Preeti and Vic Gulati, who own three Kiddie Academy educational child care centers across the Chicago suburbs, have been named 2026 Franchisees of the Year by the International Franchise Association, one of 89 individuals recognized this year for excellence in entrepreneurship, community outreach, workforce development and service to others. The Gulatis operate Kiddie Academy locations in Arlington Heights, Vernon Hills and Mount Prospect, and were honored at a luncheon during the IFA26 Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C., held September 14 through 16. A separate new honor, the IFA Franchisee Cornerstone Award, will also be selected from among this year's group of honorees.
Casey Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Kiddie Academy, said the brand is always excited to see its franchisees go above and beyond, and called the Gulatis' national recognition a reflection of the standard they've set for operational excellence and community impact across Chicago's Kiddie Academy students, educators and families. Preeti Gulati said she and Vic were honored to receive the distinction and grateful to the brand for the nomination.
The couple opened their first Academy in Arlington Heights in 2015 and have spent the twelve years since building a reputation for high-quality early childhood education across their growing footprint. Kiddie Academy itself is marking a milestone this year, celebrating 45 years in early childhood education with a system that now spans more than 345 Academies across 39 states and the District of Columbia, with more than 75 additional locations in development.
Managing consistent, high-touch relationships with families across multiple centers, the kind of trust-building that helped earn the Gulatis this recognition, is its own operational challenge as a childcare franchise grows. Gorilla Dash offers a CRM Integrations feature designed to help multi-location operators keep family communication and enrollment relationships organized across every center, supporting the kind of consistent, personal experience the Gulatis have built their reputation on.
