The Biggest Childcare Brands in the United States

When it comes to the 500,000 daycare and preschool providers in the United States, they come in all different shapes and sizes. Small home daycares may just have capacity for 4-8 kids while licensed centers can take hundreds of children. The largest of businesses in the child care industry are chains of centers.

National chains serve around one million of the 12 million children under five in some form of child care. In contrast to typical community-based centers or smaller home-based providers, chain centers can expect annual profits of between 15% and 20% of revenue. Below are some of the largest national child care chains in the United States.

Learning Care Group

Learning Care Group is a leading provider of early education and childcare services in 39 states, the District of Columbia and internationally. With a network of over 1,070 schools, they serve children from infancy through school age. Their philosophy is to tailor their programs to meet the individual needs of each child.

At a glance

• Founded: 1967
• Employees: 20,000
• Headquarters: Novi, Michigan
• Brands: La Petite Academy, Childtime, Tutor Time, The Children’s Courtyard, Everbrook Academy, Montessori Unlimited, AppleTree & Gilden Woods, U-GRO, Creative Kids, Young School, Pathways Learning Academy
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheLearningCare
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/learning-care-group

KinderCare

KinderCare is a large daycare provider offering programs for infants through school age children. They own over 1,500 centers in 40 states and more than 500 Champions Before- and After-School programs in elementary schools. They also have a KinderCare at Work program that provides employer sponsored childcare to employees of businesses like Google, Cisco, and Walgreens.

At a glance

• Founded: 1969
• Employees: 36,000
• Headquarters: Oregon
• Brands: KinderCare, Champions
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/kindercare-education

Bright Horizons

Bright Horizons (NYSE: BFAM) is a public company that operates child care centers as well as the largest employer-sponsored childcare program in the United States. They also offer a host of other services ranging from backup childcare and eldercare to tuition programs. With over 26,000 employees, they’ve won a number of awards for their workplace.

At a glance

• Founded: 1986
• Employees: 25,800
• Headquarters: Massachusetts
• Brands: Bright Horizons, Sittercity, Steve and Kate’s Camp
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrightHorizons
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/bright-horizons

Primrose Schools

Primrose operates as a franchise business with over 465 franchised schools across 33 states, serving over 60,000 children. Primrose teaches a proprietary Balanced Learning® curriculum and all schools are accredited through Cognia (formerly known as AdvancED). 

At a glance

• Founded: 1982
• Employees: 4,703
• Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia
• Brands: Primrose
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/primroseschools

The Learning Experience

The Learning Experience operates with a franchise model, with 66% of centers owned by multi-unit owners. Their centers teach a curriculum known as L.E.A.P, designed with a child-centered approach to learning and allowing children to learn through exploration and hands-on experiences.

At a glance

• Founded: 1980
• Employees: 2,750
• Headquarters: Deerfield Beach, Florida
• Brands: The Learning Experience (TLE)
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheLearningExp
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/the-learning-experience

The Goddard School

The Goddard School is a franchise business with over 600 Goddard Schools in 37 states and the District of Columbia. In total they serve more than 75,000 students from six weeks to six years old with their F.L.EX.® Learning Program (Fun Learning Experience) designed to help kids explore their interests.

At a glance

• Founded: 1988
• Employees: 6,250
• Headquarters: King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
• Brands: The Goddard School
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoddardSchool
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/the-goddard-school

Whether you’re interested in a childcare chain or a standalone childcare business, Winnie is an excellent resource to compare the options in your area. For any child care provider you’re interested in, make sure you read reviews from other parents, tour the center in-person or online, and choose what would work best for your family’s needs.