Giggles

What Giggles does

Giggles Drop-In Childcare is a privately held, family-founded childcare operator founded in 2008 by Zach and Michelle Richards in Wilmington, North Carolina, after they were unable to find suitable childcare for their own family. The company runs five brick-and-mortar centers across North Carolina (Cary, Jacksonville, Raleigh, Wilmington) and South Carolina (Greenville), serving children ages 12 months to 12 years under a differentiated drop-in model that allows parents to book care on-demand without long-term contracts, with NC centers capped at four hours per visit and SC centers offering full-day care. Each 4,000+ sq ft facility features dedicated play zones, age-specific rooms, and amenities such as Nintendo gaming consoles and air hockey, with safety architecture including 800-pound electromagnetic door locks, stringent background-checked staff, a 10:1 maximum child-to-staff ratio, and three-times-daily sanitization. Beyond core drop-in hourly care ($10-14/hour), the company sells a layered portfolio of programs — After School with pickup from 15+ partner elementary schools, Preschool, Spring Break Camp, Summer Camp, Track Out Care, Before School Care, Birthday Party rentals, and Date Night Packages — supported by recurring Flex Plans ($160-$384/month) and Unlimited Memberships ($305-$950/month with two-month minimum). Since 2013, the company has additionally operated a franchise program (Giggles Franchise, Inc.) and uses a StayTrak-powered online registration and reservation portal at shop.gigglesdaycareinc.com for self-serve booking; the Greenville, SC center holds ABC Quality certification and DSS licensure, enabling voucher acceptance.

Name

Giggles

Legal name

Giggles Day Care, Inc.

Website

https://gigglesdaycareinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Giggles operates five drop-in childcare centers across North Carolina and South Carolina, serving children ages 12 months to 12 years with flexible hourly care, after-school, preschool, summer camp, and birthday party services, complemented by monthly membership subscriptions and a franchise program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Childcare Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (624410)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDACAAAC

Drop-In / Flexible Childcare Centers

Education/Early Childhood Education/Daycare & Childcare Centers

SECONDARYEDACAGAG

Drop-In / Flexible Infant & Toddler Care

Education/Early Childhood Education/Infant & Toddler Care Programs

SECONDARYEDACABAN

Part-Time / Drop-In Preschools

Education/Early Childhood Education/Preschools & Pre-K Programs

SECONDARYEDACAHAF

Drop-In / Flexible Before/After Care Services (Early Years)

Education/Early Childhood Education/Before & After School Care (Early Years)

SECONDARYEDACAAAL

School-Age Wraparound Childcare Centers (Holiday/Break Care)

Education/Early Childhood Education/Daycare & Childcare Centers

Keywords

• Drop-in childcare
• Child daycare services
• After school programs
• Summer camp childcare
• Preschool programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilmington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Hourly Drop-in Care: Pay-per-use childcare at hourly rates ranging from $11.50-$14/hour depending on location and number of children. No commitment required for drop-in services.
2. Monthly Membership Subscriptions: Recurring monthly subscriptions offering unlimited or limited drop-in hours. Plans range from $205-$950/month depending on location, child count, and coverage level. Requires 2-month minimum commitment for discounted plans.
3. Flex Plans: Prepaid block of monthly hours at discounted rates. 16/32/48 hour options at $7-$10/hour. Renews monthly until cancelled.
4. Package Purchases: One-time prepaid blocks of hours purchased upfront with no expiration. Discounted rates as low as $6.75-$10/hour. Includes date night packages and weekly rate packages.
5. Summer Camp Programs: Seasonal full-day summer camp programs with weekly pricing ($225-$275/week) including field trips, meals, and activities.
6. Franchise Fees: Revenue from selling franchises to like-minded individuals who share the company's values and vision. Started franchise program in 2013.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Giggles operates flexible, hourly drop-in childcare for children ages 12 months to 12 years at five physical centers across North Carolina and South Carolina, billed at $11.50-$14/hour per child. Beyond drop-in care, the company runs structured recurring programs including after-school care with school pickup, play-based preschool, full-day summer and spring break camps, Sunday birthday party rentals, and tiered monthly memberships. Service fees are complemented by franchise royalties from licensees operating under the Giggles brand since 2013.

