The Nurturing Nest and Early Learning Center

What The Nurturing Nest and Early Learning Center does

The Nurturing Nest and Early Learning Center is a privately held, single-location child care and early learning facility founded in 2018 in Southington, Connecticut, by co-owners Tory Griffin and Shelly Owen. It serves families in the Southington and Plantsville area with five age-segmented programs (Infants and Toddlers, Discoverers, Explorers, Preschool, and Pre-K) for children from 6 weeks through 4 years, built on a play-based creative curriculum aligned with Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards. The center meets state-required child-to-teacher ratios (4:1 for under 3; 10:1 for preschool) and is staffed by CPR/First Aid-certified caregivers under mandated reporter training.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer enrollment model with full enrollment and active waitlists across all age groups for the 2024/2025 school year. Families are billed weekly via ACH debit from a checking or savings account; part-time schedules are priced from $125 per week for preschool and $145 per week for infants and toddler-age rooms, and a non-refundable $75 registration fee secures enrollment. Waitlists reopen annually in February, and third-party subsidy funding (Care 4 Kids) is not accepted. The center uses the Brightwheel mobile application as its primary parent-communication channel, delivering real-time photos, activity updates, and teacher-parent messaging, and supplements enrollment marketing through organic Google and Facebook channels.

The underlying technology footprint is intentionally light: no proprietary systems, no public APIs, and no in-house AI/ML capabilities. Operational differentiation rests on the founders' physical presence on-site, secure building access (keypad entry with unique family codes and surveillance), and recognition through multiple consecutive Southington Best Of Awards across Best Daycare, Best Learning Center, Best Private School, and Best Day Camp categories from 2019 through 2022.

Name

The Nurturing Nest and Early Learning Center

Legal name

Nurturing Nest Inc.

Website

https://nurturingnestct.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Nurturing Nest and Early Learning Center is a privately held, single-location licensed child care center in Southington, CT, founded in 2018 by Tory Griffin and Shelly Owen, serving families with children aged 6 weeks through Pre-K via play-based programs, weekly ACH tuition billing, and active waitlists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Care and Early Learning Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Toddler-Focused Childcare Centers (EDACAAAG), General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Child care services
• Preschool programs
• Infant daycare
• Play-based learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Southington

HQ country

United States

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. Weekly Child Care Tuition: Families pay weekly tuition via ACH debit from a checking or savings account. Tuition rates vary by child's age group and schedule (full-time vs part-time). A $75 non-refundable registration fee is required to secure a spot upon enrollment. No third-party funding sources such as Care 4 Kids are accepted.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Nurturing Nest and Early Learning Center operates a licensed child care and early learning facility serving children from 6 weeks through Pre-K (4-year-olds). The center offers five age-segmented programs (Infants and Toddlers, Discoverers, Explorers, Preschool, and Pre-K) delivered through a play-based creative curriculum aligned with Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards. Families enroll directly through the Southington, CT facility on a weekly tuition basis with ACH debit billing.

Product overview

The Nurturing Nest and Early Learning Center is a childcare and early learning center offering age-appropriate programs for children from 6 weeks through Pre-K (4-year-olds). The center operates five core age-based programs: Infants and Toddlers, Discoverers, Explorers, Preschool, and Pre-K. All programs are built around a play-based creative curriculum aligned with Connecticut state educational guidelines. The center supplements its core programs with Brightwheel, a real-time parent communication app that delivers photos, activities, and updates to parents' mobile devices. The center was founded in 2018 and has received multiple local awards for excellence in childcare.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Infants and Toddlers Program Child care program for infants from 6 weeks to 9 months old, providing a safe and nurturing environment with enriching activities including story time, music, art, and sensory exploration. The daily schedule is built around each baby's personal schedule.
• Discoverers Program Child care program for one-year-olds (12-24 months) providing an environment stimulating each child's need for discovery through sensory, art, circle time, story time, fine/gross motor skills, and outdoor play activities.
• Explorers Program Child care program for two-year-olds (24-36 months) that creates an environment for exploration through hands-on play, offering group activities including music, circle time, dramatic play, free play, and outdoor play.
• Preschool Program Preschool program for three-year-olds (starting at 32 months), featuring a mix of student-led, play-based, and teacher-directed lessons and activities. Children must be fully toilet trained to enter. Includes introduction to The Creative Curriculum, science, math, and language activities.
• Pre-K Program Pre-Kindergarten program for four-year-olds designed to support age-appropriate development and prepare children for kindergarten. Uses The Creative Curriculum aligned with Connecticut's Early Learning and Developmental Standards, with focus on language, literacy, math, science, social-emotional, and physical development.
• Play-Based Creative Curriculum A play-based curriculum meeting Connecticut state educational guidelines that enhances social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth. Includes components such as dramatic play, music, language learning, motor activities, art, health education, and both large and small group activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple Southington Best Of Awards (2019–2022) across categories including Best Daycare, Best Learning Center, Best Private School, and Best Day Camp

