Girl Scout and Boy Scout badge workshops

Sharon Estroff, CEO of the World’s #1 Educational Enrichment Franchise in the World, Empowers Women Across the Country.

ATLANTA — Sharon Duke Estroff is truly making a difference in her community and beyond. Estroff is a teacher who has created a company that empowers other women, showing them that they too can be business owners. Estroff was a teacher who 18 years ago started Challenge Island® in her second-grade classroom and began running it as an enrichment business. It has been growing by leaps and bounds ever since.

Captured here in Star Central Magazine, and here on NPR, as well as in various local and national publications featured here, Estroff is the founder and CEO of Challenge Island, the world’s #1 STEAM educational enrichment franchise according to Entrepreneur Magazine.

STEAM is STEM+Art because, as Steve Jobs famously said, technology alone is not enough.

Estroff’s company now has 105 locations across the USA and internationally and has been featured on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 for 3 years straight – having just been added to Entrepreneur’s Top Global Franchises list this year.  Challenge Island has touched the lives of over 1 million children in over 6,000 schools and community locations.

But what makes this program so special is this moment in time.

Teachers by nature aren’t usually entrepreneurial. But this teacher seized an opportunity, broke out, and created this company for other teachers.

“Now there is a way for teachers to own their own business while still staying in the field of education where they can continue to enjoy everything they love about teaching,” explains Estroff.

When COVID-19 hit, the educational enrichment market – an $8 billion industry that operates hand in hand with the schools – was on the front lines of impact. Estroff saw her franchisees (many of whom are former teachers) begin to panic. Estroff stayed strong and pivoted immediately to launch “Home Island,” Challenge Island’s virtual alter-ego.

“As we enter the Fall, we continue to be met with unprecedented challenges at every turn. But in every challenge, there exists an immense opportunity. You just have to be open-minded enough to see it and to seize it,” says Estroff.

In many markets across the country as we head back to school, there are a lot of teachers that are feeling helpless. Many feel like they can’t win; they’re stuck, not sure what else they can do now. They feel incredibly unempowered and that they are not in control of their life.

Challenge Island ownership can be an opportunity for teachers to build a business that will thrive past this pandemic. This program was created by teachers for teachers, offers one of a kind learning experiences to children, and arms franchise owners with the tools to succeed professionally.

18 years ago, Estroff was a teacher who was also tutoring just to make ends meet. She took her future into her own hands and created the #1 educational enrichment franchise in the world. This female CEO can help teachers who are struggling find a new path and create a rewarding new opportunity.

ATLANTA — Challenge Island® is the world’s #1 ranked STEM/STEAM enrichment franchise. With over 100 locations nationwide, Challenge Island has served over 1 million children in 4000 schools, community centers and other family focused locations.  In celebration of National STEM/STEAM Day on November 8, Challenge Island® franchisees ran action-packed STEM/STEAM adventures from coast to coast.  The events were designed to help spark local children’s interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.

Shachi Mody, owner of Challenge Island NW Houston – Katy, TX, partnered with Chick-Fil-A Cinco Ranch to provide hands-on STEM/STEAM Day activities to families in the restaurant.  Jill Garcia, owner of Challenge Island South Charlotte, NC, celebrated by building roller coasters with the students of Thales Academy.  Debbie Torniven, owner of Challenge Island Reno, NV, was visited by a local news crew as she led a STEAMtastic slime volcano building activity at Sarah Winnemuca Elementary.

In Oahu, Hawaii, Challenge Island Owner Erica Lenentine, held a celebratory STEM/STEAM Family Night at Aikahi Elementary School. Stephanie Edwards of Challenge Island Middle Tennessee set up a sensational STEAM stop at Newk’s Eatery, while Candida Ramdass of Challenge Island Santa Cruz-San Jose, CA took students at Spring Hill School on a World Tour themed engineering adventure. Meanwhile, Ritika Senghal of Challenge Island San Diego Coastal took the children of Kinderhouse Montessori School on an imaginary trek through the Amazon Rainforest.

Robin Bergeron and Leslie Thibodaux, of Challenge Island Houma, LA celebrated by building suspension bridges with the students of the Church Academy of St. Amant, while Tia Sukenik, of Challenge Island North Dallas-West Plano, TX held STEAM festivities with the children of Temple Emanuel Preschool.  At Wisconsin’s Brookfield Elementary, students designed African safari rides with Andrea Davis, owner of Challenge Island Waukesha-Milwaukee.

In Rockland County, NY, Julie Termini of Challenge Island Rockland/ NE Bergen held a special STEM/STEAM Day Mechanical Engineering Badge Workshop for the Daisy Scouts of Troop 40129.  “On November 8th we proudly celebrated National STEM/STEAM Day,” says Termini, “but at Challenge Island we give children the opportunity to develop their science, technology, engineering, art, and math skills all year round – incorporating communication, collaboration, and critical thinking, while we’re at it!”

Says Oahu owner, Erica Lenentine: “At Challenge Island, EVERY DAY is National STEM/STEAM Day!”  And indeed it is.

ATLANTA — Challenge Island®, the #1 STEM / STEAM franchise in Entrepreneur 2019 Franchise 500®, was recently ranked in Entrepreneur‘s Fastest-Growing Franchises list. This highly competitive list recognizes the 150 companies with the greatest franchise unit growth in North America.

“We are incredibly honored to be ranked #98 on Entrepreneur’s 2019 Fastest Growing Franchises list, as well as #307 on Entrepreneur’s 2019 Franchise 500®. These accomplishments are testament to the strength of the brand, our fantastic franchisees, our unwavering support team, the epically exciting Challenge Island® franchise opportunity, and our company’s contagious mission to positively impact the lives of children across the country and the globe.”

Learn More About Challenge Island at www.challenge-island.com and https://franchise.challenge-island.com/ 

Founded and led by Sharon Duke Estroff, an award-winning educator, Penguin Random House parenting author, internationally syndicated parenting columnist, and education contributor for numerous national magazines including Scholastic Parent and Child, Good Housekeeping and Parents, Challenge Island® has over 90 franchises across the US and internationally. “Thanks to our spectacular growth and momentum,” says Estroff who is also the company’s CEO, “Challenge Island® is on course to have touched the lives over 1 million children by 2020.”

“Franchising trends are always changing, and our ranking of the fastest-growing franchises offers crisp insight into what’s hot right now,” says Jason Feifer, Entrepreneur’s editor in chief. “And through this list, we’re also able to see the strategies that help newer brands ramp up quickly and that enable older ones to maintain their momentum.”

Entrepreneur’s 2019 Fastest-Growing Franchises ranking is based on each company’s net franchise-unit growth in the U.S. and Canada from July 31, 2017 to July 31, 2018. Challenge Island’s position on the ranking demonstrates the brand’s rising popularity with both franchisees and customers.

To view Challenge Island in the full ranking, visit entrepreneur.com/franchises/fastestgrowing. Results can also be seen in the March issue of Entrepreneur, available now on newsstands.