Facebook
Mandatoryapproved. We, our affiliate, or our designated supplier will provide digital advertising services which includes search engine optimization services and management, pay-per-click, Facebook advertising
HQ-led decisions
Water Babies
Youth servicesSoftware purchasing at Water Babies is controlled at the headquarters level, led by CEO Howard Harrison and COO Mike Lonergan. The franchise mandates a specific tech stack including Ada and QuickBooks Online, leaving little room for unit-level discretion. With only 2 company-owned units in the US, the addressable market is extremely small, making this a highly targeted, account-based opportunity.
Live signals
Total units
2
0 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
10%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$55K
per unit
Investment range
$108K–$153K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
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.
12%of gross sales (FY2025)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
2 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
Meta
MandatoryStart Franchise Kit is $10,000. When you sign the franchise agreement you must also pay us for a preopening marketing package that includes digital marketing set-up for Google and META, the first thre
Apple Pay
termine (for example, Credit Card, ACH, Debit Card). The term “Payment Systems” includes, among other things, companies that provide services for electronic payments (for example, Apple Pay and Google
Google Pay
xample, credit card, ACH, debit card). The term “Payment Systems” includes, among other things, companies that provide services for electronic payments (for example, Apple Pay and Google Wallet). The
Instagram
tion of any web page(s). You may not establish or maintain a separate website, register or use any domain name/URL address, or use any other social media outlet, such as Facebook, Instagram, X (former
QuickBooks Online
ment as we may specify in the Operations Manual to operate the Water Babies Business Model. We currently require you to obtain a Windows OS or Mac OS X compatible computer system, QuickBooks Online ac
Twitter
. You may not establish or maintain a separate website, register or use any domain name/URL address, or use any other social media outlet, such as Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) or any othe
The vendor opportunity at Water Babies
Water Babies presents a micro-opportunity for software vendors. The US system consists of just 2 total units, both company-owned. The number of franchised units is not disclosed in the most recent FDD. With an HQ in North Carolina and a royalty rate of 10.0%, the system is tightly controlled from the top. Average unit volume (AUV) is not disclosed. For a vendor, this is not a volume play; it is a single-account sale to a parent company, Water Babies US TopCo LLC.
Who controls software purchasing
The buying center sits entirely at headquarters. The FDD lists Howard Harrison as CEO, Pete Grimes as CFO, Carl Higgins as Vice President of North America, Mike Lonergan as COO, and Natasha Khojasteh as Vice President of Brand Marketing. For a software pitch, the most likely entry points are COO Mike Lonergan for operational tools and CEO Howard Harrison for strategic platforms. There are no franchisee operators mapped in our corpus, meaning no multi-unit owner influence exists to leverage.
Mandated and current tech stack
Water Babies mandates a specific, narrow tech stack. The 2025 FDD Item 11 requires franchisees to use Ada, a teacher app, QuickBooks Online by Intuit Inc., and a proprietary Water Babies operating system. This is a fully closed environment. Any vendor selling adjacent software—such as scheduling, CRM, or HR tools—must displace or integrate with these mandated systems. The presence of QuickBooks Online signals a lean financial stack with no enterprise ERP.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The procurement model is not explicitly described in the available FDD extract. There is no Item 8 procurement signal and no Item 17 renewal signal. This lack of transparency means contract windows are unknown. Vendors should assume an HQ-driven, designated-supplier model given the mandated tech stack. The best approach is a direct executive engagement strategy, as there are no franchisee committees or operator groups to influence.
How to read the Water Babies FDD
The 2025 FDD is the definitive source for understanding Water Babies' operational mandates. It confirms the 2-unit footprint, the 10.0% royalty, and the exact systems franchisees must use. For software vendors, Item 11 is the critical section, listing Ada, the teacher app, QuickBooks Online, and the operating system. The FDD also names the full executive team, giving you a clear org chart for outreach. Review the embedded document below to verify all claims before building your pitch. For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software, FranCloud can help.
Questions vendors ask
Water Babies, answered from the filing
The buying center includes CEO Howard Harrison and COO Mike Lonergan. As a small, HQ-controlled system, decisions likely require executive approval. The Vice President of North America, Carl Higgins, may also influence operational tools.
The 2025 FDD mandates Ada, a teacher app, QuickBooks Online by Intuit Inc., and a proprietary Water Babies operating system. No traditional POS is specified, reflecting its youth-services model.
There are 2 total units, both company-owned. The number of franchised units is not disclosed in the most recent FDD. This is a very small US footprint.
The procurement model is not detailed in the available FDD extract. Given the mandated tech stack, it operates as a closed, HQ-controlled environment where vendors must sell to the corporate entity.
Contract renewal windows are not disclosed in the most recent FDD. With no initial term length or Item 17 renewal data available, timing is opaque. Monitoring executive changes may provide the best signal.
The FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the embedded PDF viewer below for the full 2025 disclosure. It contains all mandated supplier and operational details.
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.
View only A one-time purchase: the original filing, yours to keep.
FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Water Babies files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
No franchisee network yet. Water Babies’s latest FDD reports no franchised locations.
Ownership
The portfolio behind Water Babies
unknown of water babies group.
Related Youth services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.