The Curiosity Approach

What The Curiosity Approach does

The Curiosity Approach, founded in 2017 in Birmingham, UK, is a privately held early childhood education company that develops and distributes a naturalistic, play-based pedagogical methodology and a related suite of products and services to nurseries, childminders, and early-years educators. The company is bootstrapped, with an 8-person team, and operates a multi-product model combining recurring subscriptions with transactional events, courses, books, and merchandise. Marketing references a "worldwide" customer footprint although the operating base is UK-anchored.

The product stack is anchored by Curiosity Crib (CRIB), a monthly membership subscription at £7 (individual) and £27 (team) price points, complemented by the higher-value Accreditation Masterplan (a structured certification program for nurseries), The Academy on the Thinkific learning platform, The Lounge community platform built on Passion.io, the ScoreApp-powered Curious Score Card Quiz used as a lead-generation funnel, the physical Curious Magazine, a catalogue of published methodology books, and Discovery Sessions plus events. Distribution is reinforced by a Brand Ambassador Network that convenes 200+ meetings per month. The company holds the registered UK trademark "The Curiosity Approach®."

The business model draws revenue from six streams: (1) CRIB subscription (recurring), (2) Accreditation Program enrolment and renewal fees (recurring), (3) Academy course tuition (recurring/transactional), (4) paid Discovery Sessions and in-person events (transactional), (5) book and merchandise sales (one-time transactional), and (6) brand-licensing positioning via the trademark. Customers are predominantly SMB-segment early-years settings — a fragmented, price-sensitive long tail — acquired primarily through content marketing, ambassador networks, and quiz-driven funnel mechanics rather than enterprise sales.

Name

The Curiosity Approach

Legal name

The Curiosity Approach Limited

Website

https://thecuriosityapproach.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Curiosity Approach is a UK-based early childhood education company providing a naturalistic play-based pedagogical methodology, accreditation program, and subscription content to nurseries, childminders, and early-years educators via a bootstrapped multi-product platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription - Curiosity Crib: Monthly recurring subscription providing access to digital resources, community, and inspiration library. Individual plan at £7/month and Team plan at £27/month for 5 members.
2. Accreditation Programme: Comprehensive self-reflection toolkit and coaching programme for Early Childhood settings seeking accreditation. Includes monthly coaching sessions, masterclasses, and access to implementation resources.
3. Events and Discovery Sessions: Revenue from ticketed discovery sessions and network events facilitated by Brand Ambassadors across the UK.
4. Academy Courses: Online training courses delivered through Thinkific platform, including practitioner courses, mini courses, and team gatherings for professional development.
5. Books and Publications: Sale of books including 'The Curiosity Approach' published on Amazon UK.
6. Merchandise: Curiosity Shop selling branded merchandise through CosyDirect platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Curiosity Approach sells a registered Modern Day Pedagogy framework for early childhood education, packaged as a subscription digital resource library (Curiosity Crib), a structured Accreditation Masterplan with coaching and masterclasses, online training courses (Academy), published books, a physical magazine, and ticketed community events. Customers are primarily nurseries, preschools, and childminders across the UK seeking to implement curiosity-led, authentic-resource learning environments.

Product overview

The Curiosity Approach is a modern-day pedagogical framework for Early Years education focused on curiosity, creativity, and holistic child development. The company operates as a multi-product training and resource business, combining an online learning platform with subscription content, formal accreditation, community events, and published media. The core product portfolio includes: The Academy (hosted on Thinkific) delivering online courses and professional development; The Curiosity Crib, a subscription-based digital resource library with 28 portals and team access plans; the Accreditation Masterplan, a structured self-reflection toolkit with coaching, masterclasses, and community access; Mini Courses and Practitioner Courses for individual professional development; The Lounge (Pocket-Size Training) for on-demand bite-sized CPD; and Curious Magazine and published books as physical media. The company also runs monthly Brand Ambassador Discovery Sessions across the UK (200+ meetings annually) and offers a Curious Score Card quiz for self-assessment. Pricing is anchored on the CRIB subscription starting at £7/month for individual educators, with team plans at £27/month and intake-limited accreditation enrollment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Curiosity Crib: A subscription service providing 24/7 access to resources, downloads, inspiration and community for early years educators. Plans start from £7/month.
• The Curiosity Approach Academy
• The Lounge
• Curiosity Approach Network

