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About the iKids U Opportunity

A Kids Franchise that Takes After-School to the Next Level

ikids-playing-outsideSince 2007, our mission has been to take after-school to the next level, with exceptional standards, streamlined on-site service at local schools, and excellent staff to student ratios. Our all-inclusive programs feature a wide variety of supplemental educational, creative, and recreational activities that kids love!

Best of all, our kids franchise model is designed to work well with all types of school settings, family dynamics, and children’s interests – and it allows you to build a flexible business you’ll be proud to call your own.

We invite you to become part of our mission! This is your chance to meet the growing need for quality after-school programs in your hometown, and make a positive impact on so many lives.

Find out more about the iKids U Franchise and requirements for ownership. Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page, request more information, or contact us at 888.824.2885 or email.

Request iKids Franchise Information Today!

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Meet The iKids U Leadership Team

Geraldine Smythe – CEO

Geraldine is a multi-award-winning business founder, strategist, business builder, and investor with over 25 years’ experience as a management professional, specializing in strategic growth. She has been involved in various management roles in franchising and children’s education since 2005.

She got her start purchasing 1 territory of the acclaimed Abrakadoodle Art Education franchise in 2005 in Austin, Texas and within 9 months purchased her 2nd unit, effectively providing services to the entire metro area for the next 7 years. She was recognized 6 years running as the #1 or #2 sales producer within the Abrakadoodle international system and earned 40+ performance awards and press for the brand and her business. She and her partner/husband, Paul Phelps (iKids U Franchise’s Vice President and COO) sold their Abrakadoodle businesses profitably in 2012.

Geraldine went on to gain experience after this as a franchise consultant, helping independent businesses create franchising operations, as well as selling new franchises for various children’s education and service franchise concepts operating in the USA, UK, Ireland, and Spain.

Geraldine’s goal is to bring the joy of the iKids U education model to 1000s of children, their parents, and communities all across the US, while helping ambitious, business-minded people to join the iKids U brand and build career paths for success on their own terms. Her personal mission is to be a powerful catalyst in inspiring the human potential in each of us and she considers her afterschool experience in theater and lacrosse to have helped shape her as the creative team-player she’s known to be. She is excited by what the future holds for iKids U, our owners, and our communities, and especially the kids!

Paul Phelps – COO

Paul is Geraldine’s business and life parter, and together they have built and sold several successful children’s education businesses, plus raised their son in the world of afterschool. Paul brings fourteen years’ experience developing and implementing financial, administrative, and business intelligence systems for companies experiencing, or preparing for, explosive growth. Paul has played a very active role in the success of both their Abrakadoodle franchises, plus 2 other successful children’s education business startups. He oversees the iKids U team’s operational growth.

Paul is a future-thinking business analyst with solid operations management experience. He got his start in accounting, event management, and the creative arena of music management in New York City, where he and Geraldine met, just as the traditional music industry was set to implode. He recognized quickly that gaining a solid understanding of new tech skills and merging his process improvement skills with Big Data and AI skills would help to provide growth-oriented companies with exponential business impacts.

Paul and Geraldine acquired iKids U Franchise, LLC in April 2021 after recognizing there was a gap in ‘Essential’ afterschool services across the US. They aim to take the Founders’ dreams of expanding their unique business model to serve many more families across the US, families who need high-quality yet affordable, convenient, and comprehensive local afterschool services.

Paul balances his position working as lead business analyst for Horne, LLP with his operational responsibilities for iKids U. He is excited to implement high-performing business systems for the benefit of the iKids U network. Like Geraldine, Paul considers himself to be a product of great afterschool experiences, where he discovered Radio DJing in highschool and got his band started!

Autumn Seiler – Co-Founder

Autumn Seiler was a pediatric occupational therapist before she created iKids, Inc. in 2007. She had worked with children her entire life, from babysitting at a young age to later specializing in work with children with disabilities and developmental delay. In her career Autumn witnessed a lot of mediocrity and questionable learning and management practices in after school programs. So, when she had her daughter she decided to do something about it.

Wanting to work but still have time to be fully present for her child, and knowing she could solve many of the problems she saw in after school programs, Autumn and her husband Jonathan went into business together. Meshing her expertise with kids and his in IT, they began offering after school programs rooted in technology. iKids U now offers a variety of learning experiences from cooking to drama.

Now, the president and co-founder of a burgeoning kids education franchise, Autumn provides the same high quality care and after school programming she wanted for her own child.

Jonathan Seiler – Co-Founder

Jonathan Seiler was a software engineer and technology consultant for most of his career. The Victoria, Texas native graduated from St. Edwards University in Austin with a degree in computer science. He went on to travel the world working for companies like Texas Instruments, Motorola, Fujitsu and PeopleSoft.

Around the time his daughter was born Jonathan decided to curtail his travel. He took a local job managing financial software implementations for the University of Texas Health and Science Center so that he could spend more time his family. In 2014, he left the IT industry to work alongside his wife Autumn providing high quality after school programs.

Now the vice president and co-founder for iKids, Inc., Jonathan has been able to marry his technical expertise with hers working with children, and together the two have improved the onsite after-school experience for school administrators and parents, and most importantly for children, and in Texas.

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