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🟡 FORMERLY PE OWNED
Bright Horizons
childcare · Newton, MA
PE Firm
Bain Capital (formerly)
Year Acquired
2008
“Bain Capital bought your daycare. Then took it public. Classic PE playbook.”
What Happened
- •Bain Capital bought Bright Horizons in 2008; took it public in 2013
- •Now publicly traded but PE-era practices remain, including citing unionization as a profit risk factor
- •Launched pilot 24-hour onsite daycare centers in 2025 for corporate clients
- •Serves over 120,000 children globally — from PE portfolio company to daycare conglomerate
The Damage Done
- ▸In July 2025, three employees at the NYC Columbus Circle location were arrested for child abuse — allegations include placing packing tape across a toddler's face and dragging children by their hair
- ▸NYC centers faced 47 complaints filed with the Health Department from July 2024 to July 2025 — 40% were substantiated
- â–¸In Scotland, Bright Horizons was convicted and fined 800,000 pounds after an unsupervised 10-month-old died by choking
- â–¸Tuition runs $1,100-$3,000 per month per child, with staffing shortages forcing some centers to restrict enrollment