or to enhance their social and leadership skills? What benefits do you want to bring to the community? What is your financial goal? Writing down your goals will help you create a strategy to achieve them. Also, determine how you will monitor your program’s progress toward those outcomes. 

While defining your purpose, consider the children’s developmental needs and plan to provide them with a place of safety and security. Also, provide them opportunities to encourage their creativity, develop their independence, and set clear expectations for their behavior. Quality afterschool programs balance academic, recreational, and social activities. However, depending on the children's needs, you might want to focus on a specific area.

A business plan is a strategic tool for business owners to document how they will start and manage their business. Your business plan can include basic information about your company structure and objectives, staffing, marketing plan, start-up and operational costs, and financial projections.  Business plan templates from the U.S Small Business Administration can help you get started with creating the right business plan for your needs.

The location you choose for your afterschool program must be convenient (close to schools and accessible to families), affordable, and compliant with your area’s child health and safety requirements . When you’re just starting, leasing a full-time private space can be expensive, so you might be better off leasing space only for the time you use it. Popular low-cost options include leasing space or a room from community centers, schools, churches, and recreation centers.

A quality program will have a variety of exciting and age-appropriate well-planned activities. Get the children's input about the program activities so that they’re more engaged. Periodically ask the children what they think about the activities and what else they would like to see in the program. 

Children develop at different rates, and it's important for your curriculum to match children’s cognitive, social-emotional, and physical developmental stages. If the activities are too easy, the children might get bored, and if they’re too challenging, they might lose self-confidence and get frustrated.

Finding and hiring qualified staff is a crucial component of success for your afterschool program. Take the time to write compelling job descriptions that list the skills and qualifications potential employees need to meet as well as the job’s duties and responsibilities.

Teachers in the community looking for extra work after regular school hours could be excellent candidates because they have experience working with children and might even have existing relationships with some children and families.

Consider offering specific afterschool training to your staff as a way to provide additional resources to educators.

Building a quality afterschool program involves continuously assessing your activities and improving along the way. Check that you’re implementing best practices and documenting feedback from the children on what they enjoy about the program and what changes they’d suggest. 

Regularly observe and assess children’s performance in your program as well. Create a system to track progress on any developmental goals and identify each child’s strengths and areas for improvement. Use these assessments to make any changes to your program or adjustments to your teaching methods.

Ready to start your afterschool program?

Afterschool programs can provide essential support to working families in your community and provide meaningful learning opportunities for children outside regular school hours. If you’re passionate about education and working with children, starting an afterschool program might be a rewarding business for you to explore.

Brightwheel is the complete solution for early education providers, enabling you to streamline your center’s operations and build a stand-out reputation. Brightwheel connects the most critical aspects of running your center—including sign in and out, parent communications, tuition billing, and licensing and compliance—in one easy-to-use tool, along with providing best-in-class customer support and coaching. Brightwheel is trusted by thousands of early education centers and millions of parents. Learn more at   mybrightwheel.com.

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After-School Program Business Plan

$59.00 $39.00 3 reviews

Resources On After-School Program

• Financial Model
• Value Proposition
• One-Page Business Plan
• SWOT Analysis
• Business Model

Marketing Plan

• Bundle Business Plan & Fin Model
• Description

Executive Summary

Products & services, market analysis.

• Management Plan
• Financial Plan

The After-School Program Business Plan aims to provide high-quality after-school programming for students in the Atlanta area by partnering with schools, community organizations, and government agencies. We believe that solving the problem of limited access to after-school programming for underserved communities requires a tailored approach that meets the specific needs of each partner organization.

Our program will offer academic support, sports, and enrichment activities that promote social-emotional development and health and wellness. By providing a safe, engaging, and supportive environment for students to learn and grow after-school, we aim to improve student outcomes in areas such as academic performance and personal skills development.

Our solution will be funded through grants and contracts from our partner organizations, which will ensure stable and predictable revenue streams. Our focus on impact and outcomes will allow us to provide regular reporting on program success and maintain strong partnerships with our community partners.

Target Market

The target market for our After-School Program Business Plan is schools, community organizations, and government agencies in the Atlanta area. Our customers are those who prioritize high-quality after-school programming for their students and are looking for a partner to provide tailored programming that meets their specific needs. These organizations may have limited resources or expertise to provide after-school services themselves, and are seeking a reliable and effective partner to help fill this need.

Our target market also includes underserved communities in the Atlanta area, where access to after-school programming may be limited. We aim to increase access to high-quality after-school programming for these communities and improve student outcomes in areas such as academic performance and social-emotional development.

By partnering with these organizations, we can provide a valuable service that meets the needs of our target market while ensuring stable and predictable revenue streams for our business. Through our commitment to excellence in programming and our focus on impact and outcomes, we believe we can become a leading provider of after-school services in the Atlanta area.

Competition

Currently, the after-school program market in Atlanta is competitive and there are a few alternatives that our business will be competing against. These include other after-school programs run by schools or community organizations, as well as private tutoring or enrichment programs.

However, what sets our business apart from the competition is our focus on partnering with schools, community organizations, and government agencies, which allows us to tailor our programs to meet their specific needs and requirements. Additionally, our emphasis on regular reporting and communication with our partners ensures that our program is always aligned with their goals and objectives. We believe that these factors will make us a strong competitor in the after-school program market in the Atlanta area.

Financial Summary

Our financial plan is designed to ensure stable and predictable revenue streams while maintaining high-quality programming and supervision for our students. Below are the key highlights of our financial plan:

• Cost structure includes program development and implementation costs, as well as staffing costs to ensure high-quality programming and supervision for our students.
• Revenue streams will primarily come from grants and contracts received from our partner organizations for the services provided.
• Our goal is to secure $500,000 in grants and contracts within the first year of operation, with a funding increase to $1 million by the end of the third year.
• We project a break-even point within the first two years of operation, with steady growth in revenue and impact over time.

Overall, our financial plan supports our business goals of providing a safe, engaging, and supportive environment for students to develop their academic and personal skills, increasing access to after-school programming for underserved communities, and improving student outcomes in areas such as academic performance, social-emotional development, and health and wellness. We are confident in our ability to achieve our financial and impact goals, and look forward to serving the Atlanta community through our after-school program.

