Bear Park

What Bear Park does

Bear Park Ltd. is a privately held New Zealand early childhood education provider founded in 1986 by former primary school teacher Sue Stevely-Cole. The company operates 11 physical childcare centres across Auckland and Dunedin, serving families with children aged 3 months to 5 years. Its educational philosophy blends New Zealand's national Te Whāriki curriculum with the Italian Reggio Emilia Approach, delivered through small class sizes, dedicated age-group rooms (Infant-Toddler and Preschool), and a mix of purpose-built and character-rich historic properties in premium Auckland suburbs such as Remuera, Epsom, Herne Bay, St Heliers, Mt Eden, and Kohimarama, plus a southern site in St Clair, Dunedin.

The business model is a direct-to-consumer, recurring-fee subscription service. Families pay private childcare fees, typically combined with the New Zealand government's 20 Hours ECE subsidy and Childcare Subsidy, with payments generating recurring weekly revenue across multi-year enrolment cycles. Acquisition is conducted through a multi-channel DTC motion: a website with online tour booking, dedicated phone lines per centre, social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), SEO, word-of-mouth referrals, and earned media via magazine features. The company's only notable technology dependency is StoryPark, a third-party parent communication app that provides daily updates, photos, and learning journey documentation.

Operationally, Bear Park is a decentralised, founder-led network with named Centre Directors and Managers at each site, and at least one Owner/Franchisor arrangement (Hobsonville). The company has no external institutional investors, no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and operates as an independent private limited company domiciled in New Zealand. Its value proposition rests on brand heritage (37+ years), community/whānau engagement, curriculum distinctiveness, and high-quality teaching environments rather than on technology or scale advantages.

Name

Bear Park

Legal name

Bear Park Ltd.

Website

https://bearpark.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bear Park is a New Zealand private early childhood education provider founded in 1986, operating 11 childcare centres across Auckland and Dunedin for children aged 3 months to 5 years. The company delivers Te Whāriki and Reggio Emilia-based programmes through a direct-to-consumer, recurring-fee model under founder Sue Stevely-Cole's ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Center-Based Toddler Care (18–36 months) (EDACAGAB), Extended Day Programs at Preschools & Childcare Centers (EDACAHAB), Infant & Toddler Developmental Enrichment (Sensory, Motor, Language) (EDACAGAK)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Childcare services
• Preschool education
• Infant toddler care
• Daycare centres

Headquarters

HQ city

Albany

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Early Childhood Education Fees: Bear Park generates revenue through private childcare fees charged to families for early childhood education and care services at their 11 centres throughout Auckland and Dunedin. Families pay for child attendance, typically combining private fees with New Zealand government ECE subsidies and parental leave provisions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bear Park provides early childhood education and care services for children aged 3 months to 5 years through 11 childcare centres in Auckland and Dunedin, New Zealand. Programmes are delivered in age-specific Infant-Toddler and Preschool rooms using a curriculum that blends Te Whāriki (New Zealand ECE curriculum) with the Reggio Emilia Approach. Enrolment is direct with families, and supplementary parent communication is delivered through the StoryPark app.

Product overview

Bear Park operates as a unified early childhood education service offering childcare and early learning programmes across 11 centres in Auckland and Dunedin, New Zealand. The core product consists of early childhood education and care for children aged 3 months to 5 years, delivered through age-specific rooms (Infant-Toddler, Preschool) at each centre. The centres share a unified educational philosophy based on Te Whāriki (New Zealand early childhood curriculum) and Reggio Emilia approach. Bear Park supplements its core educational service with StoryPark, a parent communication app that enables daily updates and learning journey documentation, creating a connected experience between centre and home.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bear Park Early Learning Centres Full-day and part-day early childhood education and care services for children aged 3 months to 5 years, delivered across 11 physical centres in Auckland and Dunedin, New Zealand. Programmes are structured into Infant-Toddler rooms and Preschool rooms, using a curriculum that integrates Te Whāriki (New Zealand ECE curriculum) with the Reggio Emilia Approach, and supplemented by the StoryPark parent communication app for daily updates.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StoryParkcoreTechnology or IntegrationStoryPark is the parent communication app used by Bear Park. Parents download the app to receive real-time updates about their child's activities, photos, and learning experiences. StoryPark enables transparent communication between teachers and families, allowing parents to see daily activities even when not physically present at the centre.
• Otago Heart KidsminorOthersBear Park St Clair centre supports Otago Heart Kids as part of its community outreach programme. Staff, children, and families participate in fundraising and awareness activities for the charity supporting children with heart conditions.
• Otago Rescue Helicopter TrustminorOthersBear Park St Clair centre supports the Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust as part of its charitable community partnerships. The centre engages children and families in fundraising activities for the emergency rescue service.
• Starship Hospital (Auckland)minorOthersBear Park St Clair supports Starship Hospital, New Zealand's national children's hospital based in Auckland. Centre participates in fundraising activities to support the hospital's work with children.
• PlunketminorOthersBear Park maintains a partnership with Plunket, New Zealand's leading organisation for services supporting the health and development of children under five. Their logo appears on the Bear Park Parents page as part of community affiliations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• StoryPark: Parent communication and learning documentation platform used by Bear Park and many other NZ ECE providers. Not a competitor but a strategic technology enabler and ecosystem participant in the NZ ECE space.

Direct peers

• BestStart Educare: One of New Zealand's largest private ECE providers operating hundreds of centres nationwide. Competes directly with Bear Park in Auckland and across NZ with a similar fee-based model and government-subsidy revenue mix.
• Evolve Education Group: New Zealand's largest listed ECE operator (NZX: EVO) running multiple branded centres including Lollipops, Active Explorers, and Little Wonders. Direct competitor to Bear Park in the premium/private ECE segment across Auckland and other NZ regions.
• Active Explorers: Another Evolve Education-owned ECE brand in NZ running multi-centre early learning programmes. Overlapping customer base and service model with Bear Park, especially in metropolitan NZ markets.
• Lollipops Educare: NZ ECE centre brand owned by Evolve Education Group, operating licensed centres in Auckland and other regions. Directly comparable service offering, age range, and parent value proposition to Bear Park.
• Kindercare Learning Centres: National NZ ECE chain with a network of centres offering full-day education and care for 0–5 year olds. Directly comparable operating model, age range, and parent fee structure to Bear Park.

Emerging players

• Montessori Early Childhood Schools (NZ): Network of Montessori-affiliated early childhood centres across NZ offering an alternative premium pedagogical framework. Competes with Bear Park for parents seeking differentiated educational philosophies.
• PORSE In-Home Childcare: NZ home-based ECE provider offering in-home educator care as an alternative to centre-based models. Comparable customer demographic and government-subsidy economics but different delivery model to Bear Park's centre network.

Broad incumbents

• Kidsfirst Kindergartens: Large NZ kindergarten association operating community-based ECE services, particularly in the South Island including Canterbury. Comparable service offering to Bear Park St Clair though often at lower fee points via community/non-profit structures.
• Busy Bees New Zealand: New Zealand arm of Busy Bees, a large global early years provider. Operates multiple NZ centres under established quality frameworks, providing broader incumbency and scale that competes with Bear Park's premium positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bearparkchildcare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bear-park-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/bearparkchildcare

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Bear Park