Named customers5 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

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BrightwheelcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2016Brightwheel is an industry-leading parent communication and engagement app used by The Nurturing Nest. It delivers real-time photos, activity updates, and teacher-parent communication directly to parents' mobile devices. The platform was featured on Shark Tank in 2016. Brightwheel serves as the center's primary daily parent engagement technology.
• GoogleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Nurturing Nest uses Google marketing technology to promote its services, including Google Analytics' 3rd-party audience data (age, gender, interests) to better understand customer behavior and serve targeted advertisements.
• Facebook/MetaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe center uses Facebook marketing tools and scripts to collect data about visitor activities and deliver retargeting advertisements across the Meta advertising network.
• Develomark LLCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDevelomark LLC designed and manages the company's website (www.nurturingnestct.com). The company is credited in the website footer and accessibility statement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• The Goddard School: Franchised play-based preschool and childcare provider for infants through pre-K, emphasizing proprietary curriculum and owner-operator model. Comparable age-cohort coverage and parent-engagement approach as The Nurturing Nest.
• Primrose Schools: Accredited franchise network of early childhood education centers serving infants through private kindergarten with a Balanced Learning curriculum. Closely comparable private-pay, curriculum-centered operating model and parent demographic to The Nurturing Nest.
• Cadence Education: One of the largest private U.S. operators of early childhood education centers (formerly Advantage Academy/Children's Choice), serving infants through pre-K. Comparable in operating model (center-based early education) and scale ambition to The Nurturing Nest.
• Children of America: Private operator of accredited early education centers serving infants through school-age with play-based curriculum and STEM emphasis. Directly comparable target market, age-segmented programming, and family-engagement model to The Nurturing Nest.
• Crème de la Crème: Premium private child care and early learning provider with full-day infant through pre-K programs and enriched curriculum offerings. Comparable premium positioning, age-segmented programs, and parent-engagement feature set to The Nurturing Nest.
• La Petite Academy: National chain of licensed child care centers offering infant care, preschool, and pre-K programs aligned with state learning standards. Similar age-segmented structure and curriculum-led approach as The Nurturing Nest.
• The Learning Experience (TLE): Franchised early childhood education and child care provider serving infants through pre-K with proprietary curriculum and signature character-based programs. Highly comparable model—curriculum-driven, age-segmented enrollment, parent-engagement focus—mirroring The Nurturing Nest's center-based play-based offering.

Broad incumbents

• KinderCare Learning Companies: Largest private U.S. provider of early childhood education, operating centers nationally for infants through school-age. Provides the same age-segmented programs (infants, preschool, pre-K) as The Nurturing Nest and represents the upper bound on scale and curriculum breadth in this category.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Large publicly-traded provider of high-quality early education and child care across the U.S. Offers center-based care, employer-sponsored care, and curriculum-aligned programming for infants through pre-K—directly comparable service model to The Nurturing Nest but at national scale with institutional back-office.

Regional players

• Child Development Schools (CDS): Mid-size Northeast U.S. operator of licensed early learning centers with play-based, state-aligned curricula for infants through pre-K. Comparably sized to The Nurturing Nest and serves an overlapping private-pay parent demographic in the same regional geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nurturingnestct
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-nurturing-nest-and-early-learning-center

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The Nurturing Nest and Early Learning Center