FacebookMeta
erations Manual. We and our Affiliate have the sole right to control all aspects of digital marketing for all Kids STEM Studio businesses, including social media accounts (such as Facebook, Twitter, I
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Kids STEM Studio
EducationSoftware purchasing decisions at Kids STEM Studio are controlled at the headquarters level by Mukesh Muthu (Manager and President/CEO) and Nirmala Mukesh (Manager and Director of Franchising). The franchise currently mandates a specific set of operational tools, including Connect with Care.com and QuickBooks. With only 4 total units (1 franchised, 3 company-owned), the addressable market for vendors is extremely small.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
4
1 franchised
Unit growth YoY
0%
vs prior filing
AUV
$141K
Item 19, 2024
Royalty
7%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$30K
per unit
Investment range
$81K–$112K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
from the filing
Item 19
Claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
9%of gross sales (FY2025)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
Systems named in Item 11 of this filing. None is recorded as mandated here, which is not the same as the filing mandating nothing. Read Item 11 before treating the category as open.
InstagramMeta
and our Affiliate have the sole right to control all aspects of digital marketing for all Kids STEM Studio businesses, including social media accounts (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.), app
QuickBooksIntuit
Kids STEM Studio Business. The 18 KSS FDD 2025 required office computer system includes MS Office 365, credit card processing and registration software from Connect with Care.com, Quickbooks, our prop
TwitterX
anual. We and our Affiliate have the sole right to control all aspects of digital marketing for all Kids STEM Studio businesses, including social media accounts (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
21 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 6 explicit no's; 7 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree to establish and maintain at your own expense a bookkeeping, accounting and recordkeeping system that conforms to our requirements, specifications and formats we prescribe from time to time.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesFranchise agreement
We shall have the right to access, for any purpose or use related to our operation, management and/or monitoring of the System, any information or reports generated or stored by the required computer system.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
29 KSS FA 2025 (1) on or before the time specified by us, statements relating to Gross Revenues for the immediately preceding calendar month.
How the franchisor buys
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We may modify the list of approved product types, brands and/or suppliers, and you may not, after receipt in writing of any modification, reorder any product type or brand or reorder from any supplier which is no longer approved.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
In our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, neither we nor our affiliate derived revenue from the purchase of goods and services by our Franchisees.
Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?
2Item 8
The cost of all purchases from designated suppliers, approved suppliers or following our standards and specifications represents 35% to 45% of your total purchases in establishing your franchise, and 2% to 5% of your total purchases in operating the franchise.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you propose to use any of type or brand of fixtures, furniture, equipment, signs or supplies, and/or suppliers which are not then approved, you must first notify us and submit sufficient information, specifications and samples concerning such product type or brand and/or supplier as we request for our…
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
You acknowledge that as between the Company and you, we have the sole right to and interest in all telephone numbers and directory listings associated with the Marks
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
we or our agents shall have the right to enter and inspect your Kids STEM Studio Business, the operations, and the services being performed at the Kids STEM Studio Business and Third Party Sites, including observing programs, classes, camps, parties and field trips, at all reasonable times and without prior notice to…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We have the right to add to, and otherwise modify, the Operations Manual from time to time to reflect changes in, additions to and deletions from authorized services and products, specifications, standards and operating procedures, policies and other obligations in operating a Kids STEM Studio Business under this…
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You must obtain our approval of your location for the Studio and have secured a lease for the location within 90 days of signing the franchise agreement.
Marketing
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 7
During the first 60 days of operation, you must spend a minimum of $1,500 on a grand opening marketing campaign conducted in your Territory following our guidelines.
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesFranchise agreement
During each calendar quarter, you must spend a minimum of Six Hundred Dollars ($600.00) on local marketing, advertising and promotion.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesFranchise agreement
if a local or regional advertising cooperative is formed either by us or by Kids STEM Studio franchisees and approved by us in your area or region, you agree to participate in such cooperative and contribute to the cooperative in the amount and manner agreed upon by a majority of the members of the cooperative.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase your online registration software from our designated supplier.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase fixtures, furniture, equipment (including the required office computer system and the computers for student use), signs, and supplies and certain services from approved suppliers and/or that meet our standards and specifications.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You will pay 3.75% of revenue for credit card processing through the Connect with Care.com online registration software.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
You must make the monthly payments for the royalty fees, Brand Fund contributions, and any and all other fees that may become due and payable to us hereunder by either electronic transfer or electronic debiting of your business account, or in any 18 KSS FA 2025 other manner that Company may hereinafter designate.