Funding Requirements

Our After-School Program Business Plan startup requires an initial investment of $750,000 to cover the following costs:

• Program development and implementation costs: $300,000
• Staffing costs for the first year of operation: $300,000
• Marketing and outreach: $50,000
• Office equipment and supplies: $50,000
• Legal and administrative expenses: $50,000

During the first year of operation, we plan to secure $500,000 in grants and contracts from partner organizations. This will bring our total funding to $1.25 million, which will be used to cover operational expenses and invest in future growth.

We are seeking investments to cover the initial startup costs and provide additional working capital to ensure a strong foundation for success. With funding in place, we are confident that we can achieve our financial and impact goals in the following years.

Milestones and Traction

As a newly established after-school program in Atlanta, our main goal is to establish strong partnerships with schools, community organizations, and government agencies in the area. We have identified specific milestones that we plan to hit in order to achieve our financial and funding goals for the business plan.

Through a combination of strategic partnerships, grant and contract funding, and a commitment to excellence in programming, we are confident in our ability to achieve these milestones and make a positive impact in the lives of students in the Atlanta area.

Problem Worth Solving

The After-School Program Business Plan aims to address the problem of limited access to high-quality after-school programming for students in the Atlanta area. Many schools and community organizations lack the resources or expertise to provide comprehensive after-school programming that meets the needs of their student population. This is particularly true in underserved or low-income communities, where students may have limited access to academic support or enrichment activities.

Furthermore, research has shown that students who engage in after-school programs are more likely to have higher academic achievement, improved social skills, and better physical health. However, many schools and community organizations struggle to secure the funding and resources needed to provide such programs.

Our business plan seeks to fill this gap by partnering with schools, community organizations, and government agencies to provide tailored after-school programming that meets the specific needs of each partner. By securing grants, contracts, and other sources of funding, we can provide stable and predictable revenue streams that allow us to focus on the impact and outcomes of our programs.

Overall, the After-School Program Business Plan aims to provide a solution to the problem of limited access to high-quality after-school programming, with a focus on improving academic performance, social-emotional development, and health and wellness among students in the Atlanta area.

Our Solution: Products & Services

Validation of problem and solution, product overview.

Our after-school program provides high-quality programming for students in the Atlanta area. We partner with schools, community organizations, and government agencies to provide tailored programs that meet the specific needs of our partner organizations. Our programs are designed to support students' academic and personal development, while creating a safe, engaging, and supportive environment for learning and growth.

Our program offerings include academic support, sports, and enrichment activities. We believe that a well-rounded program that incorporates various types of activities and learning experiences is key to improving students' outcomes in areas such as academic performance, social-emotional development, and health and wellness.

Our services are primarily for students in underserved communities who may not have access to high-quality after-school programming. By partnering with schools, community organizations, and government agencies, we aim to increase access to these essential services and help improve outcomes for students in these communities.

Our programs benefit our customers, including schools, community organizations, and government agencies by providing stable and predictable revenue streams through grants or contracts. By partnering with us, our customers can focus on their core activities while leaving the after-school programming to our team of experts.

Roadmap: Products & Services

Our After-School Program Business Plan has identified the following steps taken and planned to establish and grow our business:

Our After-School Program Business Plan is committed to developing tailored programming that meets the specific needs of our partner organizations. We plan to provide a safe, engaging, and supportive environment for students to learn and grow. By securing funding through grants and contracts, we aim to establish stable and predictable revenue streams. We will maintain regular communication and reporting with our partners to ensure ongoing success and growth in revenue and impact over time.

Market Segmentation

In analyzing the market potential for the after-school program, potential customer groups can be segmented based on specific characteristics. These segments are:

By targeting specific customer groups and tailoring the after-school program to meet their specific needs, the business can maximize its market potential and ensure successful partnerships with key organizations.

Target Market Segment Strategy

The ideal customer for our after-school program is students in grades K-8 who attend schools in low-income neighborhoods and may not have access to similar programs and resources outside of school. Our program will focus on providing academic support, sports, and enrichment activities that align with partner organizations’ needs. By tailoring our programs to meet the specific needs of our partner organizations, we will engage and support our target market segment. Through regular communication and reporting, we will ensure that our program is meeting the needs of our target market and providing the impact and outcomes desired by our partners.

Key Customers

Our ideal customer archetype for the after-school program is the school administrator or community leader who is passionate about providing quality programming for their students. They understand the importance of after-school activities in improving academic outcomes and are willing to invest in a partner-based approach to achieve their goals. They value a transparent and data-driven approach to program success and are interested in building a long-term relationship with our organization.

Future Markets

Based on the market analysis conducted, the potential market for our after-school program is significant. With the increasing demand for after-school programming and the emphasis on academic achievement, our tailored programs meet the needs of schools, community organizations, and government agencies. Our focus on impact and outcomes also sets us apart from competitors, ensuring that our programs deliver results and are deemed successful by our partners. As we expand and establish more partnerships, our revenue streams will continue to grow, allowing us to further invest in program development and staffing, thus expanding the impact of our after-school programs.

Below is a table of potential competitors offering after-school programming in the US:

While these competitors may offer similar after-school programming options, our contract or grant-based business model allows for a focus on partner-specific needs and sustainable revenue streams. We will differentiate ourselves through our tailored approach and regular reporting on the success of our programs.

Marketing and Sales Plan

Our marketing strategy focuses on building strong relationships with our partner organizations and communicating the impact of our programs. We will allocate a portion of our budget to advertising through social media platforms and local community publications. Our goals include increasing program enrollment by 20% annually and securing additional partnerships with schools and community organizations.

Location and Facilities

Equipment and tools.

Our after-school program requires certain equipment and tools to provide a comprehensive and engaging experience for students. The following table outlines the necessary items and associated costs:

By investing in quality equipment and tools, we are able to provide a comprehensive and engaging after-school program that meets the needs of our students and partner organizations. The costs associated with these items are factored into our program development and implementation costs.

Management and Organization

Organizational structure.

Our after-school program has a flat organizational structure with clear roles and responsibilities. The following table outlines the positions and their responsibilities:

There is a clear flow of information and communication between levels of the organization, with regular check-ins and updates provided to the program director. Additionally, all staff members are trained on reporting protocols to ensure accurate and consistent reporting on program success to our partner organizations.

