The Growing Place

Name

The Growing Place

Legal name

The Growing Place

Website

https://growingplace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Center-Based Toddler Care (18–36 months) (EDACAGAB), Infant & Toddler Classrooms within Childcare Centers (EDACAGAC)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Infant and toddler care
• Reggio Emilia pedagogy
• Preschool programs
• Educator professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: Monthly tuition payments under 12-month contracts for infant, toddler, and preschool programs. Primary revenue stream supporting operations.
2. Annual Investment Campaign (AIC): Annual fundraising campaign requiring 100% family participation to close the 15% operational cost gap. Supports educator professional development, classroom materials, financial aid, and campus improvements. Gifts typically equivalent to one month of tuition.
3. Educator Professional Development Workshops: Fee-based specialty workshops and educator tours for professional development. Specialty workshops at $125/person, educator tours at $65/person, and advanced workshops at $275/person. Includes classroom observations, presentations, and Q&A sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Growing Place operates three early childhood education campuses in Santa Monica, CA, delivering full-time infant (from 3 months), toddler, preschool, and pre-K/TK programs under a Reggio Emilia-inspired, RIE-informed pedagogical model with low staff-to-child ratios. In addition to core tuition programs, it sells a Parent & Me Toddler Program and fee-based professional development workshops and educator tours, while supporting operations through an Annual Investment Campaign that bridges a 15% operating cost gap.

Product overview

The Growing Place operates as a unified early childhood education organization with three distinct campuses in Santa Monica: Marine Park (established 2000, up to 51 children, ages 3 months-5 years), Ocean Park (up to 100 children, ages 2.5-6 years), and the SM Early Childhood Lab School (up to 110 children, ages 3 months-6 years). The organization offers a coherent suite of educational programs including Infant & Toddler Program, Preschool Program, and Pre-K & School Readiness, all grounded in the Reggio Emilia approach. Supplementary offerings include the Parent & Me Toddler Program, professional development workshops for educators, and the Annual Investment Campaign for community fundraising. The organization has been NAEYC accredited since 1989 and operates as a non-profit, fundraising up to 15% of its annual operating budget through charitable contributions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Infant & Toddler Program Care and education program for children from birth to 36 months featuring intimate ratios (1:4 for infants, 1:6 for toddlers), sensory-rich environments, RIE-inspired practices, and family partnership. Available across Marine Park, Ocean Park, and Lab School campuses.
• Preschool Program Program for children ages 30 months to 5 years featuring emergent curriculum, long-term investigations, project-based learning, daily reflection meetings, and outdoor learning experiences grounded in the Reggio Emilia-inspired approach.
• Pre-K & School Readiness Program School readiness program for children ages 4-5 years focusing on problem-solving, metacognitive skills, communication, self-regulation, academic foundations through play, and leadership opportunities.
• Marine Park Campus Cozy campus established in 2000, nestled within Marine Park, serving children from 3 months to 5 years with capacity for up to 51 children. Features multi-age classrooms and nature-based outdoor learning environments.
• Ocean Park Campus Campus situated on an acre, revitalized from an old elementary campus, serving up to 100 children from ages 2.5 to 6 years (Preschool through TK). Features five classrooms, an atelier, and nature-rich outdoor spaces.
• SM Early Childhood Lab School Flagship campus operated in collaboration with Santa Monica College and the City of Santa Monica, serving as a demonstration site for ECE students. LEED-certified facility with up to 110 children from infancy through TK (ages 3 months to 6 years).
• Parent & Me Toddler Program Ten-session program for parents and toddlers ages 18-24 months featuring play, snack, and parenting workshops. Each 90-minute session costs $100 plus a one-time $150 enrollment and material fee.
• Specialty Workshops Professional development workshops for educators covering topics such as Social Negotiation & Conflict Resolution, Classroom Environments that Promote Creativity, and Infants & Toddlers: Lessons in RIE and Curriculum. Priced at $125-$275 per person.
• Educator Tours Tours for educators to observe classrooms, meet staff, and discuss the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Priced at $65 per person with optional photography of the environment.
• Tuition Assistance Program Reduced tuition pathway for eligible Santa Monica residents who are full-time employees with financial need, processed through the FAST financial aid application. Available at Marine Park and Lab School campuses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children with teachers holding bachelor's degrees gain an additional two months of learning each academic year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Santa Monica CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to operate the SM Early Childhood Lab School as a demonstration site for Santa Monica College Early Childhood Education students. Lab School serves as an observation and training site where ECE students observe established teaching and learning practices.
• City of Santa MonicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with City of Santa Monica to operate the SM Early Childhood Lab School. City of Santa Monica Government employees receive priority enrollment consideration. 30% of Lab School enrollment reserved for Santa Monica Residents, with 15% for low-income residents.
• Connections for ChildrenminorOthersAccepts child care subsidies from Connections for Children, a local agency providing financial assistance for early childhood education to eligible families in the Santa Monica area.
• CCAMPIS (Campus Childcare Access for Parents in Postsecondary Education)minorOthersAccepts CCAMPIS subsidies administered through Santa Monica College for student parents pursuing postsecondary education.
• RAND Corp.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAND Corp. employees receive priority enrollment consideration at the Lab School campus alongside City of Santa Monica and Santa Monica College employees.
• FAST (Financial Aid for School Tuition)minorOthersUses FAST confidential financial assistance application processing service for evaluating Tuition Assistance Program applications.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Bright Horizons is the largest US provider of employer-sponsored child care and early education, operating centers nationwide including in the Los Angeles market. It is a broad incumbent offering premium infant care, preschool, and back-up care that overlaps with Growing Place's infant/toddler/preschool programs, though at a larger scale and broader footprint.
• Primrose Schools: Primrose Schools operates a national franchise network of private early childhood education centers serving infants through pre-K. It is a broad incumbent in the premium private ECE space with overlapping programs and similar working-family target market, though with a proprietary rather than Reggio-based framework.
• Avenues: The World School: Avenues operates premium private campuses in NYC, Silicon Valley, and other global hubs, with a Reggio-influenced inquiry-based pedagogy. It is a broader incumbent whose pedagogical and cultural alignment with Growing Place is documented in the background of Growing Place's Ocean Park Campus Director, who was a founding faculty member.
• Stratford School: Stratford School operates a large network of private preschool-through-8th-grade campuses across California, including multiple Los Angeles locations. It is a broad incumbent in the premium private early education space with overlapping infant, preschool, and pre-K offerings but a less specialized pedagogical framework than Growing Place.