Point of sale
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We have the right to have access your computer system to retrieve information regarding the operations of your Franchised Business and there are no limitations under the Franchise Agreement on our right to access.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We may offer and we may require your Owners attend supplemental training, seminars, programs, regional franchise meetings and/or webinars during the term of the franchise at times and places we designate.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 11
Your Owner(s) must attend the Annual Conference.
The filing answers no to 6 questions
- Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?Item 8
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 11
- Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?Item 8
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Franchise agreement
- Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
- Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?Franchise agreement
The vendor opportunity at Kids STEM Studio
Kids STEM Studio is an education franchise headquartered in Illinois. For software vendors, the immediate addressable market is exceptionally limited. The system comprises only 4 total units, of which 3 are company-owned and just 1 is franchised. The average unit volume (AUV) sits at $140,662.71, with a 7.0% royalty rate and a 5-year initial term. Year-over-year unit growth data was not disclosed in the 2025 FDD. Given the single franchised location, any software sale would likely be a one-off deployment rather than a scalable, multi-unit rollout. The total available market here is effectively 1 unit, making this a low-volume target unless the franchisor plans aggressive expansion not yet reflected in the filing.
Who controls software purchasing
Purchasing authority is concentrated at the top of the organization. The 2025 FDD lists Mukesh Muthu as Manager and President/CEO, and Nirmala Mukesh as Manager and Director of Franchising. In a system this small, these two individuals almost certainly make or directly approve all technology decisions. There is no separate CIO, CTO, or VP of Operations named in the filing. Vendors should prepare to engage directly with the CEO and Director of Franchising, as no middle management layer is evident. The operator footprint data confirms that no additional operators are mapped in our corpus, reinforcing the HQ-centric control model.
Mandated and current tech stack
The franchisor mandates a specific set of technology tools for its units. According to the FDD, franchisees are required to use Connect with Care.com, a proprietary web-based learning management system, a Portal, and QuickBooks by Intuit Inc. This stack covers customer relationship management via Care.com, core educational delivery through the LMS, and financial management with QuickBooks. Notably, no point-of-sale system is mentioned, which may reflect the service-based, class-scheduling nature of the business. For vendors selling adjacent tools—such as scheduling, payroll, or marketing automation—the mandate list represents both a competitive moat and an integration opportunity. Any new software would need to complement, not replace, these mandated systems unless the franchisor is open to a stack overhaul.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The procurement model for Kids STEM Studio remains opaque. Item 8 of the FDD, which typically details whether the franchisor designates exclusive suppliers, maintains an approved vendor list, or allows open purchasing, yielded no extractable signal in our corpus. This absence of data means vendors must inquire directly about supplier qualification processes. Regarding contract timing, the initial franchise agreement runs for 5 years. Renewal is conditional on compliance, notice, training upgrades, facility and equipment improvements, signing a release, and paying a renewal fee. Critically, the renewal agreement may contain materially different terms than the original, which could include updated technology mandates. With only one franchised unit and no disclosed recent activity, there are no predictable contract windows or renewal cycles that vendors can calendar.
How to read the Kids STEM Studio FDD
The 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document provides the foundational data points vendors need to qualify this lead. Key sections to scrutinize include Item 1 (the executives named above), Item 11 (the mandated tech stack), and Item 17 (renewal conditions that could trigger technology reviews). Because the system is so small, the FDD is the single best source of truth for understanding the franchisor's operational requirements and growth trajectory. The embedded PDF viewer below contains the full filing. For a ranked target list that contextualizes Kids STEM Studio against higher-opportunity franchise systems, talk to FranCloud.
Questions vendors ask
Kids STEM Studio, answered from the filing
Mukesh Muthu (Manager and President/CEO) and Nirmala Mukesh (Manager and Director of Franchising) are the executives on file. As a small, HQ-controlled system, purchasing authority likely rests with these individuals.
The 2025 FDD mandates Connect with Care.com, a proprietary web-based learning management system, a Portal, and QuickBooks by Intuit Inc. No traditional POS is specified.
There are 4 total units: 3 are company-owned and 1 is franchised. This is a very small, early-stage franchise system in the education sector.
The procurement model is not disclosed in the most recent FDD. Item 8, which typically outlines designated or approved supplier requirements, provided no extractable signal.
The initial franchise term is 5 years. Renewal requires signing a new agreement, which may contain materially different terms. Contract windows are unpredictable given the system's tiny size and lack of disclosed recent activity.
The FDD was filed with state franchise regulators in 2025. You can review the full document using the embedded PDF viewer below.
Source
Read the filing itself
Every number on this page traces back to this document. Read it in full, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Kids STEM Studio files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
1 operators run 1 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit1
Top states by locations
| WI | 1 |
|---|
Related Education brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.