Management Team

As the after-school program grows, we anticipate hiring individuals to fill high-level management roles within our company. The table below provides a list of potential candidates:

Management Team Gaps

Currently, there are no identified positions or areas of expertise where there are no potential candidates to fill those roles. However, as the business expands and the program grows, it may be necessary to hire additional staff with specialized skills in program development, grant writing, data analysis, or other important areas. The management team will continually assess the program's needs and make necessary adjustments to the team's composition to strengthen the organization's overall capacity and effectiveness.

Personnel Plan

Running an after-school program requires a team of qualified and dedicated individuals who are passionate about education and youth development. Below is a table of potential positions that we expect to require in order to run our business effectively:

We are committed to hiring a diverse and talented team that reflects the communities we serve. All staff members will be required to pass a background check and complete training in youth development, cultural competency, and safety protocols.

Company History and Ownership

The After-School Program Business Plan startup is a new venture based in Atlanta, Georgia, with plans to open its doors in 2023. Our team is comprised of experienced professionals in the education and nonprofit sectors who share a passion for providing high-quality after-school programming to students in the area.

Our company's history is rooted in our collective experience working with underserved communities and recognizing the need for accessible and impactful after-school programming. Through research and discussion with various stakeholders, we identified the contract and grant-based model as the most feasible and effective way to achieve our goals.

We are a privately owned and operated company, and our founding team will continue to lead the organization in its mission to improve student outcomes and provide opportunities for growth and development outside of the traditional classroom setting. We believe that our expertise, coupled with our commitment to excellence, will allow us to become a leading provider of after-school services in the Atlanta area.

Our management and organization section includes a detailed roadmap of specific goals and objectives that we plan to achieve to manage and steer our business. This roadmap includes:

Key Metrics

As with any business, it is important to track key performance indicators (KPIs) in order to gauge the overall performance and health of our after-school program. Some of the KPIs we will be tracking include:

• Number of partner organizations
• Number of students enrolled in the program
• Retention rate of students in the program
• Number of program offerings or activities
• Grant or contract funding amounts
• Outcome and impact data collected from partner organizations

By regularly tracking and analyzing these metrics, we will be able to make data-driven decisions about program development, staffing, and resource allocation in order to optimize our impact and outcomes.

Financial Plan and Metrics

Sales forecast.

Below is the projected sales forecast for the After-School Program Business Plan for the years 2023-2025, broken down by product categories.

Our projections assume steady growth in revenue over time as we establish ourselves as a leading provider of after-school services in the Atlanta area. We anticipate reaching our break-even point within the first two years of operation and achieving our funding goal of $1 million by the end of the third year.

Starting and operating an after-school program requires certain costs to be incurred. We have divided these expenses into two categories – startup costs and operational expenses.

Projected Profit and Loss

Our revenue streams will primarily come from the grants and contracts we receive from our partner organizations for the tailored after-school programming we provide. We project a break-even point within the first two years of operation and anticipate steady growth in revenue and impact over time.

We project a steady increase in revenue and profit over the next three years as we establish strong partnerships and provide high-quality after-school programming for students in the Atlanta area.

Projected Cash Flow

Here is a projected cash flow statement for the After-School Program Business Plan for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025:

The inflow represents the grants and contracts that we anticipate receiving each year, with the goal of increasing funding over time. Outflow includes program development and implementation costs, as well as staffing costs to ensure high-quality programming and supervision for our students. Net cash flow represents the profit or loss after deducting outflow from inflow, while cumulative net cash flow shows the running total of these figures over the three-year period. Our business plan projects a break-even point within the first two years of operation and anticipates steady growth in revenue and impact over time.

Projected Balance Sheet

Below is the projected balance sheet statement for the After-School Program for the next three years (2023, 2024, 2025). The first column lists the balance sheet categories for Assets, Liabilities, and Equity, and the other columns represent the years.

As shown in the table, our projected assets will increase steadily over the next three years due to the growth of our program. Our liabilities are expected to decrease as we pay off our debts. Our equity will increase significantly due to the profits generated by the program and potential investments from partners.

Our after-school program will require hiring program coordinators, instructors, and administrative staff to ensure smooth operations. We intend to hire individuals with experience in education and child development who are passionate about providing high-quality after-school programming. Compensation will be competitive and based on industry standards and experience level. We will ensure that employees fit seamlessly into our business operations by providing thorough training and ongoing support.

Use of Funds

Below is a breakdown of how the funds will be used:

These funds will be crucial to ensuring we can provide high-quality programming and a safe, supportive environment for our students, while also maintaining strong partnerships with our community organizations and continuing to report on our program success and outcomes.

Exit Strategy

In the event that we choose to exit from the business, our preferred option is to pass the after-school program along to a family member, employee, or a group of employees. This would enable us to preserve the legacy and continue the positive impact the program has on students' lives. However, we also remain open to acquisition or selling the business, should the opportunity present itself in the future.

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After School Program Business Plan Template

Explore Options to Get a Business Plan.

Are you interested in starting your own after school program Business?

Why write a business plan?

• Business Plans can help to articulate and flesh out the business’s goals and objectives. This can be beneficial not only for the business owner, but also for potential investors or partners
• Business Plans can serve as a roadmap for the business, helping to keep it on track and on target. This is especially important for businesses that are growing and evolving, as it can be easy to get sidetracked without a clear plan in place.
• Business plans can be a valuable tool for communicating the business’s vision to employees, customers, and other key stakeholders.
• Business plans are one of the most affordable and straightforward ways of ensuring your business is successful.
• Business plans allow you to understand your competition better to critically analyze your unique business proposition and differentiate yourself from the market.
• Business Plans allow you to better understand your customer. Conducting a customer analysis is essential to create better products and services and market more effectively.
• Business Plans allow you to determine the financial needs of the business leading to a better understanding of how much capital is needed to start the business and how much fundraising is needed.
• Business Plans allow you to put your business model in words and analyze it further to improve revenues or fill the holes in your strategy.
• Business plans allow you to attract investors and partners into the business as they can read an explanation about the business.
• Business plans allow you to position your brand by understanding your company’s role in the marketplace.
• Business Plans allow you to uncover new opportunities by undergoing the process of brainstorming while drafting your business plan which allows you to see your business in a new light. This allows you to come up with new ideas for products/services, business and marketing strategies.
• Business Plans allow you to access the growth and success of your business by comparing actual operational results versus the forecasts and assumptions in your business plan. This allows you to update your business plan to a business growth plan and ensure the long-term success and survival of your business.

