Calgary Childs Play

What Calgary Childs Play does

Child's Play Canada, operating under the Calgary Childs Play brand and founded in 2011, is a private for-profit out-of-school care provider serving school-age children (K-6) in Alberta, Canada. The company delivers before-school, after-school, and full-day kindercare programs on-site at 20+ partner schools across Calgary, Airdrie, and Cochrane, supporting over 1,000 children daily. Its distribution is a B2B2C model: partnerships are established with school administrators and principals, and families enroll their children through the company's website interest form. Revenue is generated via recurring subscription-based enrollment tied to the school year, with no publicly disclosed pricing.

The company's core operational methodology is PARS (Professional System Of Play), a research-based playwork framework developed by Dr. Shelly Newstead from the adventure playground tradition. PARS provides a shared language and practical guidance for adults supporting child-led play and is used internationally across childcare, schools, museums, and camps; Child's Play is one of few certified PARS hubs in Western Canada. Playworkers are trained in PARS and hold Level 1/2/3 childcare certifications, first aid credentials, and required safety clearances.

Child's Play maintains a multi-channel marketing presence via its website, Facebook, Instagram (@play.outside.the.lines), and TikTok (@childsplaycanada). In August 2025 it launched Child's Play Magazine, the first dedicated digital publication on professional play-based care in Canada. The company shares staff, leadership, and operational infrastructure with Maple Roots, a related/parent entity ([email protected]). No venture capital, private equity, or institutional funding rounds are disclosed; growth to date has been organic.

Name

Calgary Childs Play

Legal name

Child's Play Canada

Website

https://childsplaycanada.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Child's Play Canada delivers before-school, after-school, and kindercare programs for K-6 children on-site at 20+ partner schools across Calgary, Airdrie, and Cochrane, serving 1,000+ children daily using the PARS playwork methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Childcare Services (Out-of-School Care)

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

School-Age Wraparound Care (Ages 3–5) (EDACAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

Keywords

• Out-of-school childcare
• Before and after school care
• Kindercare programs
• Playwork services
• School-age childcare

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Before & After School Care Services: Recurring subscription-based childcare services for school-age children, offering before school care, after school care, and full-day kindercare programs. Revenue is recurring as families enroll for school-year programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Child's Play Canada delivers play-based out-of-school care for school-age children (Pre-K through Grade 6), operating before school care, after school care, and full-day kindercare programs directly at partner school sites across Calgary, Airdrie, and Cochrane. Programs are run by trained Playworkers using the PARS (Professional System Of Play) framework, with all staffing, training, safety, and family communication handled by the Child's Play team to relieve administrative burden on partner schools.

Product overview

Child's Play Canada operates as a unified childcare service offering out-of-school care programs for children in grades K-6. The core offering consists of play-based before and after school care delivered through a network of 20+ partner schools in Calgary, Airdrie, and Cochrane, supporting over 1,000 children daily. All programs are delivered using the PARS (Professional System Of Play) framework, a research-based playwork methodology that provides a shared language for adult practitioners supporting child-led play. Additionally, the company publishes the Child's Play Magazine, a monthly digital publication that serves as a community space for sharing stories, research, and reflections about play-based care in Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Child's Play Canada Out-of-School Care Play-based before and after school care programs serving children in grades Pre-K through 6, operating at partner schools across Calgary, Airdrie, and Cochrane. Programs follow the PARS playwork methodology and provide safe, welcoming spaces for children to explore, build friendships, and grow in confidence, with monthly photo updates and direct family communication.
• Kindercare (Full-Day Kindergarten Care) Full-day childcare program for kindergarten-aged children delivered at partner school sites, extending Child's Play's play-based, PARS-aligned care model to cover the full school day for kindergarten students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supporting over 1,000 children every day across 20+ partner schools

Named customers22 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Maple Roots (Parent Company)coreOthersMaple Roots is the parent company/related entity of Child's Play Canada. Both organizations share staff, leadership, and business operations. Contact email [email protected] indicates a corporate relationship.
• PARS (Professional System Of Play)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPARS is a model of professional playwork practice created from research into adventure playground tradition by Dr. Shelly Newstead. Child's Play Canada is one of few certified PARS hubs in Western Canada, using this framework as their core operational methodology and training practitioners in this method.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Right At School: US-based specialist in on-site, school-partnered before and after school enrichment and care programs. Direct peer in both B2B2C school model and wraparound care delivery.
• Kids & Company: Canadian multi-site child care provider offering daycare and before/after school programs. Highly comparable given shared Canadian footprint, focus on working families, and school-age wraparound service lines.
• AlphaBEST Education: Specialist in before/after school programs operated directly on K-5 school sites, mirroring Child's Play's B2B2C school-partnership distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Global incumbent childcare and early education operator with employer-sponsored and back-up care programs. Comparable through its before/after school and family-care wraparound offerings, though it operates at much greater scale.
• Champions (KinderCare Education): National before/after school enrichment provider embedded in schools, owned by KinderCare Education. Comparable through school-partnered delivery model and K-6 focus, though much larger in scale.

Regional players

• Boys & Girls Club of Calgary: Provides before/after school programming and out-of-school care for children across Calgary. Direct regional peer with comparable school-age care mission and parent-facing programs.
• Compass Early Learning Centre: Calgary-area early learning and childcare provider with preschool and out-of-school care programs. Regional competitor for the same before/after school demand.
• Creative Childcare Concepts: Multi-site Canadian childcare operator with licensed preschool and school-age wraparound programs. Comparable through multi-site school-age care delivery and subscription-based enrollment model.
• YMCA Calgary: Calgary-based non-profit operating licensed childcare, preschool, and before/after school care programs in partnership with local schools. Direct regional competitor for the same parent pool.

Emerging players

• Puzzle Box Academy: Western Canadian emerging childcare operator with before/after school and kindergarten programs. Comparable in geography and programming, though smaller in scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ChildsPlayCanada
• Instagraminstagram.com/play.outside.the.lines
• TikToktiktok.com/@childsplaycanada
• Xx.com/childsplayyyc

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 Calgary Childs Play