INFANO

What INFANO does

Infano VZW is a Belgian non-profit childcare organization headquartered in Ternat (Flemish Brabant) and operating more than 140 childcare locations across over 45 municipalities in Flanders and Brussels. The organization serves approximately 15,000 children daily aged 0–12, supported by a workforce of more than 600 employees, and is structured as a vereniging zonder winstoogmerk (VZW, non-profit association). Its core offerings span kinderdagverblijven (Zonnetje brand, 0–3 years), binnenschoolse and buitenschoolse opvang (Triangel/Maantje/SOV/SBS/GBS/VBS sub-brands, 2.5–12 years), home-based care via onthaalgezinnen, and dedicated on-site corporate childcare (Bedrijfsopvang) for employers including UZ Brussel, VUB, UHasselt, AZ Groeninge, Boss Paints, Unilin, Hologic, and Square Group.

The company operates a multi-segment business model. The primary revenue stream is recurring childcare service fees collected from parents under the Flemish subsidized income-based tariff system (inkomenstarief) administered by Kind en Gezin, billed monthly. Secondary streams include contracted corporate childcare fees from employer clients, professional services from the internal Studie- en Adviescentrum (quality, pedagogical, inspection, training, and municipal advisory services — including Lokaal Loket platform setup for municipalities), and event/equipment rentals plus training revenue from the Sportplaneet division. No proprietary technology platform is described; the business is a physical-services operator supported by administrative digital tools, the infano.be website, and municipal Local Childcare Counter integrations. Infano is recognized as the largest social entrepreneur in the Belgian childcare market and has been ranked first in the childcare sector in the Trends Top 5000 for five consecutive years. Recent strategic actions include the 2019 acquisition of six Kajapinto daycares, the opening of the 50th facility at Kruitfabriek in Vilvoorde in 2021, an ecological daycare pilot in Avelgem, an announced ergonomic daycare in Kampenhout, and emergency absorption of children from the bankrupt Mieke Muis operator in Affligem.

Name

INFANO

Legal name

Infano VZW

Website

https://infano.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Infano VZW is a Belgian non-profit childcare operator running 140+ locations across Flanders and Brussels, serving ~15,000 children aged 0–12 daily through daycare, before- and after-school care, corporate childcare, and municipal advisory services under the subsidized Flemish income-based tariff system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

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

Preschool-Age Home Daycare (3–5 years) (EDACAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Infant-Focused Home Daycare (0–18 months) (EDACAEAC), Special Needs / Inclusive Home Daycare (EDACAEAI), Toddler Home Daycare (18–36 months) (EDACAEAD)

Keywords

• Childcare services
• Daycare centers
• Corporate childcare
• Before and after school care
• Pedagogical support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ternat

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Childcare service fees: Parents pay childcare fees based on an income-related tariff system (inkomenstarief). The price is determined by family income and composition, as regulated by Kind en Gezin. This is the primary revenue stream from serving children aged 0–12 in daycare centers, in-school care, and out-of-school care facilities.
2. Corporate childcare (Bedrijfsopvang): Infano provides dedicated childcare facilities within or near company premises for employees of corporate clients (e.g., UZ Brussel, VUB, UHasselt, AZ Groeninge, Square Group, Hologic, Boss Paints, Unilin). Revenue is generated through contracted arrangements with employers.
3. Sportplaneet services: Sportplaneet offers themed activity boxes (Circusbox, Amerikabox, Balbox, etc.), spring castle rentals, sports day organization, and teambuilding events for children and adults. Revenue generated from equipment rental fees, event organization fees, and consultancy.
4. Study and Advisory services: Infano's Study and Advisory Center (Studie- en Adviescentrum) provides quality and pedagogical support, training, internal inspection, and advisory services to local governments and other childcare organizations, including setup of Local Childcare Counter digital tools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Infano VZW is a Belgian non-profit childcare organization that directly operates more than 140 daycare centers, in-school and out-of-school care locations, corporate childcare facilities, and a dedicated European Childcare Center for children aged 0–12 across Flanders and Brussels. The organization complements its core care services with a Sportplaneet sports activities division and a Studie- en Adviescentrum that delivers pedagogical support, training, inspection, and advisory services to municipalities and other childcare operators.

