Primrose Schools Eyes Algonquin, Other Towns For Expansion

When Cory Durden's son walks into a room, he's not a shy kid — and Durden give credit for that to Primrose Schools, an early childhood education organization.

Durden's son graduated from the organization's pre-K program this year. Primrose Schools, Durden said, focuses on character development, encouragement and confidence-building.

"If (parents) are looking for a solid foundation for their children, they need to take a look at Primrose," said Durden, director of franchise development at Primrose Schools.

The organization boasts about 225 schools across the country, most recently opening a school in South Elgin. Two others are in progress in Naperville and Algonquin. Durden said Primrose Schools also is looking at opening sites in Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Mundelein, Schaumburg and other Chicagoland communities in coming years.

“Each new Primrose School that we open in the Chicago market will offer unparalleled education options for local families, and will give back to their surrounding neighborhoods and organizations through philanthropic programs,” said Darin Harris, chief operating officer. “We’re confident that we’ll continue to find franchise owners in the area who share our vision for delivering quality, early childhood education in the region.”

Primrose Schools was founded in 1982 and was the first preschool organization in the country to receive accreditation from AdvancEd.

"We are truly an early childhood education company. We are not a day care," said Durden.

The organization uses a Balanced Learning® curriculum, which integrates academics, play and character development — with a big emphasis on the latter, Durden said.

"That's very critical at this age," said Durden. Children participate in adopt-a-grandparent programs, for example, along with leadership and literacy programs.

"It's a child-initiated, teacher-directed curriculum," said Durden.

The curriculum, he said, is standardized across all franchises. Teachers receive an initial two-week training at an open facility, and there is plenty of follow-up training, both online and in person. Primrose Schools recently held a "super weekend" training event in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that drew 500 teachers and franchise owners.

"The training doesn't stop when the doors are open," said Durden.

He added that Bracken School Readiness Assessment results have shown that 90 percent of Primrose Schools master the assessment.

"We are a national company, but we're not looking to be the biggest," said Durden. "We're looking to be the best."

The Algonquin location is set to open in November, followed by the Naperville site in January 2012, Durden said.