What Skids does

Safe Kids in Daily Supervision Limited (DBA sKids) is a New Zealand-based out-of-school care provider founded in 1994 and headquartered in Auckland. The company operates a franchise network of more than 180 on-site locations embedded within New Zealand primary schools, delivering before-school, after-school, and holiday-period programmes for school-aged children. sKids reports 57,945+ children enrolled and 16,383+ families served across its national network, supported by a workforce of 501-1,000 employees.

The company's core product is the Adventure Programme, a structured before- and after-school care service delivered on-site at partner schools, complemented by the Holiday HQ sub-brand for school-holiday programmes. Additional offerings include sKids Collab, a partnership programme extending the operating model beyond traditional franchising, and OSCAR Subsidy Assistance, which helps families navigate New Zealand government out-of-school care subsidies. Operational technology consists of the Enrolmy third-party booking platform for enrolment management and Windcave as the payment gateway; no proprietary AI or advanced data systems are disclosed.

The business model is primarily franchise-based: independent operators run individual school sites under the sKids brand, systems, and operating standards, paying fees to the parent entity. This asset-light approach has enabled 30 years of continuous expansion to 180+ locations, with the parent entity providing brand, technology infrastructure, training, and regulatory/compliance support. Revenue derives from franchise fees, any corporate-operated locations, and ancillary service revenues tied to the franchise network.

Name

Skids

Legal name

Safe Kids in Daily Supervision Limited

Website

https://skids.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Safe Kids in Daily Supervision Limited (sKids) is a New Zealand out-of-school care franchise operator running 180+ on-site programmes in primary schools, serving 57,945+ children and 16,383+ families with before/after-school and holiday care.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Out-of-School Childcare Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (624410)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Before and after school care
• School holiday programmes
• Out-of-school childcare services
• Primary school child care
• Franchise childcare network

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices9 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. Before and After School Care Services: Fees charged to families for before-school and after-school care programmes at partnered schools throughout New Zealand. Programme costs are calculated based on regular booked days, with additional casual days charged at higher rates. The company accepts WINZ OSCAR subsidies for eligible families.
2. Holiday Programme Services: Fees charged for school holiday programmes (Holiday HQ) which operate on a per-day or session basis. Full day and short day options are available with varying price points.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

sKids operates before-school, after-school, and school-holiday care programmes for primary school children aged 5-13 years, delivered through 180+ school-based franchise locations across New Zealand. The Adventure Programme provides structured term-time care with seven activity categories, while Holiday HQ delivers themed daily activities during school holidays. Services are sold direct to families via the Enrolmy online booking platform and school partnerships.

Product overview

Skids operates as a franchise-based out-of-school care provider offering affordable childcare services for primary school children (ages 5-13) throughout New Zealand. The core offering consists of the Adventure Programme for before and after school care during term time, and Holiday HQ for school holiday programmes. The company operates across 180+ schools nationwide through a combination of company-operated and franchisee-run centres. sKids Collab add-on enrichment activities are offered at select locations in partnership with third-party providers. The company also provides OSCAR subsidy assistance to help eligible families access government funding for care services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Holiday HQ: Holiday programme offering themed daily activities including arts and crafts, sports, STEM activities, and excursions during school holidays.

Products and services

• Adventure Programme (Before and After School Care) Term-time before-school and after-school care for primary school children aged 5-13, delivered at partnered schools with seven structured activity categories designed to develop life skills, plus nutritious meals and homework support.
• Holiday HQ (Holiday Programmes) School holiday care programme offering themed full-day and short-day sessions including arts and crafts, sports, STEM experiments, teamwork challenges, and community excursions for primary school children.
• sKids Collab Enrichment add-on programme partnering with third-party providers such as Brain Play (coding, robotics, LEGO) and Footsteps (sports technology) to deliver activities as add-ons to existing After School Care bookings at select locations.
• OSCAR Subsidy Assistance Assistance service helping families understand and apply for the OSCAR (Out of School Care and Recreation) Subsidy from Work and Income to cover the cost of before/after school care and holiday programmes.

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• APPA (Australian Primary Principals Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerEducational association partnership for parent engagement and school community connections. Listed as a partner on sKids website footer alongside other regional parent associations.
• CPPAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional parent association partnership for community engagement and school relationships.
• HIPPAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional parent association partnership for community engagement and school relationships.
• NZIEA / NPA (New Zealand Primary Principals Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational principals association partnership providing access to school decision-makers and legitimacy in the education sector.
• NSPAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional parent association partnership for community engagement and school relationships.
• NZPF (New Zealand Principals Federation)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational principals federation partnership for school partnership development and community engagement.
• WAPA (Waitakere Auckland Principals Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional principals association partnership for Auckland West region school relationships.
• WBPPA (West and Bays Principal Professional Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional principals association partnership for school community engagement.
• WPA (Wellington Principals Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional principals association partnership for Wellington region school relationships.
• WRPPA (Waitakere Ranges Principals Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional principals association partnership for Waitakere Ranges area school relationships.
• EnrolmycoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership providing the online booking, enrolment, and payment processing platform used by sKids and its franchisees for all customer bookings and account management.
• WindcavecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment gateway provider for secure credit card processing and transaction handling. Windcave hosts and manages the payments page with encrypted session handling.
• ASB BankminorOthersMerchant services provider for sKids payment processing.
• Brain PlayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfter-school activity partner providing coding, robotics, and LEGO activities through the sKids Collab programme. Kids attend Brain Play sessions as an add-on to after school care.
• FootstepsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfter-school activity partner providing athletic training technology experiences through the sKids Collab programme at Botany Downs location.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BestStart: Largest NZ private early childhood education provider with nationwide centres. Directly comparable as a NZ-based, multi-site private childcare operator serving families with young children across similar communities.
• Kindercare: Established NZ early childhood education centre network. Directly comparable NZ private operator with multi-site delivery model serving similar working-parent segments.
• Porse: NZ in-home childcare and nanny educator network. Comparable as a NZ-based childcare service provider, though operating via in-home rather than school-based model.
• Active Explorers: NZ-based before, after-school, and holiday programme provider. Closest direct peer in terms of school-based OSCAR programme delivery and customer segment.
• Barnardos Early Learning: Not-for-profit NZ early childhood provider with multiple centres. Comparable NZ-based multi-site childcare operator serving working families, albeit via a different ownership/operating structure.

Broad incumbents

• Busy Bees: Major UK-headquartered childcare nursery and out-of-school care operator with international footprint. Comparable as a large multi-site, franchise-influenced childcare group serving working families.
• G8 Education: ASX-listed large-scale early childhood and education operator across Australia and select international markets. Comparable as a multi-site, listed childcare operator with similar parent-customer focus and franchise/centre model.
• Junior Adventures Group: Larger Australian/NZ before-school, after-school, and holiday care operator. Hosts sKids policy infrastructure (whistleblower, safeguarding policies) under its domain, indicating it is the parent operating group with overlapping service lines and significantly broader geographic scale.
• Bright Horizons: US-listed global provider of early education, preschool, and employer-sponsored childcare. Comparable as a large multi-site operator with employer partnerships and similar subscription-style family billing.
• Only About Children: Australian integrated early learning, preschool, and out-of-school care operator. Comparable as an ANZ-based multi-service childcare group with both early learning and out-of-school offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/skidsnewzealand
• Instagraminstagram.com/skidsnewzealand

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Skids