Busy Bees
Busy Bees Early Learning is an Australian privately-held operator of 80+ long day childcare and early learning centres across six states, serving families with children aged 0-5 through its proprietary Bee Curious curriculum, digital family communication tools, and exclusive child-safety partnership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersJundah, Australia
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Busy Bees does
Busy Bees Early Learning is an Australian privately-held provider of long day childcare and early learning services, founded in 1983 by Marg Randles and her family. The company operates 80+ company-owned centres across six Australian states and territories (VIC, QLD, NSW, WA, ACT, SA), with additional global operations in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, North America, and Asia. Its National Support Centre is headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland. Services span nursery care (ages 0-2), toddler programs (ages 2-3), and government-approved kindergarten/preschool (ages 3-5), serving children from 6 weeks to 6 years of age.
The core product is supported by the proprietary Bee Curious Curriculum, a play-based framework aligned with Australia's Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and National Quality Standard (NQS), featuring individualised learning pathways and intentional teaching. Family-facing technology includes the Storypark communication platform for daily updates, the KindyNow mobile application for casual day bookings and absence notifications, and an online Child Care Subsidy Calculator. The company holds an exclusive Australian partnership with Bravehearts for child protection training, and operates sub-brands including Peter Pan Early Learning, Jenny Wren Early Learning, Montessori Tingalpa, Follyfoot Farm, and Springbank Rise.
Busy Bees generates revenue primarily through recurring daily childcare fees (representative rates of $170.10/day for 0-2 years, $169.10/day for 2-3 years, and $167.90/day for 3-5 years at the Altona Meadows centre), with Australian Government Child Care Subsidy (CCS) reducing out-of-pocket family costs. Distribution is fully direct-to-consumer: families locate centres via the website, book tours online, and enrol with individual centres; additional demand is generated through community engagement, partnerships, and word-of-mouth referrals. The 3-Day Guarantee, effective January 2026, introduces 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight without an activity test and is positioned to expand the addressable market.
Busy Bees firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Busy Bees
- Legal name
- Busy Bees Early Learning
- Website
- https://busybees.edu.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Busy Bees Early Learning is an Australian privately-held operator of 80+ long day childcare and early learning centres across six states, serving families with children aged 0-5 through its proprietary Bee Curious curriculum, digital family communication tools, and exclusive child-safety partnership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Busy Bees industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Childcare Services
- NAICS
- Child Care Services (624410), Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (6244)
- SIC
- Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Full-Day Childcare Centers (EDACAAAA)
Keywords
Where Busy Bees is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jundah
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
Busy Bees business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Long Day Childcare Care: Busy Bees operates long day care centres providing childcare services for children from 6 weeks to 5 years. Families pay daily fees which vary by age group (0-2 years, 2-3 years, 3-5 years). The Australian Government's Child Care Subsidy (CCS) reduces out-of-pocket costs for eligible families based on income, activity levels, and number of children.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ages 0-2 years daily rate |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ages 2-3 years daily rate |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ages 3-5 years daily rate |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Busy Bees product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Busy Bees operates company-owned long day childcare and early learning centres across Australia, providing full-day care, nursery care, toddler programs and government-approved kindergarten for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years. Service is delivered through the proprietary Bee Curious Curriculum and includes meals, nappies, hats and sunscreen in the daily fee, with fees offset by the Australian Government Child Care Subsidy (CCS). Families find centres via the website, book tours online, and enrol directly with the centre.
Product overview
Busy Bees operates as a network of early learning and childcare centres across Australia, offering long day care services from nursery (0-2 years) through to kindergarten/preschool (3-5 years). The core product is supported by the proprietary Bee Curious Curriculum, a play-based learning framework aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework and National Quality Standard. Additional services include the Child Care Subsidy Calculator for fee estimation, the Bee Healthy Menu nutrition program, and safeguarding services developed in partnership with Bravehearts. The 3-Day Guarantee program provides subsidized care access. All services are connected via family communication tools including Storypark for daily updates and the KindyNow app for booking and absence notifications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Peter Pan Early Learning by Busy Bees: Early learning centre operating under the Busy Bees brand in Curtin, ACT
- Follyfoot Farm by Busy Bees
- Jenny Wren Early Learning by Busy Bees
- Montessori Tingalpa by Busy Bees
- Springbank Rise by Busy Bees
- Yerrabi Ponds by Busy Bees
Products and services
- Busy Bees Early Learning Centres (Long Day Childcare) Company-owned long day childcare centres providing full-day care for children from 6 weeks to 5 years, with meals, nappies, hats and sunscreen included in the daily fee and fees offset by the Australian Government Child Care Subsidy (CCS). Families book tours online, view availability by centre via the website, and enrol directly with their chosen centre.
- Nursery Care (Ages 0-2 years) Early learning care for babies and infants from 6 weeks focusing on secure bonds, sensory play and developmental support through individualized care routines, delivered within the Bee Curious Curriculum framework.