Regional players

• Treehouse Learning: Treehouse Learning operates Reggio Emilia-inspired early childhood programs in the Los Angeles area, with locations serving infant, toddler, and preschool age groups. It is a regional peer sharing the same pedagogical approach and overlapping Westside LA service area.
• Pumpkin Patch School: Pumpkin Patch School is a long-running Reggio-inspired early childhood program serving Santa Monica and West LA families. It is a regional peer sharing the same pedagogical philosophy and substantially overlapping service area with Growing Place.

Direct peers

• Turning Point School: Turning Point School in Culver City is a Reggio Emilia-inspired independent school serving infants through 8th grade in the Westside LA market. It is a direct peer given its overlapping Reggio-inspired pedagogy, similar premium positioning, and comparable geography to Growing Place families.
• Guidepost Montessori: Guidepost Montessori operates a national network of premium early childhood education centers serving infants through elementary, with multiple California locations. It is a directly comparable premium ECE operator with a distinct pedagogical framework and similar target demographic of affluent working families.
• Westside Neighborhood School: Westside Neighborhood School in Playa Vista operates a Reggio-inspired preschool program and is explicitly named in the background of Growing Place's Ocean Park Campus Director. It is a directly comparable Reggio-inspired preschool-to-elementary provider in the same Westside LA catchment area.
• The Willows Community School: The Willows Community School is a Reggio Emilia-inspired independent school in Culver City, CA serving children through middle school. It is a direct peer given shared Reggio Emilia pedagogical roots, similar Westside LA geography, and a comparable premium independent school model targeting working professional families.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 The Growing Place