Product overview

Giggles Drop-In Childcare is a multi-location childcare service operator offering a portfolio of flexible childcare programs across five locations in North Carolina (Cary, Jacksonville, Raleigh, Wilmington) and South Carolina (Greenville). The core offering is drop-in childcare for children 12 months to 12 years, supplemented by structured programs including After School, Preschool, Summer Camp (Giggles On The Go), Spring Break Camp, and Birthday Party rentals. Flexible membership plans (Flex Plans, Unlimited Membership) provide recurring revenue options, while add-on services like Before School Care, Track Out Care, and Date Night Packages address specific parent needs. All locations operate on a play-based philosophy with safety features including electromagnetic locks, background-checked staff, and sanitization protocols.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drop-In Childcare Core hourly drop-in childcare service for children ages 12 months to 12 years at $11.50-$14/hour per child across NC and SC centers, with electromagnetic-locked entries, background-checked staff, a 10:1 maximum child-to-staff ratio, and three-times-daily sanitization.
• After School Program After school care including pickup from designated elementary schools, homework help, daily activities, and free play, available at multiple locations for $200-$500/month depending on location and child count.
• Preschool Program Play-based preschool program for children ages 2-5 focused on kindergarten readiness through structured activities, early literacy, social skills development, and flexible scheduling options.
• Summer Camp (Giggles On The Go) Full-day summer camp for children ages 5-12 featuring daily field trips, themed weekly activities, snacks and lunches included, and water days at $225-$275/week depending on location and child count.
• Spring Break Camp Camp program during school spring break with field trips, crafts, games, lunch, and full-day childcare at multiple Giggles locations.
• Birthday Party Rentals Private facility rental for children's birthday parties on Sundays, including a party hostess, with pricing tiered by number of children ($150-$300) and the birthday child attending free.
• Before School Care Early morning child care starting at 6:30 AM with transportation to school, available at the Jacksonville NC location for specific elementary schools.
• Track Out Care Full-day child care for school-age children during year-round track-out periods, providing 9 hours of care Monday-Friday.
• Giggles Franchise Program Franchise offering that sells the Giggles drop-in childcare operating model, brand standards, and support to individuals who share the company's values, generating licensing fees and royalties from franchisees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Maximum child-to-staff ratio of 10:1 (typically much lower)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Area SchoolsminorOthersGiggles partners with local elementary schools for after school pickup services. At Cary NC: Reedy Creek, Northwoods, Weatherstone, Cardinal. At Greenville SC: Pelham Rd. Elementary, Brushy Creek Elementary, Buena Vista Elementary, Mitchell Rd. Elementary, East North Street Academy, Green Charter School. At Jacksonville NC: Carolina Forest, Parkwood, Northwoods, Silverdale, Woodland.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Primrose Schools: National franchise system of private early childhood education and care for infants through after-schoolers. Directly comparable in franchise-driven expansion, preschool-grade programming, and family-demographic targeting.
• Kids 'R' Kids: Franchise childcare and early education provider for infants through school-age children, including before/after-school and summer programs. Closely comparable service mix, franchise model, and family-demographic targeting.
• My Gym Children's Fitness Center: Franchise operator of structured children's fitness and play programs for ages 0-10 with flexible class scheduling. Comparable via franchise model, age range, parent-paid flexible enrollment, and physical-venue-based service delivery.
• The Little Gym: Franchise-based operator of children's physical development and play classes for similar age ranges, with flexible drop-in style enrollment rather than long-term commitments. Directly comparable business model: physical play venues, franchise growth, parent-paid hourly/per-class pricing.
• Gymboree Play & Music: Operator of play-based early childhood programs for ages 0-5 with flexible class-based enrollment. Closely comparable to Giggles' play-centric, age-segmented programs and parent-paid on-demand service model.
• The Learning Experience: Franchise-based early childhood education and childcare operator serving infants through pre-K and offering enrichment programs. Comparable via its franchise growth model and multi-program offering similar to Giggles' preschool + after-school + camp mix.

Broad incumbents

• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Largest publicly-traded provider of high-quality childcare, early education, and workplace solutions including employer-sponsored care. Overlapping customer base and service categories, but operates at significantly larger scale and with employer partnerships.
• Chesterbrook Academy: Multi-location early childhood education and care operator serving infants through school-age children. Comparable service mix (preschool, before/after care, summer camp) at broader regional scale.
• KinderCare Learning Centers: National full-time daycare and early childhood education operator serving infants through school-age children. Overlapping age segments and programs, but primarily full-time enrollment versus Giggles' drop-in core.

Emerging players

• Wonderschool: Tech-enabled childcare marketplace and platform helping families find in-home and small childcare providers. Comparable target customer (parents seeking flexible, non-traditional childcare) and overlap with the flexible-care value proposition, but operates a marketplace rather than owned facilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GigglesDropInChildcareOfCary
• Instagraminstagram.com/gigglesofcary
• Xx.com/dropgiggles
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/giggles-day-care-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Giggles