The company was started in 1983 by Peter Markovitz, who was a graduate of the University of Southern California.
His mission was to bridge the gap between entertainment and education, but to focus on subject matter that could make a profound difference to the lives of children. Children would have skills to not only be more successful but to build a better world. Markovitz distilled an educational philosophy that goes beyond making learning fun. Two hallmarks are collaborative learning and spectacular projects. Spectacular projects give children the opportunity to focus on ambitious theme-based projects, for example: the simulation of running their own business and other educational principles. The idea was to combine the best in educational thinking with the magic and relevance of technology.

After five years of educational and business systems development, the company was ready for franchising. It had pioneered in the field of computer literacy and children. It was already the established leader. It had demonstrated that technology as its own subject is not only the stuff of science fiction it is a service with substantial consumer demand.

FUTUREKIDS emerged as the only company in the world with the infrastructure to provide high quality solutions to schools.

Markovitz partnered with David Ullendorff, a graduate of the American Film Institute who had worked for years in children’s programming including the children’s Television Workshop (Sesame Street). This award winning filmmaker and children’s programmer is in charge of the education and curriculum process. His education team developed a curriculum product for Learning Centers and schools, which has won acclaim from around the world. It has set the standard in the industry.

Ullendorff envisioned powerful computer "scouts" who would navigate the technological wilderness. This is reflected in the corporate mission statement, "Our mission is to help children become futurekids, members of a worldwide community who have assumed the power of computer technology as their own, for the good of all."