Busy Bees, an international early childhood education provider, has acquired EduKids, a local provider of early childhood education and day care in Western New York.
While the purchase price and other terms of the deal were not disclosed, it is said that EduKids founder and President Nancy Ware will continue with the business in the near-term.
Founded in 1989, EduKids is one-stop shop for those who seek the best high-quality early childhood education in Western New York. It offers innovative programs led by a caring, dedicated staff, and facilitated by state-of-the-art education centres, providing children with a safe and nurturing home away from home. EduKids provides custom-designed programs for each age level from 6 weeks to 11 years. The West Seneca-based company, till its acquisition, operates 15 locations across Western New York, employs 450 employees and aides and serves about 2,000 families in the area. It is currently accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Busy Bees on the other hand was started in 1983 to provide exciting, innovative care for children, in an environment that presents plentiful opportunities for play, interaction and development, at their own pace and in their own space. It opened its first nursery in Staffordshire, England, in 1984, and has grown to become the largest child-care provider in the United Kingdom. The company currently has 379 children’s nurseries across the UK and Ireland. Busy Bees has also expanded internationally. With 89 centres, it is one of the largest providers in Canada. It has 34 facilities in the United States, and has locations in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia as well. In all, Busy Bees runs 630 sites globally, serving more than 55,000 children across the world.
Commenting on the development, Nancy Ware, Founder and President, EduKids, said in a released statement,
“EduKids has written the manual on providing the highest quality early childhood education and care in Western New York and beyond. We have nurtured, taught and guided thousands of EduKids and their families. It is now time to start a new chapter, creating a future instilled with the mission of excellence which defined us through the years. I’m grateful to our dedicated, caring, talented group of educators who have always focused on making EduKids the best place for extraordinary care for the little one of working families.”
Welcoming the children, families and staff of EduKids, Mary Ann Curran, CEO of Busy Bees North America, said in a statement,
“EduKids shares our core values, demonstrating so with high-quality care and programs. We welcome its children, families and staff and we look forward to continuing to provide excellent care and service.”
It is said that the newly acquired centres will keep the EduKids name, and that Busy Bees has no plans to make any changes to EduKids’ 450 teachers and aides. Busy Bees will now add EduKids locations to their portfolio of 630 locations around the world.
