From Parents to Owners: How Jordan and Richard Watkins Brought Ivybrook Academy to Northwest Arkansas

October 2, 2026 By Jamie Smith Flatow

Quick Answer: Jordan and Richard Watkins found Ivybrook Academy as parents and as an educator (Jordan) when a campus opened near their family’s home in Mooresville, North Carolina. After they moved back to Northwest Arkansas, they decided to bring the school with them. Jordan and Richard now own Ivybrook Academy Pinnacle in Rogers, where Jordan serves as principal.

Key Takeaways:

The Watkins Family first met Ivybrook as families in 2020, before they thought about ownership.
Jordan brought two lenses to the decision: a mother’s and an educator’s.
Families toured the building while it was still under construction.
Community came first: a parent association and parent events began before opening.
Jordan leads her campus as both owner and principal.

How did the Watkins Family find Ivybrook?

In 2020, Jordan and Richard Watkins lived in the Charlotte area, where a new Ivybrook Academy was going up near their home in Mooresville, North Carolina. Jordan, an educator with high standards for what preschool should be, started reading about the school.

She expected to be skeptical. Instead she found that the blend of Montessori and Reggio Emilia ideas had been worked out carefully, and she liked what she saw in the people. “I fell in love equally as a mom and as an educator,” she says. When she visited Ivybrook’s flagship campus in Weddington, she watched children get excited about their own learning, and that sealed it.

A few years later the family moved back to Northwest Arkansas. They kept asking the same question: why isn’t there a school like this here?

What made them decide to open one?

Jordan and Richard explored franchising with Ivybrook, and the answer came down to what they wanted to build. They wanted a school where children’s voices are heard, where creativity and life skills grow alongside academics, and where families feel connected to what their children are doing.

Jordan says seeing that happen for children is what makes her proud, as a mother and as an educator.

What did they do before the doors opened?

They started building community early. Their construction team let families come into the building while it was still being built, because they believed parents should see where their child will spend the morning. Jordan was grateful for that.

They also began setting up a parent association for the school, a way to keep families connected to the curriculum, to the work their children are doing, and to each other.

How does Jordan hire?

Jordan looks for educators who light up when they talk about children. She says it’s a green flag when a candidate speaks more about the kids than about themselves. She wants people who are open-minded and flexible, who want to dig into a child’s interests and let children take the lead.

What does she see in the classroom?

Her favorite project came from her oldest students, the transitional kindergarten class. They researched animal habitats, built their own from loose parts, and displayed them in the lobby for every family to see. Younger children started asking questions about habitats of their own, and the excitement moved through the building.

She also watches for smaller things. A child who takes a deep breath without being told. Children who treat classroom materials as tools instead of toys, and who build things she says she’d never have thought of. In the writing center, children asked to hang their own work, so they have their own tape dispenser. “It’s not Miss Sarah,” she says of the room. “It’s them.”

What has the ownership experience been like?

Jordan calls it the most challenging and most wonderful thing she’s done. She sees her families outside school, at the elementary school her older daughter attends, and she’s organized parent evenings, including a mahjong night, for families who moved to the area and wanted to meet people with similar values.

The weight is real too. Every hiring decision and every moment an educator represents Ivybrook when Jordan isn’t in the room affects the school’s reputation. She says it keeps her up at night and also motivates her. She wants every family to feel their child is seen.

How does she talk to families?

She doesn’t sell. She asks what a family is looking for and walks them through the schedule and daily activities, including how small groups and individualized instruction work. Then she helps them decide whether Ivybrook fits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be an educator to own an Ivybrook campus?

No. Jordan is an educator, but other owners aren’t. On our franchising page, Jade Thompson and her husband, Duran, came from healthcare and finance. They wanted a quality preschool for their son. Owners come from education, healthcare, finance, technology, and corporate leadership.

Can an owner also be the principal?

Some do. Jordan serves as both owner and principal at Pinnacle. Others bring in a director to lead the academic side. Ask the franchise development team which structure fits you and your campus.

What happens before a campus opens?

Owners build their community early. At Pinnacle, that meant bringing families into the building during construction and setting up a parent association before opening. The franchise team supports pre-opening marketing, hiring, and training.

How do I learn more?

Visit the franchising page to request information. The franchise development team will walk you through the process, the FDD, and your market.

Learn more about ownership

If you’re a parent or an educator who has wondered what it would take to bring Ivybrook to your community, start with a conversation. Visit ivybrookacademy.com/franchising.

This information is not intended as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a franchise. Offers are made only by the Franchise Disclosure Document and in compliance with applicable federal and state franchise laws.