Christina Walker, a Stanford graduate-classroom teacher-turned-education entrepreneur, stipulates that the after-school market is worth twenty-two (22) billion United States (US) dollars.
In 2015, Ms. Walker formed the after-school platform Homeroom with Standford co-graduate Casandra Stewart, and both join other entrepreneurs who proved that after-school initiatives have been growing.
Out-of-school enrichment and learning activities are instrumental in making learners all rounded. Entrepreneurs acknowledge this aspect making them craft after-school programs where learners are taught skills such as coding and karate, among others.
Success after 3 years of struggle
Stewart and Walker struggled with their startup but gained success when they partnered with an elementary school and relaunched Homeroom in 2018.
Under this platform, Walker attested that they started with only nine schools whereby they were availed with the software.
The success rate witnessed was outstanding because, after forty-five days, parents had spent five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) on the after-school activities availed.
Walter acknowledges that the value is even more given that learners on the waiting list are not included.
As an entrepreneur, Walker affirms that some of the sales made in this sector are stunning. For instance, they sold thirty-two (32) jump-rope spots in a record twenty-seven (27) seconds.
The demand witnessed is growing at an alarming rate, making expansion inevitable.
For instance, after just a year, Homeroom is currently used by sixty schools as compared to the previous nine. These schools are located in seven states such as New Jersey, Texas, Virginia, California, and Washington, among others.
Walker acknowledges that the most significant after-school program is in Seattle, where fifty-three (53) classes are offered weekly.
Parents spend heavily on after-school programs
Parents have seen the value of after-school activities, making them not shy away from spending on them.
For instance, Walker acknowledges that parents are spending to the tune of one hundred and twenty-one thousand dollars ($121,000) on an after-school class running for ten weeks.
Walker proclaims that they expect to have an enrollment of ten thousand (10,000) learners in the next six week. This nearly four times the number they enrolled in August 2018.
The convenience rendered to school groups and parents is making them spend heavily on after-school programs.
In China, an after-school tuition provider known as Squirrel AI Learning is utilizing artificial intelligence to offer personalized content to cater to students’ needs.
