Dragonflies Childcare

What Dragonflies Childcare does

Dragonflies Childcare (legal name: Dragonflies Day Nursery & Out of School Club) is an independent, family-run nursery and out-of-school childcare provider operating from a single purpose-built facility in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, adjacent to Knightwood Leisure Centre and surrounded by the woodlands of Zionshill Copse. Founded in 2018 by a working mother, the business delivers four interconnected services: a Day Nursery for children aged 2 years until school-ready (capacity intentionally capped at ~40 children/day, open 8am-6pm year-round), a Breakfast Club (7.15am, £9.30/session, term-time), an After School Club (3.15pm-6pm, £16.50/session, ~27 children/day), and a Holiday Club (8am-6pm during school holidays, £43.50/day, ~24 children/day). The Out of School Club services pick up from St Francis CE Primary School via a walking bus.

The nursery's pedagogical approach combines the Curiosity Approach philosophy with the UK statutory Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, using "in the moment planning" where staff tailor activities to observed child interests rather than rigid lesson plans. The "provocations" or "invitations to play" methodology introduces new concepts through curated stimuli. Parent communication runs through the Famly SaaS platform, providing real-time updates on observations, photographs, and developmental milestones. All catering is outsourced to Slice of Pie, a nationally awarded nursery caterer.

Revenue is generated from recurring nursery fees (full pricing disclosed via PDF on the website) plus pay-as-you-go OOSC session fees, with families able to apply Hampshire County Council Early Years Education Funding, 30-hours funding, Early Years Pupil Premium, and Tax Free Childcare. The go-to-market is community-led: word-of-mouth referrals, the active Facebook page, Google Reviews (the business self-describes as the Number 1 rated nursery in Chandlers Ford), blog content, and direct Famly-mediated visit bookings. The company is OFSTED-registered, has 11-50 employees, and operates as a privately held business with no disclosed institutional investment.

Name

Dragonflies Childcare

Legal name

Dragonflies Day Nursery & Out of School Club

Website

https://www.dragonflieschildcare.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dragonflies Childcare is an independent, family-run nursery and out-of-school club in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, offering day nursery care for 2-year-olds to school-ready children plus breakfast, after-school, and holiday clubs for primary school children aged 5-11.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Childcare Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (624410), Child Care Services (6244)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Half-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAC), Extended Day Programs at Preschools & Childcare Centers (EDACAHAB), Nursery School Wraparound Care (Extended Hours) (EDACACAG)

Keywords

• Day nursery care
• After school club
• Early childhood education
• Holiday childcare
• Nursery childcare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chandlers Ford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Day Nursery Fees: Full day and half day nursery care for children aged 2 years until school ready. Fees are based on attendance patterns including full days, half days, and term-time only options.
2. Out of School Club - Breakfast Club: Morning childcare service from 7.15am during term time, including breakfast. Priced at £9.30 per session.
3. Out of School Club - After School Club: Afternoon childcare from 3.15pm to 6pm during term time, including snack. Priced at £16.50 per session.
4. Holiday Club: Full day childcare during school holidays from 8am to 6pm, including snacks. Priced at £43.50 per day.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dragonflies Childcare provides full-day and half-day nursery care for children aged 2 until school-ready, alongside an Out of School Club service comprising a Breakfast Club, After School Club, and Holiday Club for primary school-aged children (5–11). The service is delivered from a purpose-built facility in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, using play-based learning inspired by the Curiosity Approach and grounded in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework.

