How Kind Accountability Helped Choklits Child Care Cultivate Culture Across Multiple Locations

In early childhood education, the smallest details matter: The tone of a greeting, the consistency of a routine, the way an educator soothes a crying child. These moments shape how safe a child feels — and how they grow.

So when Choklits Child Care expanded from a single 50-place center to a thriving three-location organization with more than 120 staff, founders Matt and Jade faced a challenge many fast-growing childcare providers know well:

How do you scale high (care forward) standards without becoming a cold, corporate machine?

For Choklits, the answer became what they call “kind accountability” — a philosophy powered by Trainual.

A childcare business built on passion, and process

Nearly a decade ago, Matt and Jade weren’t hunting for a business plan. They were searching for purpose. Jade, then working in a corporate role at NAB, kept circling back to one passion she couldn’t ignore: nurturing the minds of children.

‍“Education and children… early childhood just became a really big passion for me,” she explains.

With the help of a mentor in the industry, they purchased a small childcare service with around 12 staff and poured themselves into it. They were on-site, hands-on, and deeply involved.

And like many small providers, the secret to their original success was simple: They were always there.

When they grew to two centers, then three, that changed.

They had more educators, more families, more duties, but fewer moments standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their team. They didn’t want to become “a big faceless organization,” but visibility was getting harder.

And the cracks began to show.

When growth creates distance — and why that matters

Without clear systems, every new hire depended on the manager training them, not the organization itself.

• Procedures lived in people’s heads
• Messages weren’t passed down the same way
• Owners weren’t as present as before
• New staff didn’t always know who Matt and Jade were
• Standards slipped simply because expectations weren’t consistent

One moment still sticks with Jade:

“I introduced myself to a new staff member and she said, ‘Thank you… and who are you?’”

It wasn’t disrespect — it was a signal. 

A sign the culture they built wasn’t reaching every new educator.

The owners needed to be “present” even when they physically couldn’t. Their mission, values, expectations, and warmth needed a scalable home.

That home became Trainual.

The shift: from training people manually to building a system everyone can trust

Matt had first heard of Trainual years earlier in a Gary Vee session, but with one location, it felt premature.

Expansion made the need urgent.

When they revisited Trainual, they realized the platform wasn’t just about training — it was about alignment, clarity, and building guardrails that kept everyone on the same road.

“We’ve moved from training people ourselves to building a system that everyone can train in, in a consistent manner.”

Instead of trying to document every tiny step (their original “we tried to be McDonald's” moment), they shifted to documenting the things that mattered most:

• Communication structures
• Planning processes
• Seasonal and safety training
• Leadership frameworks
• Expectations for educators
• Center-level responsibilities

These weren’t rigid checklists — they were guardrails.

Or as Matt put it:

“Guardrails don’t stop you from getting to your destination. They stop you from running off the road.”

With clear guardrails, every educator, new or tenured, understands the standards, outcomes, and behaviors that guide Choklits.

Click "Next" 👆 to see how Choklits Child Care uses Trainual. Want a closer look? Click to explore the training in a new window.

Staying visible at scale: Video that keeps the founders front and center

One of the most beautiful Choklits transformations came through video.

Before Trainual, staff who joined during off-hours or in another location could go weeks or months before meeting the owners. It created a disconnect between the heart of the business and the people delivering the care.

Now, new hires start with:

• A video welcome from Matt and Jade
• The story of Choklits
• The passion behind the work
• The mission and values
• Clips that feel warm, personal, and human

“From day one, they hear it from our own mouths — the journey, the mission, what we’re trying to achieve.”

Even better?

The videos don’t just support onboarding — they change relationships.

“Now I walk into a service and staff I’ve never met smile, engage, and know who I am. It makes for such a warm introduction.”

Trainual doesn’t just teach tasks.
It builds connection.

What’s caught, not taught: Training mindsets, not just steps

Choklits’ educators don’t work on an assembly line — they care for children. Their ability to think, respond, and empathize matters.

