WorldKids Founder Makes 2026 Women of Wonder List

WorldKids® School founder and chief executive officer Nicole Chaudry has been named to Franchise Dictionary Magazine’s 50 Women of Wonder 2026 list. The annual feature recognizes women leading franchise brands, and Chaudry appears in the October issue for the second consecutive year. The issue, published by FranServe and Franchise Dictionary Magazine on Oct. 1, includes a full-page profile of Chaudry. WorldKids School is a language-immersion preschool and childcare franchise for children generally from 2 months to 6 years old.

Recognition for Women Leaders

Franchise Dictionary Magazine has nearly 450,000 readers and is written for prospective franchise owners. Through FranServe’s Fran-Aid initiative, proceeds from the October issue will go to Susan G. Komen.

The magazine’s list entry highlighted the organization Chaudry has built around children, families and teachers, along with jobs and leadership roles for women and mentoring for entrepreneurs.

“Highlighting our '50 Women of Wonder' (WOW) is an annual tradition, and we are truly proud to honor the contributions of these incredible women. We love seeing more women in the franchise space.”

Language Immersion Schools

WorldKids School runs full-day preschool and childcare programs where the target language is used in the classroom rather than taught as a separate lesson. Infants are taught in Spanish, with Mandarin Chinese added from the toddler years.

Founded in January 2015, the company began franchising in July 2024. It has schools in Washington and San Jose, California, is enrolling in North Raleigh, North Carolina, and has locations planned for Malvern, Pennsylvania; Naperville, Illinois; and Columbus, Ohio.

From Home Program to Franchise

Chaudry grew up in Germany speaking several languages. After moving to Seattle, she obtained a Washington child care license and started a program in part of her home after not finding the multilingual early childhood education she wanted for her son. The program developed a waitlist within three months.

She later earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington while operating the schools. Through a partnership with the university, some students complete part of their hours at WorldKids.

“I started WorldKids in my own home because I wanted my son to grow up the way I did in Europe, where speaking two or three languages was normal. What I didn't expect was how many women would see themselves in that story: teachers bringing their native language into the classroom, mothers who joined us to be closer to their own children's education, and franchise partners building something for their families. This recognition belongs to them as much as to me.”

Growing Beyond Boundaries

The magazine profile, “Growing Beyond Boundaries,” describes a WorldKids corporate team of roughly 150 women from many countries and cultures. The recognition marks another appearance for Chaudry on the publication’s annual list.