Business Plan Content

• Executive Summary
• Company Overview
• Industry Analysis
• Consumer Analysis
• Competitor Analysis & Advantages
• Marketing Strategies & Plan
• Plan of Action
• Management Team

The financial forecast template is an extensive Microsoft Excel sheet with Sheets on Required Start-up Capital, Salary & Wage Plans, 5-year Income Statement, 5-year Cash-Flow Statement, 5-Year Balance Sheet, 5-Year Financial Highlights and other accounting statements that would cost in excess of £1000 if obtained by an accountant.

The financial forecast has been excluded from the business plan template. If you’d like to receive the financial forecast template for your start-up, please contact us at [email protected] . Our consultants will be happy to discuss your business plan and provide you with the financial forecast template to accompany your business plan.

Instructions for the Business Plan Template

To complete your perfect after school program business plan, fill out the form below and download our after school program business plan template. The template is a word document that can be edited to include information about your after school program business. The document contains instructions to complete the business plan and will go over all sections of the plan. Instructions are given in the document in red font and some tips are also included in blue font. The free template includes all sections excluding the financial forecast. If you need any additional help with drafting your business plan from our business plan template, please set up a complimentary 30-minute consultation with one of our consultants.

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School Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

School Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their schools.

If you’re unfamiliar with creating a school business plan, you may think creating one will be a time-consuming and frustrating process. For most entrepreneurs it is, but for you, it won’t be since we’re here to help. We have the experience, resources, and knowledge to help you create a great business plan.

In this article, you will learn some background information on why business planning is important. Then, you will learn how to write a school business plan step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a School Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your school as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategies for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a School

If you’re looking to start a school or grow your existing school, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your school to improve your chances of success. Your school business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Schools

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for schools are donations and gifts, tuition, personal savings, credit cards, bank loans, and angel investors. When it comes to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to ensure that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for schools.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write a business plan for a school.

If you want to start a school or expand your current one, you need a business plan. The guide below details the necessary information for how to write each essential component of your school business plan.

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your executive summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the kind of school you are running and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a school that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of schools?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan.

• Give a brief overview of the school industry.
• Discuss the type of school you are operating.
• Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers.
• Provide a snapshot of your marketing strategy. Identify the key members of your team.
• Offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Overview

In your company overview, you will detail the type of school you are operating.

For example, you might specialize in one of the following types of schools:

• Private K-12 school : this type of school typically charges tuition, and may be affiliated with a religious organization, or specialize in a particular learning method.
• Charter school: this type of school offers primary or secondary education for a tuition, and may receive some public funding, and/or donations. These schools require their students to take state-mandated exams.
• Special subject school: this type of school specializes in teaching a specific subject, such as driving, first-aid, self-defense, fine arts, language, or general tutoring.
• Preschool: this type of school typically serves children who are aged 3 and 4. These schools prepare young children to enter formal education, and are funded by some combination of tuition, donations, and government grants.

In addition to explaining the type of school you will operate, the company overview needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of students served, the number of students accepted into elite formal education institutions, etc.
• Your legal business Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry or market analysis, you need to provide an overview of the school industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the school industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your marketing strategy, particularly if your analysis identifies market trends.

The third reason is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your school business plan:

• How big is the school industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential target market for your school? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your school business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: families with elementary-aged children, families with high-school-aged children, families with preschool children.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of school you operate. Clearly, families with high schoolers would respond to different marketing promotions than families with preschoolers, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, including a discussion of the ages, genders, locations, and income levels of the potential customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can recognize and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other schools.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t directly competing with your product or service. This includes public schools, virtual schools, and families who do homeschooling. You need to mention such competition as well.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their business and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as

• What types of students do they serve?
• What type of school are they?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide specialized instruction, either in subject or in method?
• Will you offer courses or services that your competition doesn’t?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a school business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of school that you documented in your company overview. Then, detail the specific products or services you will be offering. For example, will you provide religious-focused K-8 education, college preparatory courses, or single-subject instruction like driving or fine arts?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your plan, you are presenting the courses and/or extracurricular activities you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the site of your school. Document where your company is situated and mention how the site will impact your success. For example, is your school located in a growing neighborhood, in the city center, or will you operate purely online? Discuss how your site might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your school marketing plan is where you will document how you will drive potential customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertise in local papers, radio stations and/or magazines
• Reach out to websites
• Distribute flyers
• Engage in email marketing
• Advertise on social media platforms
• Improve the SEO (search engine optimization) on your website for targeted keywords

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your school, including answering calls, planning and delivering instruction, applying for grants, fundraising, performing administrative tasks, overseeing instructors, handling discipline, scheduling and monitoring extracurricular activities, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to enroll your Xth student, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your school to a new city.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your school’s potential to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally, you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing schools. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act as mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in running a school or experience with public school administration or who has served on a public school board.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statements.

Income Statement

An income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenue and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you enroll 100 or 1,000 students per semester, and/or offer extracurricular activities? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets

Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your school, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a lender writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement

Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and ensure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

When creating your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a school:

• Cost of equipment and supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Other start-up expenses (if you’re a new business) like legal expenses, permits, computer software, and equipment

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your school location lease or a list of elective courses or extracurricular activities you will offer.  

Writing a business plan for your school is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will understand the school industry, your competition, and your customers. You will develop a marketing strategy and will understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful school.  

School Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my school business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily write your school business plan.

How Do You Start a School?

Starting a school is easy with these 14 steps:

• Choose the Name for Your School
• Create Your School Business Plan
• Choose the Legal Structure for Your School
• Secure Startup Funding for Your School (If Needed)
• Secure a Location for Your Business
• Register Your School with the IRS
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get a Business Credit Card
• Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
• Get Business Insurance for Your School
• Buy or Lease the Right School Equipment
• Develop Your School Business Marketing Materials
• Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your School
• Open for Business

Learn more about   how to start your own school .

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your School business plan?