- Toddler Care (Ages 2-3 years) Early learning program for toddlers that supports growing independence, language development, social skills and confidence-building through play-based experiences under the Bee Curious Curriculum.
- Kindergarten and Preschool (Ages 3-5 years) School-readiness program following a Government-approved Kindergarten framework, preparing children with literacy, numeracy, social skills and cognitive development through individual learning pathways, including a structured Transition to School program. Eligible families can access state-funded kindergarten programs (e.g. Free Kinder VIC, Start Strong NSW, Free Kindy QLD).
Quantifiable outcome
- Children receive 60% or more of their daily nutritional needs through Bee Healthy menu
Companies that use Busy Bees
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Busy Bees technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
Busy Bees partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- BraveheartsflagshipBusy Bees is the only early learning provider in Australia to partner with Bravehearts for child safety. The partnership includes sector-leading interactive Child Protection and Safeguarding learning program completed by all Busy Bees employees on commencement and annually. Bravehearts supports with Ditto's Keep Safe Adventure Show for children, resources and strategies for best-practice programming, prevention and safe environments. Busy Bees is a sponsor and matched giving partner of Bravehearts Day (held annually in September) and sponsors the Bravehearts 777 Marathon. In 2024, Branka Indic from Busy Bees raised $27,230 in the marathon, with Busy Bees presenting a total cheque of $57,230 to Bravehearts.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Busy Bees competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Storypark: Family communication platform integrated into Busy Bees centres. Relevant as an enabling technology partner rather than a competitor, providing the daily update and parent engagement layer across Busy Bees' network.
Broad incumbents
- Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Global early education and childcare operator with centres across the US, UK, and Europe. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same sector, although its operating geographies do not directly overlap Busy Bees' Australian footprint.
- Busy Bees (Global / UK): Parent brand of the Busy Bees Australia entity, operating the largest UK nursery chain. Listed as a broad incumbent given shared brand, curriculum, and operational know-how flows into the Australian business.
Direct peers
- Only About Children: Premium Australian long day care and preschool provider with campuses across NSW, VIC, and QLD. Competes in the same upper-quality tier as Busy Bees, with comparable curriculum-led positioning and CCS-aligned pricing.
- Imagine Childcare: Australian-owned early learning operator with a growing multi-state centre portfolio, focused on long day care and kindergarten. Comparable in scale range and CCS-subsidised fee model to Busy Bees.
- Guardian Childcare & Education: Premium Australian early learning operator with centres across multiple states, focused on high-quality curriculum and educator-led programming — closely mirrors Busy Bees' Bee Curious positioning and EYLF alignment.
- Explore & Develop: Australian early learning operator running purpose-built centres with a curriculum-led, EYLF-aligned model. Overlaps with Busy Bees on positioning, fee tier, and target demographic of professional families.
- Affinity Education: Operates 165+ early learning centres across Australia under multiple brands. Competes head-to-head with Busy Bees on long day care, kindergarten, and CCS-subsidised fees, with a similar purpose-built centre strategy.
- Goodstart Early Learning: Australia's largest not-for-profit early learning provider with 650+ centres nationally. Directly comparable to Busy Bees in long day care, kindergarten programs, and CCS-subsidised operating model, with similar multi-state footprint and EYLF-aligned curriculum.
- G8 Education: ASX-listed operator of 400+ childcare centres across Australia under brands including Little Learners and Community Kids. Closely comparable on long day care model, government subsidy exposure, and multi-state centre operations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Busy Bees social profiles
Digital presenceBusy Bees compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
Busy Bees financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Busy Bees leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Busy Bees funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Busy Bees M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Busy Bees
What does Busy Bees do?
Busy Bees operates company-owned long day childcare and early learning centres across Australia, providing full-day care, nursery care, toddler programs and government-approved kindergarten for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years. Service is delivered through the proprietary Bee Curious Curriculum and includes meals, nappies, hats and sunscreen in the daily fee, with fees offset by the Australian Government Child Care Subsidy (CCS). Families find centres via the website, book tours online, and enrol directly with the centre.
Is Busy Bees a public or private company?
Busy Bees is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Busy Bees founded?
Busy Bees was founded in 1983. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Busy Bees based?
Busy Bees is headquartered in Jundah, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Busy Bees make money?
One revenue line is on record: long Day Childcare Care.
Who are Busy Bees's main competitors?
Storypark is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Bright Horizons Family Solutions and Busy Bees (Global / UK). Direct peers are Only About Children, Imagine Childcare, Guardian Childcare & Education, Explore & Develop, Affinity Education, Goodstart Early Learning and G8 Education.
Does Busy Bees have an API?
No public API is recorded for Busy Bees.
What industry is Busy Bees in?
Busy Bees's product category is Childcare Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDACAAAA, Full-Day Childcare Centers. Its NAICS code is 624410 and its SIC code is 8351.