KinderCare to Acquire Crème de la Crème

Acquisition will expand KinderCare’s offerings to more families across the U.S.

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KinderCare Learning Companies announced today that it intends to acquire Crème de la Crème, one of the nation’s largest premium child care and early learning providers with 47 centers across 14 states.

“There’s so much KinderCare and Crème de la Crème have in common, including our commitment to the health and wellbeing of the children in our care, educating the whole child and our passionate and dedicated teachers and staff,” said Tom Wyatt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at KinderCare. “By bringing our two companies together, we have the opportunity to welcome every child in the communities we serve and in doing so, support even more families with young children, which we know is vital to our country’s success both today and in the future. This move also aligns with our continued growth strategy. We look forward to expanding KinderCare’s offerings with a more elevated child care and early learning experience to families across the country.”

“KinderCare and Crème de la Crème share a passion for supporting America’s families,” said Bruce Karpas, founder, Chairman and CEO of Crème de la Crème. “Forty years ago, we set out to provide families with premium early childhood education and care. We’re proud of our growth. Now it’s time to take the next step and expand our services to even more families, and with KinderCare’s support we can do that.”

KinderCare is a leading provider of early childhood and school-age education and child care and has earned the distinction of being one of fewer than four companies worldwide to earn the Gallup Exceptional Workplace award winners for six years in a row. Earlier this year KinderCare earned the WELL Health-Safety Rating™, a third-party validation of its health and safety practices.

In addition to safety, KinderCare provides proprietary curriculum to help children learn and grow. National studies show that KinderCare children are better prepared for first grade. They also confirm that the longer that children are enrolled in KinderCare programs, the sooner they achieve key developmental milestones.

Crème de la Crème, Inc. is a national premium childcare and early learning company with 47 centers across 14 states and a capacity of serving over 18,000 children. Founded 40 years ago, Crème is differentiated by its early education model of transitioning children to a variety of themed classrooms throughout its signature, spacious facilities.

About KinderCare Learning Companies^®

A leading provider early childhood and school-age education and care, KinderCare builds confidence for life in children and families from all backgrounds. KinderCare supports hardworking families in 40 states and the District of Columbia with differentiated flexible child care solutions to meet today’s dynamic work environment:

• In neighborhoods, with KinderCare^® Learning Centers that offer early learning programs for children six weeks to 12 years old;
• At work, through KinderCare Education at Work™, providing customized family benefits for employers across the country, including employer-supported child care benefits, on-site and near-site early learning centers and back-up care for last-minute child care, and
• In local schools, with Champions^® before and after-school programs.

KinderCare programs meet the highest standards, validated by independent, third-party evaluation including:

• Gallup, measuring workforce engagement,
• National Association for the Education of Young Children, ensuring individual early learning center quality,
• Cognia, accreditation for before- and after-school programs
• BRIGANCE^® and TerraNova^® assessments of children’s academic progress and achievement, and
• WELL Health-Safety Rating™, validating health and safety practices in our facilities.

Headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, KinderCare operates more than 2,000 early learning centers and sites. In 2022, KinderCare earned its sixth Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award – one of only four organizations worldwide to achieve this milestone for six consecutive years. To learn more, visit KC-Learning.com.