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.   Click here to learn about Growthink’s business plan writing services .

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After School Program Small Business Idea and Business Plan

Starting your own small business in the UK isn’t easy but having a properly developed business plan will help you achieve success.

To start a After School Program business in the UK, take the time and explain the idea via a business plan.

Understanding all of the aspects of the business idea will be the key to getting the After School Program business running like a well-oiled machine. The business plan you develop will help you organize the elements needed into a strategy that you can actually use to startup, by paving a clear road map as to what you need to follow for the lifespan of your business.

Starting a After School Program business isn’t easy, but when done right, it can lead to a lot of success.

To help you get started, you can use the free business plan builder tool to develop your own After School Program business plan.

The business plan template is very easy to use, is interactive and will quickly and easily help you create your business plan just by answering the needed questions about your small business idea.

Create your own After School Program business plan for free using the Business Plan Builder

The free business plan template builder is divided into a few easy to follow steps.

The free business plan builder template is provided by UKStartups.org to help you develop your own business plan. For step by step guidance, see the 5 steps below.

Once completed, the result will be a clean, professional plan that will help you start your own After School Program small business in the UK.

When you have completed your After School Program business plan, the next step will be to find available funding that will help, or to speak with a funding adviser who will assist you each step of the way to securing the needed funds to make your After School Program business startup.

If you are looking to limit your startup costs when starting up a After School Program small business in the UK, this free business plan builder tool will be it.

Starting a After School Program business is only one of the ways others have used this free business plan tool. There are hundreds of different ideas you can start, and if you need guidance, do reach out to a UKStartups expert to get the needed assistance and guidance.

Step 1. Your business information

To develop a proper After School Program business plan with the free business plan builder template, it is important to answer each of the questions about your business to the best of your abilities.

What is your business? What are the products/services you provide? Who are your customers? What are your goals…etc?

Having a clear explanation will help you create a in-depth business plan that you can actually use to start the After School Program business and to apply for needed funding to cover your startup costs.

Step 2. Projecting your revenues/income

The After School Program industry can have great results. Planning and projecting the financial figures to approximate what you will make each year is crucial to building a strong business plan.

What do you think your business will make from each of its products/services? Simply list your products/services, enter the appropriate financial figures (costs and expenses).

If you don’t have the figures, in many cases it is recommended to do a a bit more research on other After School Program businesses locally and within your own region to get an idea of potential revenue. You can do your best to estimate the figures and growth potential.

If you need assistance in projecting, you can always contact UK Startups funding experts for the help.

Step 3. Your business market

As a After School Program business, having a clear explanation of the market and industry that you are in will help you plan for the figure and will ensure you can take the business to the next level.

Explain your location of business, share specifics about your customers, showcase your competition and explain the advantages you have over your competition.

Step 4. The future plan

Starting your own After School Program business and getting it off the ground is important to you.

No matter if you’re planning on applying for government funding for your After School Program business or not, it is important to plan out the future and provide an explanation of how you will grow the business. This means explaining your marketing plan, your sales strategy and clearly outlining a growth plan for the next few years.

Be sure to break this down step by step to show how you intend on making sure your After School Program business can grow each year.

Keep in mind that often business plans are focused on key people. Be sure to discuss yourself, your role and any other key figures in the business as well.

Step 5. The financials

In the end, it all comes down to the financials. If you are seeking funding, or not – the business plan you develop needs to have clearly defined financials or projections. The business plan builder tool makes it easy to develop your financial charts by simply entering your expected revenues per month and year. If you don’t have the figures as it’s a new business be sure to project the figures based on your expectations. If you need help with this, ask the UK Startups experts .

A clear breakdown of your funding needs is also recommended in case you are seeking funding and this free business plan template will help you with exactly that. When developing your After School Program business plan using this free template, the above 5 steps are recommended in order to succeed. While there are other key points that will assist you in starting your business, finding funding...etc, the free template will help put you on the right path

Be sure to request a professional to review your business plan , to answer any questions you may have and to help you with the funding search once you’ve done the initial free template. You can request this directly via UKStartups.org and through the Small Business Startup Platform as a member.

If starting a After School Program business is just one of your ideas, perhaps considering other options, here are some popular small business’s others have chosen to startup

• Railroad Company
• Inclined Railway Station
• Business to Business Service

INSTANT ACCESS - Early JUNE Government Funding Options

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34+ SAMPLE School Business Plan in PDF | MS Word | Google Docs | Apple Pages

School business plan | ms word | google docs | apple pages, 34+ sample school business plan, what is a school business plan, benefits of a school business plan, how to write a school business plan, why are the mission statement and vision statement important, what is the use of school business plan.

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Step 1: school overview, step 2: executive summary, step 3: school services.

• Literacy services
• Numeracy services
• Meeting accreditation standards
• Foundations in science and mathematics
• Foundations in geography and history
• Giving extracurricular activities
• Giving books and school materials

Step 4: Mission Statement and Vision Statement

Step 5: job description, step 6: swot analysis.

• Strengths – What is the ace of your school against your competitors?
• Weaknesses – On what aspects are your school lacking?
• Opportunities – Where does your school excel in teaching?
• Threats – What can make a student leave your school?

Step 7: Market Research

Step 8: sales plan, step 9: publicity plan, step 10: school budget, share this post on your network, file formats, word templates, google docs templates, excel templates, powerpoint templates, google sheets templates, google slides templates, pdf templates, publisher templates, psd templates, indesign templates, illustrator templates, pages templates, keynote templates, numbers templates, outlook templates, you may also like these articles, 5+ sample investment company business plan in pdf.

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Understanding loan forgiveness options

How to qualify for student loan forgiveness, your guide to student loan forgiveness.

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate student loans to write unbiased product reviews.

• You can't get forgiveness with private student loans, unlike with federal ones.
• Certain federal student loan holders are eligible for forgiveness, such as nurses and teachers who meet specific requirements.
• Income-driven repayment plans offer forgiveness for a remaining balance after the payment term is up.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)  

Public Service Loan Forgiveness is a loan forgiveness program meant for those working in certain government or not-for-profit organizations. PSLF will be applied to the remaining balance that eligible borrowers have on their Direct Loans. Eligibility kicks in if you're working full-time for an eligible employer, and after the equivalent of 120 qualifying monthly payments have been made.

