The move would firmly place Family First within the top 10 largest nursery groups in the country, according to Nursery World’s Nursery Chains 2022, which at the time of publication in March, ranked the group 13th largest in the UK.
Family First currently operates 56 nurseries across London, Kent, Surrey, Essex, Somerset, Warwickshire, Hampshire and the West Midlands, providing over 4,000 childcare places and employing more than 1,200 staff.
Since the start of this year, the group has acquired 13 sites, they are - Adventure Pre-School in Carshalton, Rainbow Nursery in Kentish Town, Woodlands Daycare in Oxsted, Scribbles in East Finchley, three Play Away nurseries in Southampton, Kloisters in Rochester, Ellingham House in Ringwood, Stationhouse and Lakehouse Nurseries in Portishead, Greenfields in Shipston on Stour, and Drayton House School in Guildford.
Family First’s corporate development director Craig Grant said, ‘We are now entering into new territories with an ambition to reach over 80 nurseries through acquisition by the end of the year. We see this as an amazing opportunity to create a sizable new quality childcare provider run by managers who are empowered to run their own nurseries.”
Family First chief childcare and operations officer Dianne Lumsden-Earle added, ‘This is very exciting and the nurseries that have just joined our family fit our ethos and beliefs. I am looking forward to working with each of the nurseries and continuing our journey to offer outstanding childcare to every child in our care.’
Nursery chain to add third site
Adventures in Learning, which operates the Little Explorer Nurseries, is also set to expand thanks to funding from HSBC UK.
Little Explorers Nurseries
The nursery chain, which was established in 2015 by Amy Crook and Emma Rathbone who between them have 20 years’ experience in the education sector, is set to add a third setting, situated in a woodland area in Cleverleys, with the support of a six-figure funding package from the bank.
The new setting will provide places for 50 children and up to 25 jobs. It joins the two other nurseries in Carleton, Lancashire and Thornton, West Yorkshire – both of which are rated outstanding by Ofsted.
Owner and manager of Adventures in Learning Emma Rathbone said, ‘The pandemic was a challenging time for us and local families, as we had a long waiting list but sadly limited capacity.
'Our new premises allows us to expand our support to families across the region in a perfect location for children to gain an inspirational hands-on experience of nature and the outdoors. We are grateful to HSBC UK for providing funding which helps us deliver the best quality of care for children in the local area.’