Product overview

Dragonflies Childcare operates as a unified childcare service comprising four interconnected products: the core Day Nursery (providing full-day care for children aged 2 to school-ready, inspired by the Curiosity Approach with a home-from-home philosophy), and three Out of School Club services (Breakfast Club, After School Club, and Holiday Club) that support primary school-aged children (5-11 years) through before-school, after-school, and holiday periods. All services are located in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, and share the same management team, location, and commitment to play-based learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Day Nursery Full-day and half-day nursery care for children aged 2 years until school-ready, open 8am-6pm all year round (excluding bank holidays, Christmas Eve and Christmas week). Inspired by the Curiosity Approach with intentionally limited capacity of ~40 children per day to maintain a home-from-home atmosphere. Learning is grounded in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework using "in the moment planning" methodology. Caters to families seeking play-based, nature-oriented early years education.
• Breakfast Club Morning childcare service running from 7.15am to 8.40am during term time, including breakfast (toast, cereal, fruit) and quiet activities. Staff deliver children to St Francis CE Primary School via a walking bus. Priced at £9.30 per session. For primary school-aged children (5-11).
• After School Club After-school childcare collecting children from St Francis CE Primary School from 3.15pm, providing snack and drinks, and running until 6pm during term time. Limited to ~27 children per day. Priced at £16.50 per session. For primary school-aged children (5-11).
• Holiday Club Full-day holiday childcare for primary school-aged children (5-11), open 8am-6pm during school holidays (excluding bank holidays). Features a varied activity programme including woodland exploration, street dance, tennis, multisports, drama workshops, science sessions, and yoga. Limited to ~24 children per day. Priced at £43.50 per day. Parents provide a packed lunch.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children develop confidence, independence, and social skills through play-based learning
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• St Francis CE Primary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDragonflies delivers and collects children from St Francis CE Primary School in Chandlers Ford for their breakfast and after school club services. The school provides the anchor for the out-of-school club operations, with children transported via a 'walking bus' using the back path and pedestrian crossing.
• Slice of PiecoreOthersSlice of Pie supplies all nursery catering - freshly cooked meals delivered daily. They specialize exclusively in nursery and preschool catering with national awards for food quality (NMT 2012 and Nursery World 2011 and 2013). They accommodate special dietary requirements and allergies with a Food Hygiene rating of 5.
• Knightwood Leisure CentreminorOthersDragonflies is located next to Knightwood Leisure Centre in Chandlers Ford. The proximity provides access to park grounds and facilities.
• Hampshire County CouncilcoreOthersDragonflies is an approved registered provider of Early Years Education Funding from Hampshire County Council. Families can utilize government funding to cover childcare costs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Tops Day Nurseries: Hampshire-headquartered UK nursery chain with multiple sites across the South of England. Most direct regional competitor to Dragonflies within the same local authority, offering full-day care, pre-school, and out-of-school clubs.
• Pebbles Childcare: UK independent/small-chain nursery operator with day nursery and OOSC services. Comparable product mix and target segment of working parents in southern UK suburbs.

Broad incumbents

• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Global childcare and early-education operator with a UK estate. Comparable day nursery and out-of-school club offering and target customer base of working families; a much larger, publicly listed incumbent in the same UK category.

Direct peers

• Grandir UK: UK arm of the Grandir childcare group, operating day nurseries with pre-school and wraparound services. Direct overlap in product, target customer, and OFSTED-regulated delivery model.
• Kidsunlimited: Long-standing UK nursery chain (now part of the Busy Bees group) operating full-day nursery care with pre-school and out-of-school clubs. Overlaps with Dragonflies' age range, hours, and funding acceptance.
• N Family Club: UK nursery chain offering full-day care with breakfast and after-school clubs, with a strong brand and parent-app approach. Closely comparable product mix (Day Nursery + OOSC) and design-led, parent-communication-led positioning to Dragonflies.
• Storal Learning: UK group of nurseries operating day care and pre-school services. Comparable OFSTED-regulated full-day offering and willingness to accept government funding, competing for the same working-parent segment in southern England.
• Busy Bees Childcare: Largest UK nursery chain with hundreds of OFSTED-registered sites. Comparable full-day and wraparound childcare product set, government funding acceptance, and a similar home-from-home marketing angle in many of its locations.
• Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries: UK franchised nursery network providing day care, pre-school, and wraparound clubs. Comparable full-day + before/after-school product set and government funding acceptance for working families.
• Family First (Part of Partou): UK nursery group (now part of Partou) offering full day care and out-of-school provision. Competes for similar working-family customers with similar funding-funded pricing models.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dragonfliesdaynursery

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Dragonflies Childcare