Teacher Loan Forgiveness (TLF)

The Teacher Loan Forgiveness program is designed for educators who don't have an outstanding balance on Direct Loans or Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) loans, have been employed full-time for five consecutive academic years, have been employed at an elementary or secondary school, or educational agency serving low-income students, and lastly, the loans you're seeking forgiveness for must be from your minimum of five years of teaching.

Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Forgiveness

An IDR plan restructures and bases your monthly student loan payment on your income and the size of your family, with the goal of setting up lower monthly payments. Under an IDR plan, at the end of your repayment term, any remaining balance will be forgiven.

Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program

The Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program (NCLRP) forgives educational debt for registered nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, and nurse faculty members.

Those who receive an award must have worked for at least two years in a critical shortage facility, or an eligible nursing school as a faculty member.

Perkins Loan cancellation and discharge

If you're an educator with a Federal Perkins Loan, it's possible to get 100% of your loan canceled incrementally. The following jobs are eligible for loan cancellation, under certain conditions:

• Elementary or secondary school teachers
• Special education teachers
• Preschool or Pre-K teachers
• Other educators
• Law enforcement
• First responders
• Nonprofit workers
• Those in the Military
• Health care workers
• Those who work with people with disabilities.

You may be eligible to get your Perkins Loan discharged if you've gone through any of the following life events:

• Certain types of bankruptcy
• School closure before you completing your program of study
• Total and permanent disability

Understand the specific requirements of each program

Every loan forgiveness program is different, and set up for different borrowers in different situations. Compare your options to identify your strongest chance for loan forgiveness.

Verify your loan eligibility

Even if you are in an eligible role for any of these forgiveness program, that doesn't mean the type of loan you have is eligible for loan forgiveness. 

Stay on top of your payments

For certain programs, such as IDR and PSLF, you are only eligible for loan forgiveness if you're up to date on your payments and your account is in good standing. 

Keep accurate records

To prepare your application and any questions the lenders may have, be sure to have all important documents on hand. That includes your employment verification, social security information, and other personal credentials. It also means keeping a record of your paystubs, payment history, and other relevant documents.

No, not all student loans are eligible for all programs. Be sure to check program details carefully.

The limit on how much student loan debt can be forgiven is entirely dependent on the program. PSLF, for example, may forgive the entire remaining balance.

Generally speaking, you have to pay taxes on forgiven student loans. Consult a tax advisor for specific details.

Private student loans are rarely forgiven, unless otherwise handled through specific employer programs. Most forgiveness is for federal loans.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards .

Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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Whales Have an Alphabet

Until the 1960s, it was uncertain whether whales made any sounds at all..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

From “The New York Times,” I’m Michael Barbaro. This is “The Daily.”

Today, ever since the discovery that whales produce songs, scientists have been trying to find a way to decipher their lyrics. After 60 years, they may have finally done it. My colleague, Carl Zimmer, explains.

It’s Friday, May 24.

I have to say, after many years of working with you on everything from the pandemic to —

— CRISPR DNA technology, that it turns out your interests are even more varied than I had thought, and they include whales.

They do indeed.

And why? What is it about the whale that captures your imagination?

I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody who is not fascinated by whales. I mean, these are mammals like us, and they’re swimming around in the water. They have brains that are much bigger than ours. They can live maybe 200 years. These are incredible animals, and animals that we still don’t really understand.

Right. Well, it is this majestic creature that brings us together today, Carl, because you have been reporting on a big breakthrough in our understanding of how it is that whales communicate. But I think in order for that breakthrough to make sense, I think we’re going to have to start with what we have known up until now about how whales interact. So tell us about that.

Well, people knew that whales and dolphins traveled together in groups, but up until the 1960s, we didn’t really know that whales actually made any sounds at all. It was actually sort of an accident that we came across it. The American military was developing sophisticated microphones to put underwater. They wanted to listen for Russian submarines.

As one does. But there was an engineer in Bermuda, and he started hearing some weird stuff.

[WHALE SOUNDS]

And he wondered maybe if he was actually listening to whales.

What made him wonder if it was whales, of all things?

Well, this sound did not sound like something geological.

It didn’t sound like some underwater landslide or something like that. This sounded like a living animal making some kind of call. It has these incredible deep tones that rise up into these strange, almost falsetto type notes.

It was incredibly loud. And so it would have to be some really big animal. And so with humpback whales swimming around Bermuda, this engineer thought, well, maybe these are humpback whales.

And so he gets in touch with a husband and wife team of whale biologists, Roger and Katy Payne, and plays these recordings to them. And they’re pretty convinced that they’re hearing whales, too. And then they go on to go out and confirm that by putting microphones in the water, chasing after groups of whales and confirming, yes, indeed, that these sounds are coming from these humpback whales.

So once these scientists confirm in their minds that these are the sounds of a whale, what happens with this discovery?

Well, Roger and Katy Payne and their colleagues are astonished that this species of whale is swimming around singing all the time for hours on end. And it’s so inspirational to them that they actually help to produce a record that they release “The Song of the Humpback Whale” in 1970.

And so this is being sold in record stores, you know, along with Jimi Hendrix and Rolling Stones. And it is a huge hit.

Yeah, it sells like two million copies.

Well, at the time, it was a huge cultural event. This record, this became almost like an anthem of the environmental movement. And it led, for whales in particular, to a lot of protections for them because now people could appreciate that whales were a lot more marvelous and mysterious than they maybe had appreciated before.

And so you have legislation, like the Marine Mammal Act. The United States just agrees just to stop killing whales. It stops its whaling industry. And so you could argue that the discovery of these whale songs in Bermuda led to at least some species of whales escaping extinction.

Well, beyond the cultural impact of this discovery, which is quite meaningful, I wonder whether scientists and marine biologists are figuring out what these whale songs are actually communicating.

So the Paynes create a whole branch of science, the study of whale songs. It turns out that pretty much every species of whale that we know of sings in some way or another. And it turns out that within a species, different groups of whales in different parts of the world may sing with a different dialect. But the big question of what these whales are singing, what do these songs mean, that remains elusive into the 21st century. And things don’t really change until scientists decide to take a new look at the problem in a new way.

And what is that new way?

