More than 200 extra childcare places in Kildare as one operator expands services
Tigers Childcare has recently expanded its services into Kildare by acquiring two facilities in Ryebridge and Brayton Park in Kilcock.
The two new sites in Kilcock will provide 209 additional after-school and full day-care places, addressing the high demand for such services in the area.
Last week, Tigers Childcare also completed its acquisition of Doodlebugs Creche & Montessori in Passage West, Cork. This marked the company's second acquisition in the county, following its purchase of ABC Childcare in Douglas in January.
The company's expansion brings the total number of Tigers Childcare centres in Ireland to nineteen, cementing its position as one of the largest childcare providers in the country. With over 300 employees, Tigers Childcare now caters to more than 2,100 children.
Founder and CEO, Karen Clince, who set up the company in 2003 says further acquisitions and new builds are in the pipeline.
“We are delighted to be able to bring Tigers Childcare services to children and parents in Kildare and Cork and remain passionate about delivering exceptional early years education and school-age childcare to as many families as possible in Ireland,” she said.
“The recent acquisitions had a similar ethos to Tigers Childcare with a very strong focus on quality and delivering an exceptional service, led by experienced and passionate teams. We’re very much focused on continuing this legacy and building on our long-standing presence in Dublin and Meath.
“Tigers Childcare is known for its commitment to staff training and a unique structured pay scale system which has enabled us to consistently deliver high-quality care and fair compensation to our colleagues.
“In the coming months we will continue to seek suitable acquisition opportunities and operations that align with our vision to deliver the best developmental outcomes for children backed by a strong team.”
Tigers Childcare’s expansion was supported by a €10.5m investment from the Irish arm of British investment group BGF in November 2021, which was one of the largest investments made by BGF in Ireland.
Starting with one after-school centre in Glasnevin in 2003, the company has gradually expanded to become one of Ireland’s leading early years education and school-age childcare providers. Its first wave of growth came in 2017, when it acquired three full-day care services in Dublin from multinational group Bright Horizons.
As well as ECCE pre-school and after-school childcare services it also provides full-day care services at purpose-built early years centres.
In addition to her duties as CEO of Tigers Childcare, Clince also chairs the Fingal Childcare Committee and serves as an advisor to various Government departments and non-profit organisations on issues related to childcare and early childhood education. She has been shortlisted for CEO of the Year at this year's Image PwC 2023 Businesswoman of the Year awards.