The Growing Room

What The Growing Room does

The Growing Room, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned early childhood education operator headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1998 by current CEO Missy Griffin. The company runs a play-based, mixed-age preschool program serving children ages 2.5 to 5 years across five Cincinnati-area campuses (Oakley, Madeira, Montgomery, plus admin offices), using a proprietary "Meaningful Curriculum" designed in-house around student interests, integrated topics, and a documented Wall of Wonder inquiry system, with an approximate 14:2 student-teacher ratio.

The core product is TGR Preschool, offered in flexibly combinable AM (8:30–11:30am) and PM (12:00–3:00pm) sessions with full-time and part-time options, and extended with usage-based add-ons: Early Bird ($10/session, 7:30–8:30am), Lunch Bunch ($5, 11:30am–12pm), and Stay & Play ($10/hour, 3:00–5:00pm). In 2025 the company launched TGR Nursery School, a separate sub-brand for the youngest learners, with the Oakley site live and a Montgomery location scheduled for July 2026. Operating technology is light by design: a Wix-hosted marketing site, Google Forms for open enrollment and the waitlist, the Brightwheel parent communication app, and Parent Portal/Family QR Code for enrolled families; no proprietary software, app, API, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

The business model is direct-to-consumer recurring tuition, with usage-based fees for extended-day add-ons and one-time purchases on TGR-branded merchandise (youth apparel $20, t-shirts $20–$30, denim shirts $35). Enrollment runs annually starting January 12 with registration closing April 1. The Love Grows Program, a core strategic partnership in which the company's Executive Director also serves as LGP's Executive Director, extends a tuition-free seat plus wraparound services (resource pantry, speech/language evaluation, transportation, school social worker, emergency financial aid) to families at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Line. Customer segments are exclusively Cincinnati-area families with children ages 2.5–5 (plus a sub-2.5 segment via the Nursery School), and full-time and AM preschool are currently waitlisted, indicating demand exceeds current capacity at posted pricing.

Name

The Growing Room

Legal name

The Growing Room, Inc.

Website

https://thegrowingroompreschool.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Growing Room is a Cincinnati private preschool operator serving children ages 2.5 to 5 across five campuses using a proprietary Meaningful Curriculum and mixed-age classroom model. The family-owned company runs extended-day programs, branded merchandise, and a tuition-free Love Grows Program for low-income families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL), Play-Based Early Learning Academies (EDACADAE), Nursery School Programs (2–4 Years) (EDACACAB)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Preschool programs
• Mixed-age classrooms
• Play-based learning
• Childcare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Preschool Tuition: Full-time and part-time preschool programs for children ages 2.5-5 years. AM Preschool (8:30-11:30am) and PM Preschool (12:00-3:00pm) sessions that can be combined flexibly.
2. Extended Day Programs: Early Bird (7:30-8:30am, $10), Lunch Bunch (11:30-12pm, $5), and Stay & Play (3:00-5:00pm, $10/hour) programs to extend preschool day.
3. Merchandise/Swag Sales: TGR-branded merchandise including t-shirts, long sleeves, and apparel sold through the website. Prices range from $20-$35.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Growing Room operates a multi-campus early childhood education program for children ages 2.5 to 5 years, using a proprietary play-based, mixed-age curriculum with a roughly 14:2 student-teacher ratio. The company also runs TGR Nursery School for younger learners and the tuition-free Love Grows Program, which pairs preschool access with wraparound services for low-income families.

Product overview

The Growing Room Preschool operates a multi-location early childhood education platform offering mixed-age preschool programs for children ages 2.5 to 5 years. The core product is TGR Preschool with flexible scheduling (AM/PM sessions, full-time/part-time options), supplemented by extended day programs (Early Bird, Lunch Bunch, Stay and Play). The organization has expanded to include TGR Nursery School (launched 2025) serving younger learners, and The Love Grows Program providing tuition-free access to families facing financial hardship. The company serves families across multiple Cincinnati-area campuses (Oakley, Madeira, Montgomery) with a branded merchandise line (TGR Swag).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Love Grows Program: A tuition-free preschool program partnering with TGR for families 200% below the Federal Poverty Line with additional risk factors, providing free high quality early childhood education with wraparound services.
• TGR Nursery School

Products and services

• TGR Preschool
• TGR Nursery School
• The Love Grows Program
• TGR Swag (Branded Merchandise)

Quantifiable outcome

• Student/teacher ratio of approximately 14:2
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Love Grows Program (thelovegrowsprogram.org)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Tuition-free preschool program partnering with TGR for families 200% below the Federal Poverty Line with additional risk factors. The program provides free high-quality early childhood education plus wraparound services facilitated by school social worker including on-site resource pantry, free Speech Language evaluation and intervention services, free transportation, parent support services, and emergency financial support. TGR Executive Director Maggie Welt serves as Executive Director of LGP.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Gardner School: Premium multi-site preschool operator with low student-teacher ratios and a play-based, academically-oriented curriculum for ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Compares directly to TGR in mixed-age, curriculum-driven preschool delivery and a similar premium positioning for working families.
• Children's Lighthouse: Multi-site preschool and early childhood education brand with proprietary curriculum, mixed-age classrooms, and a focus on social-emotional development. Directly comparable to TGR in operating model and curriculum philosophy, though primarily franchise-based.
• Guidepost Montessori: Multi-site Montessori-inspired preschool and early childhood education operator with proprietary curriculum and mixed-age classrooms. Closely comparable to TGR's mixed-age, play-based, mentor-driven model, though serving a more Montessori-specific pedagogical niche.
• Crème de la Crème: Premium multi-site preschool operator with proprietary curriculum and high staff-to-child ratios. Comparable to TGR as a multi-campus private preschool with extended-day programming and a curated curriculum, serving affluent suburban families.

Broad incumbents

• Cadence Education: Large PE-backed operator of early childhood education centers across multiple U.S. brands. Comparable to TGR as a multi-site preschool platform and is actively involved in rollup consolidation of independents like TGR.
• New Horizon Academy: Family-owned multi-site preschool and child care operator serving infants through pre-K with proprietary curriculum. Comparable to TGR as a long-standing, family-led multi-site preschool brand with comparable age range and program structure.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Public, large-scale provider of early education and child care including employer-sponsored centers and standalone preschools. Comparable to TGR as a multi-site preschool operator with a play-based, curriculum-driven approach, though it operates at vastly larger scale and serves corporate clients.
• KinderCare Learning Companies: One of the largest private early childhood education providers in the U.S., offering infant care through pre-K and before/after-school programs. Comparable to TGR in core service (multi-site preschool with mixed-age classrooms) but substantially larger and more geographically diversified.
• The Learning Experience: National franchised preschool and daycare operator with a proprietary curriculum serving infants through pre-K. Comparable to TGR in multi-site private preschool delivery and curriculum-driven positioning, though at larger franchise scale.
• Primrose Schools: National franchised preschool and early childhood education operator with a Balanced Learning curriculum across hundreds of campuses. Directly comparable to TGR in offering play-based, structured preschool for ages 2.5-5 but with a far larger, franchise-driven footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thegrowingroompreschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/thegrowingroompreschool/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Growing Room