Expanding nursery group launches brand of smaller settings
Catherine Gaunt
Friday, October 2, 2020
Welcome Nurseries, one of the fastest growing nursery groups in the UK, has acquired its 11th nursery, the first to be called Welcome Petite.
Since opening its first nursery in June last year, and backed by private investor Jonathan Jay, Welcome Nurseries has expanded rapidly and has ambitious growth plans.
The latest deal means that the group now offers 1,041 childcare places at nurseries primarily based in Yorkshire and Lancashire, with two settings in Colchester.
The Village Nursery and Pre-school in York is the smallest in the group’s portfolio with just 24 places and is the first Welcome Petite nursery.
These smaller settings will offer a maximum of 35 places.
In an interview with Nursery World, Linda Cuddy, director of childcare and education at Welcome Nurseries, said the group is on track to open five nurseries in the Petite range by the end of the year, in addition to 20 of the large Welcome settings.
‘It’s all about being very creative within these small spaces,’ she said. ‘Each nursery offers free-flow provision and is open-plan. And every single nursery looks completely different from the others,' she said.
Each Welcome nursery has a different interior
‘The reason why we’ve picked the Petite brand is that some children are unable to cope in a larger setting. A smaller setting helps to build a child’s self-esteem and work on their Personal, Social and Emotional Development.
‘That’s the reason why we have the Petite brand – to support children’s emotional well-being.
‘We’ve had many parents who like the feel of the smaller nursery. A lot of parents are anxious about children going into the larger settings.’
Welcome has also acquired its second nursery in Blackburn, Care 4 Kids (right), which offers 158 places.
- Read more about Welcome Nurseries’ ethos and expansion plans in our interview with Linda Cuddy in the October issue of Nursery World and online here