Product overview

Infano vzw is a childcare organization offering services for children from birth to 12 years across Flanders and Brussels. The core offerings include Kinderdagverblijven (daycare for 0-3 years), Buitenschoolse Opvang IBO (out-of-school care for 2.5-12 years), and Binnenschoolse opvang (in-school care). Supporting services include Bedrijfsopvang (corporate childcare), the European Childcare Center for EU staff, Sportplaneet (sports activities and equipment rentals), and the Studie- en Adviescentrum (study and advisory center providing pedagogical support and training). Additional offerings encompass Themaboxen (themed activity boxes), Springkastelen (bounce castles), Teambuilding programs, Vormingen (training), Advies (consulting), and Vrijwilligers en monitoren (volunteer/monitor programs).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zonnetje: Daycare centers (kinderdagverblijven) for children aged 0-3 years, offering professional childcare with love and attention.
• Maantje
• European Childcare Center
• Sportplaneet
• Studie- en Adviescentrum
• Triangel
• SOV / SBS
• GKS / GBS / VBS

Products and services

• Kinderdagverblijven (Zonnetje daycare) Daycare centers (kinderdagverblijven / Zonnetje) for children aged 0–3 years offering professional childcare with qualified supervision where children learn, play, and develop. Operating as Infano's flagship family-facing service under the Zonnetje sub-brand.
• Buitenschoolse Opvang (IBO / Maantje) Out-of-school care (Initiatief Buitenschoolse Opvang / Maantje) for children aged 2.5 to 12 years, providing activities before and after school, during school holidays and on school-free days.
• Binnenschoolse opvang In-school childcare before and after school hours for children aged 2.5 to 12 years, delivered within school buildings (e.g., Triangel, SOV/SBS, GKS/GBS/VBS sites).
• Bedrijfsopvang (corporate childcare) Corporate childcare (Bedrijfsopvang) delivered on-site or near-site at employer locations for employees' children, including hospitals (UZ Brussel, AZ Groeninge, Vitaz, Hologic), universities (VUB, UHasselt, PXL Hogeschool), and companies (Boss Paints, Unilin, Square Group).
• European Childcare Center Exclusive daycare center reserved for children aged 0–4 of personnel from European Institutions in Brussels, operating in French at the Zonnetje Evere / European Childcare Center site.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cares for approximately 15,000 children daily across 140+ locations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• MondeaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMondea is a consulting firm that placed interim coordinator Leen Messiaen from Infano at municipality Berlaar to support their childcare operations. Infano and Mondea collaborated on improving childcare policy and operations for Berlaar's Local Childcare Counter.
• Gemeente BerlaarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInfano worked with municipality Berlaar and Mondea to support the municipality's childcare coordination, advisory services, and Local Childcare Counter setup after the sudden departure of Berlaar's childcare coordinator.
• Tim Verscheuren (Sportplaneet co-developer)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEx-professional volleyball player Tim Verscheuren co-developed the Sportplaneet activity boxes with Infano, creating themed sports activity kits (Circusbox, Amerikabox, Balbox, etc.) for use in childcare settings.
• Alert! (training organization)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAlert! is a training organization that collaborated with Infano to develop a three-year leadership training program for team coaches, covering topics such as feedback, leadership, communication, and meeting techniques.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Kibeo: Large Dutch childcare operator running daycare, BSO and toddler groups across the Netherlands. Comparable to Infano in service portfolio and centre-based delivery model, but operating in a different geography (NL vs BE Flanders/Brussels).
• Partou: Dutch childcare organisation providing daycare and out-of-school care across the Netherlands. Comparable to Infano in regulated, multi-site centre-based childcare, though geographically focused on the Netherlands rather than Belgium.

Direct peers

• i-mens: Belgian social-profit organisation delivering childcare and family services alongside healthcare and household support. Comparable to Infano as a Flemish non-profit operating childcare facilities with social-enterprise positioning.
• Landelijke Kinderopvang: Large Flemish non-profit childcare organisation operating daycare centers, onthaalouders and BSO locations. Directly comparable to Infano in geography, service mix, target age group (0–12) and non-profit status, making it the closest domestic peer.
• Partena Kinderopvang: Childcare division of Belgian HR services group Partena, offering daycare and out-of-school care services across Belgium. Comparable to Infano in service offering and Belgian geography, though operating under a for-profit HR-services parent rather than a pure-play non-profit.

Others

• Humankind: UK non-profit delivering children, family and community services including early-years provision. Comparable to Infano as a non-profit operating regulated childcare and family services, though scope is broader than Infano's pure-play childcare focus.
• ESF (Europees Sociaal Fonds / European Social Fund): EU programme funding Infano's employee training and upskilling. Not a competitor but an adjacent enabling partner whose continued support materially underpins Infano's training academy and Studie- en Adviescentrum economics.

Broad incumbents

• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Global leader in employer-sponsored childcare and early education with thousands of centres worldwide. Comparable to Infano through its Bedrijfsopvang corporate childcare model and multi-site quality systems, though at materially larger scale and with international footprint.
• Busy Bees Nurseries: One of the largest UK nursery operators, running hundreds of centre-based childcare facilities. Comparable to Infano in centre-based 0–5 care delivery, multi-site quality systems and recurring subscription revenue, though focused on the UK market.

Emerging players

• N Family Club: UK-based nursery group rapidly scaling premium centre-based childcare with strong digital parent experience. Comparable to Infano through centre-based delivery and parental subscription model, though at earlier growth stage and UK-only.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/infanovzw
• Facebookfacebook.com/InfanoVzw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/infano

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 INFANO