Hand in Hand: FECs Diversify The Business Model By Adding Child Care

Fun World Magazine | Mike Bederka

Larry Stottlemyer, owner of Adventure Park USA in Monrovia, Maryland, believes that a day care should go hand in hand with FECs. He has operated Adventure Park Academy from the FEC’s second floor for the past decade. The day care helped him stay afloat during the Great Recession, and the revenue has more than tripled since its inception, making it one of the most profitable components of his facility today. Currently, 80 children, ages 2 to 14, participate in preschool, pre-kindergarten, and school-age programs, as well as seasonal camps.

With numbers like that, he does not quite understand why other FEC owners hesitate to expand their offerings to a tangential service like child care.

“They think it’s a problem—that it will be another worry, especially with insurance,” he says, noting his umbrella policy seamlessly covers both ends. “But really, an FEC and child care center go hand in hand.”