Back to search
đź”´ PRIVATE EQUITY OWNED
KinderCare
childcare · Portland, OR
PE Firm
Partners Group
Year Acquired
2015
“The largest for-profit daycare in America. PE since 2015.”
The PE Playbook
- •Partners Group acquired KinderCare in 2015; IPO'd in October 2024 but PE retains 71% ownership
- •Serves 200,000+ children across 2,400 centers with 43,000+ employees
- •Directors reportedly pressured to prioritize enrollment rates above all other considerations
- •Part of a broader PE trend: four of the top five for-profit childcare chains are PE-backed
Since the Acquisition
- â–¸Annual tuition increases of 4-7% over the past three years, consistently outpacing inflation
- â–¸Complaints include inadequate staff training, failure to background-check employees, and too few workers for the number of children
- â–¸CEO compensation reached nearly $2 million in salary and bonuses, with stock options that vest when PE firm makes 2-3x its investment
- â–¸Despite going public in 2024, Partners Group still controls 71% of KinderCare