Hot biz: children's enrichment programs

Entrepreneur, Dec, 2003 by Karen E. Spaeder

If anyone needs a daily planner, it's today's kids. With everything from dance, martial arts and foreign language to sewing, organized sports and chess programs to tempt parents, it's no wonder enrichment programs have spawned a billion-dollar industry.

Why the push for extracurricular activities extraordinaire? "Given the number of homes where both parents work and a corporate culture that demands people put in longer hours at the office, many families depend on organized activities to fill the after-school void," says Stacy M. DeBroff, author of Sign Me Up! The Parents" Complete Guide to Sports, Activities, Music Lessons, Dance Classes, and Other Extracurriculars (Free Press) and other parenting books, as well as founder of the online portal Mom Central Inc. (http:// momcentral.com). "Organized activities hold intense appeal since they are theoretically safe and overseen by responsible adults who monitor what's going on in our absence."

Whether you operate a physical location, take your business to area schools or offer private lessons, the opportunities are boundless. Archer Altstaetter, founder and owner of Dance Emotion, a dance studio in Irvine, California offering all manner of kids' dance lessons, chose the studio route. A former dance student himself, the 33-year-old is a natural with kids, and it shows. "Word-of-mouth is currently my biggest ad," says Altstaetter, who started Dance Emotion in 1997 for around $12,000 in cash and credit cards. "I just can't pay for that. I have 500 happy clients."

Altstaetter expects to have 600-plus students enrolled by springtime, which should up this year's estimated sales of $210,000. With future plans for a built-in theater, a mommy gym, a snack shop and possibly day care, Altstaetter should have no trouble taking those next steps.