So in 2020, a group of whale biologists, including Roger Payne, come together with computer scientists from MIT. Instead of humpback whales, which were the whales where whale songs are first discovered, these scientists decide to study sperm whales in the Caribbean. And humpback whales and sperm whales have very, very different songs. So if you’re used to humpback whales with their crazy high and low singing voices —

Right, those best-selling sounds.

— those are rockin’ tunes of the humpback whales, that’s not what sperm whales do. Sperm whales have a totally different way of communicating with each other. And I actually have some recordings that were provided by the scientists who have been doing this research. And so we can take a listen to some of them.

Wow, It’s like a rhythmic clicking.

These are a group of sperm whales swimming together, communicating.

So whale biologists knew already that there was some structure to this sound. Those clicks that you hear, they come in little pulses. And each of those pulses is known as a coda. And whale biologists had given names to these different codas. So, for example, they call one coda, one plus one plus three —

— which is basically click, click, click, click, click, or four plus three, where you have four clicks in a row and a pause and then three clicks in a row.

Right. And the question would seem to be, is this decipherable communication, or is this just whale gibberish?

Well, this is where the computer scientists were able to come in and to help out. The whale biologists who were listening to the codas from the sperm whales in the Caribbean, they had identified about 21 types. And then that would seem to be about it.

But then, an MIT computer science graduate student named Prajusha Sharma was given the job of listening to them again.

And what does she hear?

In a way, it’s not so much what she heard, but what she saw.

Because when scientists record whale songs, you can look at it kind of like if you’re looking at an audio of a recording of your podcast, you will see the little squiggles of your voice.

And so whale biologists would just look at that ticker of whale songs going across the screen and try to compare them. And Sharma said, I don’t like this. I just — this is not how I look at data. And so what she decided to do is she decided to kind of just visualize the data differently. And essentially, she just kind of flipped these images on their side and saw something totally new.

And what she saw was that sperm whales were singing a whole bunch of things that nobody had actually been hearing.

One thing that she discovered was that you could have a whale that was producing a coda over and over and over again, but it was actually playing with it. It was actually stretching out the coda,

[CLICKING] So to get a little bit longer and a little bit longer, a little bit longer.

And then get shorter and shorter and shorter again. They could play with their codas in a way that nobody knew before. And she also started to see that a whale might throw in an extra click at the end of a coda. So it would be repeating a coda over and over again and then boom, add an extra one right at the end. What they would call an ornamentation. So now, you have yet another signal that these whales are using.

And if we just look at what the sperm whales are capable of producing in terms of different codas, we go from just 21 types that they had found in the Caribbean before to 156. So what the scientists are saying is that what we might be looking at is what they call a sperm whale phonetic alphabet.

Yeah, that’s a pretty big deal because the only species that we know of for sure that has a phonetic alphabet —

— is us, exactly. So the reason that we can use language is because we can make a huge range of sounds by just doing little things with our mouths. A little change in our lips can change a bah to a dah. And so we are able to produce a set of phonetic sounds. And we put those sounds together to make words.

So now, we have sperm whales, which have at least 150 of these different versions of sounds that they make just by making little adjustments to the existing way that they make sounds. And so you can make a chart of their phonetic alphabet, just like you make a chart of the human phonetic alphabet.

So then, that raises the question, do they combine their phonetic alphabet into words? Do they combine their words into sentences? In other words, do sperm whales have a language of their own?

Right. Are they talking to each other, really talking to each other?

If we could really show that whales had language on par with humans, that would be like finding intelligent life on another planet.

We’ll be right back.

So, Carl, how should we think about this phonetic alphabet and whether sperm whales are actually using it to talk to each other?

The scientists on this project are really careful to say that these results do not definitively prove what these sperm whale sounds are. There are a handful of possibilities here in terms of what this study could mean. And one of them is that the whales really are using full-blown language.

What they might be talking about, we don’t know. I mean, perhaps they like to talk about their travels over hundreds and thousands of miles. Maybe they’re talking about, you know, the giant squid that they caught last night. Maybe they’re gossiping about each other.

And you have to remember, sperm whales are incredibly social animals. They have relationships that last for decades. And they live in groups that are in clans of thousands of whales. I mean, imagine the opportunities for gossip.

These are all at least imaginable now. But it’s also possible that they are communicating with each other, but in a way that isn’t language as we know it. You know, maybe these sounds that they’re producing don’t add up to sentences. There’s no verb there. There’s no noun. There’s no structure to it in terms of how we think of language.

But maybe they’re still conveying information to each other. Maybe they’re somehow giving out who they are and what group they belong to. But it’s not in the form of language that we think of.

Right. Maybe it’s more kind of caveman like as in whale to whale, look, there, food.

It’s possible. But, you know, other species have evolved in other directions. And so you have to put yourself in the place of a sperm whale. You know, so think about this. They are communicating in the water. And actually, like sending sounds through water is a completely different experience than through the air like we do.

So a sperm whale might be communicating to the whale right next to it a few yards away, but it might be communicating with whales miles away, hundreds of miles away. They’re in the dark a lot of the time, so they don’t even see the whales right next to them. So it’s just this constant sound that they’re making because they’re in this dark water.

So we might want to imagine that such a species would talk the way we do, but there are just so many reasons to expect that whatever they’re communicating might be just profoundly different, so different that it’s actually hard for us to imagine. And so we need to really, you know, let ourselves be open to lots of possibilities.

And one possibility that some scientists have raised is that maybe language is just the wrong model to think about. Maybe we need to think about music. You know, maybe this strange typewriter, clickety clack is actually not like a Morse code message, but is actually a real song. It’s a kind of music that doesn’t necessarily convey information the way conversation does, but it brings the whales together.

In humans, like, when we humans sing together in choruses, it can be a very emotional experience. It’s a socially bonding experience, but it’s not really like the specific words that we’re singing that bring us together when we’re singing. It’s sharing the music together.

But at a certain point, we stop singing in the chorus, and we start asking each other questions like, hey, what are you doing for dinner? How are you going to get home? There’s a lot of traffic on the BQE. So we are really drawn to the possibility that whales are communicating in that same kind of a mode.

We’re exchanging information. We’re seeking out each other’s well-being and emotional state. And we’re building something together.