Products and services

• The Curiosity Crib (CRIB) Subscription Subscription-based digital resource library providing 28 portals of downloadable resources, inspiration, CATV video series, Mindful Practitioner content, and a private members-only community for early years settings. CRIB Individual is priced at £7/month and CRIB Team at £27/month for up to 5 team members, with a 30-day free trial.
• Accreditation Masterplan Comprehensive self-reflection toolkit and accreditation journey for Early Childhood settings seeking to embed a culture of Curiosity, Awe, and Wonder. Includes monthly coaching sessions, monthly masterclasses with live clarity sessions, a resource vault, access to a private Facebook community, a year's worth of team meetings, and a 26-week implementation plan. Enrollment is limited to specific intake periods.
• The Academy (Online Learning Platform) The primary learning management system for The Curiosity Approach, hosted on Thinkific. Delivers online courses including Mini Courses, Practitioner Courses, Team Gatherings, and Pocket-Size Training for early years professionals.
• Mini Courses Entry-level online courses hosted on The Academy for individuals new to The Curiosity Approach or those beginning the accreditation journey. Suitable for early years educators and childminders seeking an introduction to the pedagogical framework.
• Practitioner Course Professional development course for individual early childhood educators to adopt a growth mindset and reflect on their current practice within Early Years. Completed through The Academy on Thinkific.
• The Curiosity Approach Books Published books by co-founders Lyndsey Hellyn and Stephanie Bennett providing guidance and tools for bringing The Curiosity Approach to early years settings. Available for purchase on Amazon UK.
• Curious Magazine Physical magazine publication for Early Years settings featuring resources, ideas, and editorial content aligned with The Curiosity Approach methodology.
• Events and Discovery Sessions Monthly networking meetings (minimum 10 per year) for early years practitioners run by Brand Ambassadors across the UK, alongside ticketed Discovery Sessions (in-person and online via Zoom) covering topics such as Zen environments, priced individually (e.g. £10.50 per ticket inclusive of VAT).
• The Lounge (Pocket-Size Training) On-demand, bite-sized professional development training modules accessible through the subscription platform, covering topics such as 'Getting Staff Outdoors' as a one-hour Team Gathering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Settings have achieved outstanding Ofsted results with the Curiosity Approach supporting their practice

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ThinkificcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party LMS platform used to deliver The Curiosity Approach Academy online courses, mini courses, and team training programmes. Provides course delivery infrastructure for professional development offerings.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tapestry: Tapestry is a UK-based online learning journey platform for early years settings, directly comparable to The Curiosity Approach as digital infrastructure used by nurseries and childminders to document and share children's development.
• ParentZone: ParentZone is a UK parent engagement and early years content platform that connects parents with nurseries, comparable to The Curiosity Approach's parent-facing resources and accredited-setting directory.
• Famly: Famly is a childcare management and parent engagement platform serving nurseries and preschools, overlapping with The Curiosity Approach in providing digital tools and subscriptions targeted at UK early years settings.
• Reggio Children: Reggio Children is the official Italian organisation promoting the Reggio Emilia approach internationally, directly comparable as the originating body for the pedagogical framework The Curiosity Approach synthesises.
• HighScope UK: HighScope UK delivers an alternative active participatory pedagogy with training and accreditation for early years settings, directly comparable to The Curiosity Approach's Reggio-inspired accreditation programme model.
• Montessori Foundation / AMI: AMI is the global association for Montessori education, providing training, accreditation, and resources for early years settings and practitioners — a comparable alternative-pedagogy training and certification model.

Broad incumbents

• PACEY: PACEY is a UK professional association for childcare practitioners offering training, development, and member resources, serving a similar practitioner base to The Curiosity Approach's individual educator audience.
• NDNA (National Day Nurseries Association): NDNA is the UK membership body for nurseries offering training, resources, and accreditation-style programmes, comparable to The Curiosity Approach as a broader early years training and support provider.
• Early Years Foundation Stage (DfE/Foundation Years): The official UK EYFS framework and supporting resources provide statutory guidance for early years settings, representing the dominant alternative pedagogy framework against which The Curiosity Approach positions itself.

Regional players

• Helen Doron Early English: Helen Doron operates a franchised early years English learning programme with structured curricula and teacher accreditation, comparable as an early years methodology franchise with subscription-style training programmes, though focused on language learning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses6 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/curiosityapproach
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-curiosity-approach

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 Curiosity Approach