Tierra Encantada is proud to celebrate Northern Virginia multi-unit franchise owners, Zargham Amid and Mustafa Durrani, who were named 2026 IFA Franchisees of the Year. The International Franchise Association honored them for entrepreneurship, community outreach, workforce development, and service to others at its September 2026 summit in Washington, D.C.
The recognition came at the IFA26 Advocacy Summit, held September 14–16, 2026. The Franchisee of the Year award is one of franchising's top honors for individual owners. It places the pair among the industry's most respected operators.
Tierra Encantada Franchisees Win 2026 IFA Franchisee of the Year Award
This recognition places Amid and Durrani among franchising's most accomplished owners. The IFA gives the Franchisee of the Year award to owners who pair strong business results with real service to their communities.
The two were recognized in front of franchise leaders and advocates at the IFA26 Advocacy Summit. The summit brings the franchise community to Washington, D.C., each year to meet with lawmakers and celebrate top operators.
The qualities the IFA cited say a lot about the pair. Entrepreneurship and community outreach point to how they run their centers. Workforce development and service to others point to how they treat their teams and neighbors.
For Tierra Encantada, the honor is a public marker of what owner-led growth can look like in early education. It also reflects the market the pair have built in a short time.
The Story Behind the Win
Amid and Durrani opened their first Tierra Encantada center in Alexandria in 2022. They have since grown to three locations and signed a lease for a fourth. They have plans for further growth across Northern Virginia.
That pace of expansion put them on the IFA's radar. Their story shows the committed, ambitious owner the brand looks for in new markets.
This growth also reflects steady demand for bilingual care in the region. Each opening builds on the reputation their first Alexandria center earned with local families. That track record is part of why the IFA honored them this year.
Each of their centers runs the full Tierra Encantada program, with Spanish immersion incorporated in daily play and routine, play-based learning and fresh scratch-made meals. A fourth location gives more local families a premium language immersion early education option within reach of home. The award also raises the pair's profile as they hire staff and enroll families for that center.
"We're incredibly honored to be recognized as IFA Franchisees of the Year," said Zargham Amid. "Building with Tierra Encantada has been an incredible journey, and this recognition is a testament to the hard work of our teams, and the trust families place in us every day."
The IFA framed the honor in similar terms. "Franchisees of the Year demonstrate what franchising is all about — individuals who have committed their lives and careers to the betterment of those around them, building something bigger than themselves," said Matt Haller, President and CEO of the International Franchise Association.
About the IFA Franchisee of the Year Award
IFA's Franchisee of the Year Award is an honor created to recognize outstanding IFA member-company franchise owners. Owners do not apply on their own. Each honoree is nominated by their parent brand.
This year, the IFA named 88 franchisees as 2026 honorees. Honorees are selected for community involvement, workforce development, assisting fellow franchisees, and entrepreneurial spirit.
What the Recognition Means for Families and the Brand
The qualities the IFA rewarded grow out of how Tierra Encantada runs its centers. The model is built on Spanish immersion, play-based learning, scratch-made meals, and thoughtfully designed spaces that support the development of the whole child.
In every center, children learn Spanish naturally through play and daily conversation, so a second language becomes part of a normal day. The program also pairs immersion with a play-based STEAM curriculum, so children build early math and science skills while becoming bilingual.
Fresh scratch-made meals from the brand's Global Culinary Program are prepared onsite daily, using wholesome nutrition and diverse ingredients to help expand children's palettes. The centers are built as a second home for families, with premium spaces and advanced security that reassure working parents.
Demand for that model is strong. In 2019–23, the United States had 7.1 million dual language learners ages 0–5, one in three young children, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
Access to care is also strained. The Center for American Progress reports an estimated 46 percent of children under age 6 lived in a licensed child care desert in 2025. That term means areas with too few licensed slots for the children who live there.
When award-winning owners expand, more families in their local community have access to high-quality Spanish immersion early education. Each new center adds licensed seats in a market where demand for care keeps climbing. That link between growth and impact sits at the center of Tierra Encantada's brand story.
"When owners like Amid and Durrani open a center, more families have access to premium Spanish immersion early education," said Kristen Denzer, Founder & CEO. "That community impact is the reason our model exists."
A Model Built for Owners Like Amid and Durrani
The pair's four-center push and plans for further expansion reflects a wider pattern, since multi-unit operators own a large share of franchising. As of 2025, 19.3% of franchisees operate multiple units and collectively own 58.8% of all franchised locations, according to Franchise Times.
Tierra Encantada gives owners the economics and the support to grow that way. Tierra Encantada's 2026–27 Franchise Disclosure Document (Item 19) reports the model's unit economics. Centers open 24 or more months averaged $2,646,924 in Average Unit Volume and $546,006 in EBITDA, a 20.63% margin.
Childcare enrollment brings recurring revenue through ongoing tuition payments. Demand for care tends to hold up in downturns, which makes that revenue more predictable than in many retail concepts. The steady base makes scalability a realistic goal for driven operators.
Owners also get training and ongoing support that runs from site selection through daily operations. That structure helps committed operators move from one center to several, even without a Spanish-speaking background.
The brand operates in prime territories across seven states, from Texas to Virginia. Its leadership team brings more than 50 years of experience in scalable, multi-unit operations. That gives new owners a proven playbook to follow and room to keep expanding locally.
Enrollment also brings strong customer lifetime value, since families often stay for years through a child's early education. That loyalty helps owners plan staffing and budgets with more confidence.
"We give owners a clear operating system and steady support," said Kristen Denzer, Founder & CEO. "Our part is to help them scale from one center to several."
Join the Tierra Encantada Story
That model and the support behind it are what carried Amid and Durrani to this recognition. Congratulations to the pair on being named 2026 IFA Franchisees of the Year. Their win reflects the mission Tierra Encantada shares with every owner: bring high-quality Spanish immersion early education to more families in more communities.
Many of our owners come from a career change into childcare, drawn by a business that is a true need in their community. They wanted work that pairs steady returns with a clear purpose, and they found it in early education.
Getting started is straightforward. Prospective qualified owners inquire, meet the team, review the Franchise Disclosure Document, and attend a Decision Day before they sign on. Training and buildout then prepare them to open their first center.
Amid and Durrani started on that same path. If that path sounds like yours, explore the Tierra Encantada franchise opportunity and start building your own story.