And I think that happens because, I mean, language is so fundamental to us as human beings. I mean, it’s like every moment of our waking life depends on language. We are talking to ourselves if we’re not talking to other people.

In our sleep, we dream, and there are words in our dreams. And we’re just stewing in language. And so it’s really, really hard for us to understand how other species might have a really complex communication system with hundreds of different little units of sound that they can use and they can deploy. And to think anything other than, well, they must be talking about traffic on the BQE. Like —

— we’re very human-centric. And we have to resist that.

So what we end up having here is a genuine breakthrough in our understanding of how whales interact. And that seems worth celebrating in and of itself. But it really kind of doubles as a lesson in humility for us humans when it comes to appreciating the idea that there are lots of non-human ways in which language can exist.

That’s right. Humility is always a good idea when we’re thinking about other animals.

So what now happens in this realm of research? And how is it that these scientists, these marine biologists and these computer scientists are going to try to figure out what exactly this alphabet amounts to and how it’s being used?

So what’s going to happen now is a real sea change in gathering data from whales.

So to speak.

So these scientists are now deploying a new generation of undersea microphones. They’re using drones to follow these whales. And what they want to do is they want to be recording sounds from the ocean where these whales live 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And so the hope is that instead of getting, say, a few 100 codas each year on recording, these scientists want to get several hundred million every year, maybe billions of codas every year.

And once you get that much data from whales, then you can start to do some really amazing stuff with artificial intelligence. So these scientists hope that they can use the same kind of artificial intelligence that is behind things like ChatGPT or these artificial intelligence systems that are able to take recordings of people talking and transcribing them into text. They want to use that on the whale communication.

They want to just grind through vast amounts of data, and maybe they will discover more phonetic letters in this alphabet. Who knows? Maybe they will actually find bigger structures, structures that could correspond to language.

If you go really far down this route of possibilities, the hope is that you would understand what sperm whales are saying to each other so well that you could actually create artificial sperm whale communication, and you could play it underwater. You could talk to the sperm whales. And they would talk back. They would react somehow in a way that you had predicted. If that happens, then maybe, indeed, sperm whales have something like language as we understand it.

And the only way we’re going to figure that out is if we figure out not just how they talk to themselves, but how we can perhaps talk to them, which, given everything we’ve been talking about here, Carl, is a little bit ironic because it’s pretty human-centric.

That’s right. This experiment could fail. It’s possible that sperm whales don’t do anything like language as we know it. Maybe they’re doing something that we can’t even imagine yet. But if sperm whales really are using codas in something like language, we are going to have to enter the conversation to really understand it.

Well, Carl, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

Thank you. Sorry. Can I say that again? My voice got really high all of a sudden.

A little bit like a whale’s. Ooh.

Yeah, exactly. Woot. Woot.

Thank yoooo. No. Thank you.

Here’s what else you need to know today.

We allege that Live Nation has illegally monopolized markets across the live concert industry in the United States for far too long. It is time to break it up.

On Thursday, the Justice Department sued the concert giant Live Nation Entertainment, which owns Ticketmaster, for violating federal antitrust laws and sought to break up the $23 billion conglomerate. During a news conference, Attorney General Merrick Garland said that Live Nation’s monopolistic tactics had hurt the entire industry of live events.

The result is that fans pay more in fees, artists have fewer opportunities to play concerts, smaller promoters get squeezed out, and venues have fewer real choices.

In a statement, Live Nation called the lawsuit baseless and vowed to fight it in court.

A reminder — tomorrow, we’ll be sharing the latest episode of our colleagues’ new show, “The Interview.” This week on “The Interview,” Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Ted Sarandos, the CEO of Netflix, about his plans to make the world’s largest streaming service even bigger.

I don’t agree with the premise that quantity and quality are somehow in conflict with each other. I think our content and our movie programming has been great, but it’s just not all for you.

Today’s episode was produced by Alex Stern, Stella Tan, Sydney Harper, and Nina Feldman. It was edited by MJ Davis, contains original music by Pat McCusker, Dan Powell, Elisheba Ittoop, Marion Lozano, and Sophia Lanman, and was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

Special thanks to Project SETI for sharing their whale recordings.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Michael Barbaro. See you on Tuesday after the holiday.

• May 29, 2024   •   29:46 The Closing Arguments in the Trump Trial
• May 28, 2024   •   25:56 The Alitos and Their Flags
• May 24, 2024   •   25:18 Whales Have an Alphabet
• May 23, 2024   •   34:24 I.C.C. Prosecutor Requests Warrants for Israeli and Hamas Leaders
• May 22, 2024   •   23:20 Biden’s Open War on Hidden Fees
• May 21, 2024   •   24:14 The Crypto Comeback
• May 20, 2024   •   31:51 Was the 401(k) a Mistake?
• May 19, 2024   •   33:23 The Sunday Read: ‘Why Did This Guy Put a Song About Me on Spotify?’
• May 17, 2024   •   51:10 The Campus Protesters Explain Themselves
• May 16, 2024   •   30:47 The Make-or-Break Testimony of Michael Cohen
• May 15, 2024   •   27:03 The Possible Collapse of the U.S. Home Insurance System
• May 14, 2024   •   35:20 Voters Want Change. In Our Poll, They See It in Trump.

Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Featuring Carl Zimmer

Produced by Alex Stern ,  Stella Tan ,  Sydney Harper and Nina Feldman

Edited by MJ Davis Lin

Original music by Elisheba Ittoop ,  Dan Powell ,  Marion Lozano ,  Sophia Lanman and Pat McCusker

Engineered by Alyssa Moxley

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Ever since the discovery of whale songs almost 60 years ago, scientists have been trying to decipher the lyrics.

But sperm whales don’t produce the eerie melodies sung by humpback whales, sounds that became a sensation in the 1960s. Instead, sperm whales rattle off clicks that sound like a cross between Morse code and a creaking door. Carl Zimmer, a science reporter, explains why it’s possible that the whales are communicating in a complex language.

On today’s episode

Carl Zimmer , a science reporter for The New York Times who also writes the Origins column .

Background reading

Scientists find an “alphabet” in whale songs.

These whales still use their vocal cords. But how?

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Carl Zimmer covers news about science for The Times and writes the Origins column . More about Carl Zimmer

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