Family First Nursery Group

What Family First Nursery Group does

Family First Nursery Group (legal name: Family First Nurseries Group) is a privately held UK childcare provider founded in 2019 and headquartered in London. The group operates 97-100 nursery settings across 14+ regions of England — including London, Surrey, Essex, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Southampton, Portsmouth, and Colchester — under ten distinct brands (Cherry Childcare, Davidson Roberts, Footsteps, Just Imagine, Kids Play, Little Garden, Orchard House, Play Away, Poppies, Woodberry) alongside a portfolio of independent nurseries, each retaining its local identity while receiving group-wide investment and quality oversight.

The group serves families with children aged 3 months to 5 years, providing early years education aligned with the UK EYFS framework, inclusive practice for children with SEND, forest school and outdoor learning, government-funded childcare (15 and 30 hours), flexible booking (including stretched funding over 51 weeks), and parent communication via the third-party Famly App. Core technology is conventional: standard nursery management systems, network-isolated internal tablets for learning observation capture with central monitoring for safeguarding, and GDPR-compliant data handling. There are no disclosed proprietary AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or SDKs.

The business model is subscription-recurring: families pay weekly or monthly fees, with government childcare funding deducted and families paying the difference for additional hours and extras (meals, nappies, trips, enhanced curriculum). Distribution is direct-to-consumer via website search, open house events, personalised nursery tours, and an in-house Customer Experience Admissions Team. Growth since founding has been driven almost entirely by serial acquisition of established nursery groups rather than greenfield expansion.

Name

Family First Nursery Group

Legal name

Family First Nurseries Group

Website

https://familyfirstnurseries.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Family First Nursery Group is a privately held UK childcare provider operating 97-100 nurseries across 14+ regions under ten distinct brands, serving 10,000+ families with children aged 3 months to 5 years through subscription-based early years education, government-funded childcare, and SEND-inclusive practice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Years Childcare Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (6244), Child Care Services (624410)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nursery School Programs (2–4 Years) (EDACACAB), Center-Based Toddler Care (18–36 months) (EDACAGAB), Nursery School Readiness & Transition Programs (EDACACAL)

Keywords

• Early years childcare
• Nursery education services
• Preschool childcare
• Government-funded childcare
• SEND inclusive childcare

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Childcare Fees: Families pay recurring weekly or monthly fees for nursery care. Government childcare funding (15 hours and 30 hours for eligible working families) is accepted and deducted from fees, with families paying the difference for additional hours. Additional charges apply for 'essentials and extras' including meals, nappies, wipes, sun cream, trips, and extra curriculum activities.
2. Government Childcare Funding: Acceptance of UK government childcare funding schemes including 15 hours free childcare for all 3-4 year olds, 30 hours free childcare for eligible working families, and stretched funding options over 51 weeks. Funding is allocated pro-rata throughout the year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Family First Nursery Group operates 97+ children's nurseries across the UK under 10 distinct brands plus independent settings, providing early years childcare and education for children aged 3 months to 5 years. Services follow the EYFS framework, accept UK government childcare funding (15/30 hours), and include SEND-inclusive practice, forest school activities, and parent communication via the Famly App.

Product overview

Family First Nurseries Group is a UK-based childcare provider operating 97 nurseries across 14 locations. The company offers a portfolio of 10 group brands (Cherry Childcare, Davidson Roberts, Footsteps, Just Imagine, Kids Play, Little Garden, Orchard House, Play Away, Poppies, Woodberry) plus independent nurseries. All settings receive group-wide investment, support, and quality standards while maintaining individual character. Services cover children from 3 months to 5 years, offering early years education aligned with the EYFS framework, with additional services including government childcare funding support, parent communication apps, and flexible booking options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Family First Group Nursery Brands
• Independent Nurseries

Quantifiable outcome

• 9.3/10 average parent review score based on 4702 reviews
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UK Government (Childcare Funding Schemes)coreOthersFamily First accepts UK government childcare funding including 15 hours free childcare for all 3-4 year olds, 30 hours free childcare for eligible working families (from 9 months from September 2025), Tax-Free Childcare, and Universal Credit Childcare support. Funding is administered through gov.uk eligibility checks and provides up to 570 hours annually per child.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Busy Bees Nurseries: One of the largest UK nursery operators with around 350+ nurseries. Directly comparable to Family First in offering full-day childcare, government-funded hours, and multi-site operating model across the UK.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Major UK and US nursery chain operating hundreds of settings under employer-sponsored and standalone models. Direct competitor for premium nursery placements, particularly in London and South East where Family First is concentrated.
• N Family Club: Premium UK nursery group operating around 40+ settings, focused on high-quality early years education in London and the South East. Comparable positioning to Family First's premium brands with similar target demographic.
• Childbase Partnership: UK employee-owned nursery group operating around 50+ settings. Directly comparable as a multi-site UK nursery operator with similar age ranges (3 months–5 years) and government funding acceptance.
• Babilou Family UK: European early years operator (formerly Kidsunlimited) with a UK nursery portfolio acquired via acquisition. Operates comparable full-day nursery services for 0–5 year olds across the UK.
• Grandir UK (formerly Asquith): UK nursery chain operating around 60+ nurseries, part of the Grandir Group. Comparable multi-site operator with similar EYFS-aligned curriculum and government-funded hour acceptance.
• Tops Day Nurseries: South England-focused nursery group with around 25+ settings. Directly comparable in offering full-day nursery care with government funding support and a multi-site operating model.
• Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries: UK nursery franchise network with 80+ settings, comparable in size to Family First. Similar target market of working families and similar reliance on government-funded childcare hours.

Emerging players

• Little Learners Day Nurseries: Smaller UK nursery group with selective geographic presence. Comparable in offering full-day early years education but at smaller scale than Family First.

Others

• Ofsted: UK regulator that inspects and rates nurseries including all Family First settings. Not a peer but a critical ecosystem participant whose inspection grades directly influence parent demand across the network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/familyfirstnurseries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/family-first-day-nurseries
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzQ
• Xx.com/FirstNurseries

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Family First Nursery Group