Provider

UK operator Just Childcare secures £50m to continue its expansion

Jason Roberts

Oct 03, 2019

Save

Just Childcare, the owner and operator of 59 early education and care centres in the North West of England, has secured £50 million pounds (around A$85 million) of new funding to continue its acquisition strategy to grow its business.

Established in 2004 by David and Jaqueline Johnson, the Group has seen growth accelerate in recent years as private equity group Phoenix Equity Partners became shareholders in November 2014.

Since then, the Just Childcare network has grown from seven day nurseries (the equivalent of a long day care setting in Australia) to 59 with this latest capital line expected to see that number increase materially.

Just Childcare is now, according to information provider daynurseries.co.uk, the fourth equal largest provider of ECEC services in England behind Busy Bees and Bright Horizons who have around 375 and 255 centres respectively and not-for-profit provider Early Years Alliance which has around 80 centres. Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries has around 59, equal to Just Childcare.

Commenting on the announcement Chief Executive Officer David Johnson noted “We are really pleased to have secured this new financing package to further fuel our growth plans. We are extremely excited about the prospect of bringing Just Childcare’s quality of care to more and more children across the country.”

The new funding package comes after the announcement of the completion of two new group acquisitions, Jack & Jill Nurseries and Pre-School in the Wirral, and the St Mary’s and Small World nurseries, owned by Doncaster Nurseries, in South Yorkshire which between them added six new settings to the group.

For more information on Just Childcare, please click here.

Don’t miss a thing

NSW Early Learning Commission conducts 220 unannounced visits

More than 100 regulatory officers conducted unannounced inspections at over 220 early learning services in a single-day compliance operation, as the NSW Early Learning Commission intensifies oversight across the sector.

Failing the Most Vulnerable: Two WA Childcare Providers Penalised Over Supervision Breaches

In February the Western Australian State Administrative Tribunal handled two separate disciplinary proceedings brought by the CEO of the Department of Communities against out-of-school-hours care (OSHC) providers. Both cases highlight critical failures in active supervision, particularly concerning highly vulnerable children diagnosed with autism who managed to wander away from their respective services unnoticed.

Keeping children safe with one simple lesson

Water safety remains at the forefront of national concern, as drowning continues to be the leading cause of accidental death for children aged 0-4.

Prime childcare and medical investment opportunity hits the market in Thornhill Park

A permit-approved early learning and medical asset in Melbourne’s west is set to test investor appetite for secure income, long-term leases and value-add potential in a high-growth corridor.

Workforce planning in ECEC: from compliance requirement to strategic advantage