Busy Bees Group expands in North America with acquisition of The Malvern School

The global Busy Bees Group has continued its expansion in North America with the successful acquisition of The Malvern School, a well-established network of 27 childcare centres located across Southeastern Pennsylvania and Central New Jersey.

Founded in 1983, Busy Bees is the UK’s largest childcare provider and operates almost 1,000 centres across Europe, Asia, North America, Australia and New Zealand.

This latest strategic acquisition advances Busy Bees’ commitment to delivering exceptional early childhood education and care services to families across North America. 

The addition of The Malvern School’s 27 locations complements their existing portfolio of centres in the United States and Canada, most of which operate under the BrightPath Early Learning brand. 

Commenting on the acquisition, Mary Ann Curran, CEO of Busy Bees North America, said: "We are thrilled to welcome The Malvern School into the Busy Bees family. This strategic move strengthens our position as a leader in early childhood education and care in the United States. The Malvern School's commitment to high standards of care and innovative curriculum makes them an ideal partner for us." 

Kristen Waterfield, President and co-founder of The Malvern School, added: "This acquisition opens up exciting opportunities for our schools, staff, and, most importantly, the children and families we serve. We are excited to join Busy Bees to provide an even more enriched experience for all of our stakeholders." 

Founded in 1998, The Malvern School provides year-round preschool care and education to children aged six weeks until they begin kindergarten, and before and after school care for children up to eight years old. Their dedication to nurturing children in a stimulating, supportive environment, and their robust curriculum, align well with Busy Bees’ mission to give every child the best start in life.

With this acquisition, Busy Bees expands its North American portfolio, bringing its high-quality care and early years education to more children. Since 2019, Busy Bees has grown to 208 centres in North America with capacity to educate and care for more than 25,000 children. 

About the company’s growth, Ms Curran added: "We are proud to acquire high-quality early years education and care groups, and then improve them further through upgrades to facilities and materials, as well as Busy Bees’ best practice policies, procedures, technology and curriculum."