Franchise U: How Frank Toral Found His True Calling with Neighborhood Kids

Frank Toral, President of Neighborhood Kids, the emerging faith-based preschool franchise, has taken a long and winding road to where he is today. For 20 years, Toral ran a boutique law firm in Florida, while also staying involved with his local church. In 2016, he felt a calling to leave his firm behind and start a church of his own, which he did in 2017.

Toral ran his new church in Palm Beach, Florida all the way up until 2020. It was then that COVID-19 hit and forced the church to close. Luckily, Toral had previously purchased two secular preschools and realized that his ultimate calling was there.

When Toral and his wife took over Neighborhood Kids in 2019, it may have had no website or marketing, but it did have many loyal families. One of the things they did when they started out was create a culture that aligned with their Christian values, including “love your neighbor as yourself.” “If we could impart no other value than love, we feel that we have succeeded in that child’s life,” Toral said.

Going forward, Toral hopes that in the next 20 years, there are 1,000 Neighborhood Kids locations all over the country.

Neighborhood Kids got its start as a preschool established in Wellington, Florida, in 1978. Now a private, faith-based early childhood education organization, Neighborhood Kids provides generational impact through safe, fun, supportive and God-honoring early education environments. For more information, visit www.neighborhoodkids.com.