So their training can’t just be instructions.

It has to build:

• Critical thinking
• Confidence
• Professionalism
• Empathy
• Initiative
• Consistency

That’s why their motto — “It’s not what’s taught, it’s what’s caught” — is so powerful.

Choklits uses Trainual to teach not just what to do, but how to think:

• The 13:1 rule
• The 1080:10 rule
• Their philosophical frameworks
• Their approach to communication
• Their definition of professionalism
• Their expectations for family interactions
  

Trainual becomes the space where mindsets are shaped.

Kind accountability = setting high standards with humanity

This is where Choklits truly shines, and where Trainual becomes more than a manual.

Instead of using standards as a hammer, they use them as support.

Take the uniform policy. In many centers, a manager might say: "You’re out of uniform again. Fix it."

At Choklits:

• They reset the uniform training in Trainual
• They ask the staff member to re-complete it
• They check if the problem is clarity, confidence, or missing resources
• They solve the underlying issue (e.g., the staff member started working more days and didn’t get additional shirts)

“It’s not ‘you haven’t done this.’ It’s ‘we’re all doing it this way, and we’d love you to come along with us.’”

That’s kind accountability.

And it only works because:

• ✅ Training is clear
• ✅ Completion is trackable
• ✅ Refresher modules can be reassigned instantly
• ✅ Managers have a third-party tool to support tough conversations
• ✅ Staff feel cared for, not called out

For an industry defined by burnout, turnover, and emotional labor, this culture is rare — and powerful.

Consistency for children: what this all leads to

Every system, every video, every guardrail, every Test question…
It all exists for one reason:

Children thrive when educators thrive.

When educators:

• Know what to expect
• Feel supported
• Understand their responsibilities
• Receive clarity instead of chaos
• Feel connected to leadership
• Learn through a consistent, welcoming process

…they’re more confident, more grounded, and more present in the classroom.

And that presence is everything.

Because early childhood isn’t just care — it’s foundational development.

And Choklits is building the internal structures that allow educators to do that work exceptionally well.

The real proof: Choklits is ready to expand — with heart

Sometimes the biggest sign of confidence is what leaders are willing to try.

Recently, Matt and Jade discussed an experiment:

“What if, instead of sending our best people to a new location, we send no one — and let Trainual run the onboarding?”

They may not go that far.
But the fact they’re even considering it says everything.

Trainual now holds the core of how Choklits works:

• Their philosophies
• Their expectations
• Their seasonal rhythms
• Their communication system
• Their values and culture
• Their teaching frameworks
• Their guardrails for success

They’re no longer relying on proximity to run great centers.

They’re relying on clarity, consistency, and care.

TL;DR — The impact of Trainual at Choklits Child Care

• Built a training experience that reinforces mindset, not just tasks
• Kept warmth and values front and center, even with 120+ staff across three locations
• Replaced ad hoc manager-led training with consistent, role-based paths
• Used video to stay personally connected at every location
• Created a culture of kind accountability through Trackers & retraining tools
• Eliminated last-minute chaos with documented guardrails & planning frameworks
• Improved communication and consistency across three services
• Empowered center directors to use training inside meetings for seasonal resets
• Reframed performance conversations into supportive learning moments
• Strengthened retention by giving educators clarity, confidence, and growth
• Built a scalable system that could support new locations without sending trainers

✨ Want to follow along with how Matt and Jade bring “kind accountability” to life every day? Check out Choklits, Jade and Matt on Instagram.

Looking ahead

With growing enrollment, a strong digital presence, and a reputation for truly heartfelt care, Choklits Child Care continues to expand. And as they do, Trainual ensures their culture scales right alongside their services.

Because when training is kind, consistent, and clear, educators feel supported — and children get the best version of the adults who guide them.

“We’re building something that will last forever — a machine that still feels human.”

👉 You can grow your childcare organization and protect your culture. Book a demo and learn how Trainual makes it possible.