Child care chains & franchises
Many licensed providers are run by a national franchise or corporate operator. Here are the chains we track and every licensed location under each — 14,697 sites across the states Childcare Alerts covers. Each row traces the brand to the company and the private-equity firm or public parent that ultimately owns it (12 of these chains are PE-held). Each chain page shows its whole footprint and links to every location's public record.
| Chain / franchise | Owner | Type | Locations | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YMCA | Nonprofit | Nonprofit | 4,396 | 35 |
| Head Start Federal Head Start | Government (federal grantees) | Government | 3,958 | 33 |
| KinderCare KinderCare Learning Companies | Public (NYSE: KLC; Partners Group largest holder) | Public | 2,202 | 30 |
| The Goddard School Goddard Systems | Sycamore Partners (PE, 2022) | PE | 584 | 28 |
| Bright Horizons Bright Horizons Family Solutions | Public (NYSE: BFAM) | Public | 469 | 26 |
| Primrose School Primrose Schools | Taurus Capital Partners (PE, 2026) | PE | 461 | 25 |
| The Learning Experience | Harvest Partners (PE, 2025) | PE | 437 | 24 |
| La Petite Academy Learning Care Group | American Securities (PE) | PE | 367 | 24 |
| Kiddie Academy | Family-owned (Miller family) | Family/Franchise | 362 | 27 |
| Cadence Education | Apax Partners (PE, 2020) | PE | 265 | 21 |
| Childtime Learning Care Group | American Securities (PE) | PE | 264 | 15 |
| Tutor Time Learning Care Group | American Securities (PE) | PE | 178 | 15 |
| Childcare Network Child Development Schools | Glencoe Capital (PE) | PE | 129 | 7 |
| Kids 'R' Kids Kids 'R' Kids International | Family-owned (Vinson family) | Family/Franchise | 94 | 15 |
| New Horizon Academy New Horizon Enterprises | Family-owned (Dunkley family) | Family/Franchise | 81 | 2 |
| The Sunshine House | Family-owned | Family/Franchise | 81 | 8 |
| Lightbridge Academy | Westerly Group + Elmsley Capital (PE, 2021) | PE | 71 | 11 |
| Guidepost Montessori Higher Ground Education | VC-backed; ownership unsettled (Ch. 11, 2025) | PE | 68 | 14 |
| Celebree School | Family-owned (Huffman family) | Family/Franchise | 66 | 12 |
| Everbrook Academy Learning Care Group | American Securities (PE) | PE | 57 | 13 |
| Chesterbrook Academy Spring Education Group | Primavera Capital Group (PE) | PE | 41 | 6 |
| Crème de la Crème KinderCare Learning Companies | Public (NYSE: KLC) | Public | 28 | 8 |
| Rainbow Child Care KinderCare Learning Companies | Public (NYSE: KLC) | Public | 19 | 11 |
| Legacy Academy | Family-owned (Turner family) | Family/Franchise | 12 | 5 |
| Kinderberry Hill New Horizon Enterprises | Family-owned (Dunkley family) | Family/Franchise | 7 | 1 |
How counts are derived. Chain membership is identified two ways: from the operator and program name on each provider's public licensing record, and — for chains that publish one — by address-matching each provider to the chain's own public location directory, which catches schools kept under a retained local name. These figures are still “locations we can identify within the states we cover,” not a chain's national total. Ownership was verified from company and investor sources in 2026 and can change. Childcare Alerts is an independent service, not affiliated with any chain or state agency.