Imagine Childcare Limited

What Imagine Childcare Limited does

Imagine Childcare Limited is a privately held, dual-site early childhood education provider operating in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, since opening its flagship centre at 77 Hutt Road, Petone on 13 July 2012. The company is owned by Julie Kydd and Kay McAlwee (Owner/Managers) with Mike Heath handling the business side and Sheryl McKnight managing the Petone site, employing approximately 18 staff across both centres. It delivers three age-segmented programmes — Infants (6–18 months), Toddlers (18 months–3 years), and Preschoolers (3–5 years) — under the New Zealand Te Whariki curriculum, with a stated emphasis on whanaungatanga (relationships), natural outdoor environments, and sustainability education.

The business operates two Ministry of Education–licensed physical centres with a combined licensed capacity of 67 children: 47 places at Petone (including 14 places for under-2s) and 20 places at Alicetown. Both centres operate 7.30am–5.30pm Monday to Friday, with excursions into the local community (library, supermarket, Mitre10, Te Papa). Curriculum differentiation rests on small group sizes, high teacher-to-child ratios, fully qualified registered teachers, an on-site chef, and a nature-based outdoor environment incorporating vegetable gardens, worm farms, and rainwater collection. The company has also produced two curriculum-extension publications: Pito-one – Our Wild and Beautiful Beach (a paid picture book at NZ$20) and Priscilla's Recipe Book (a free downloadable PDF).

The revenue model is built on a recurring weekly billing cadence combining Ministry of Education government funding (30 hours per week per enrolled child under the 20 Hours ECE subsidy and additional ECE funding) with parent fees for hours beyond the subsidised entitlement. WINZ subsidies are accepted for eligible families, and part-time enrolments are available at a minimum of two days per week. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer via the centre's website, Facebook, and Twitter, supplemented by word-of-mouth referrals and community engagement rather than paid advertising. No external funding, partnerships, or M&A activity are disclosed.

Name

Imagine Childcare Limited

Legal name

Imagine Childcare

Website

https://imaginechildcare.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Imagine Childcare Limited operates two Ministry of Education–licensed early childhood education centres in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, serving up to 67 children aged 6 months to 5 years through age-segmented programmes funded by government subsidies and parent fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education and Childcare Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Educational Services (611)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA), Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD), Infant-Focused Childcare Centers (EDACAAAF)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Childcare centre services
• Preschool programmes
• Infant daycare
• Toddler education

Headquarters

HQ city

Lower Hutt

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Receives Ministry of Education government funding for 30 hours per week per enrolled child. This is the primary revenue stream for early childhood education operations in New Zealand.
2. Parent Fees: Parents pay fees for care beyond government-funded hours. Offers part-time places (minimum 2 days per week, 6 hours per day) and limited 9-3 options. WINZ subsidies available for eligible families.
3. Book Sales: Sells published books including Pito-one - Our Wild and Beautiful Beach at $20 per copy to families and the community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Imagine Childcare Limited operates two licensed early childhood education centres in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, delivering age-segmented full-day programmes for children from 6 months to 5 years old. The core offering consists of three programmes (Infants 6-18 months, Toddlers 18 months-3 years, Preschoolers 3-5 years), built on the Te Whariki curriculum with emphasis on whanaungatanga, small group sizes, and a natural outdoor learning environment, supported by Ministry of Education government funding and parent fees.

Product overview

Imagine Childcare operates as a dual-site early childhood education centre offering age-specific programmes for children from 6 months to 5 years. The centre provides three core educational programmes segmented by age group: Infants (6-18 months), Toddlers (18 months-3 years), and Preschoolers (3-5 years). In addition to its core childcare services, the centre has developed complementary products including Priscilla's Recipe Book (a free downloadable cookbook) and Pito-one – Our Wild and Beautiful Beach (a published picture book available for purchase). The Hutt Road location in Petone accommodates children from 6 months to 5 years, while the Burnham Street location in Alicetown serves children aged 2 to 5 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Small group sizes and high teacher-to-child ratio for secure attachments and more learning opportunities
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Goodstart Early Learning: Australia's largest not-for-profit early learning provider with 670+ centres. Comparable as a large-scale ECE operator serving the same 0–5 age segment under similar government-subsidised funding models, providing a regional benchmark for ECE scale economics.
• Guardian Childcare & Education: Listed Australian ECE operator running premium childcare centres across major metro markets. Comparable as a multi-site, government-subsidy-dependent ECE operator serving infants through preschoolers with curriculum-led positioning.
• Only About Children: Australian premium ECE and early learning operator with multiple campuses. Comparable as a multi-site, premium-positioned ECE provider with similar age-segment structure and curriculum-led differentiation strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Busy Bees: International early childhood education provider with a New Zealand footprint, operating licensed centres serving infants through preschoolers. Comparable as a large incumbent in the same MoE-regulated category, though with broader geographic and corporate reach.

Direct peers

• Porse: NZ in-home and centre-based ECE provider offering nanny and educator-led early childhood education. Comparable as a NZ ECE operator serving the same 0–5 age group under government ECE funding, though with a different delivery model (home-based vs centre-based).
• BestStart: Largest private ECE provider in New Zealand, operating hundreds of childcare centres nationwide under the same Ministry of Education-funded model. Comparable as the multi-site incumbent that Imagine Childcare would compete with for parent enrolments and educator talent in the Wellington region.
• Lollipops Educare: NZ-based ECE brand under Evolve Education Group operating licensed centres nationwide. Directly comparable on service model, age segments, and reliance on MoE 20 Hours ECE funding.
• Evolve Education Group: NZ-based listed ECE operator (NZX) running multiple branded centre networks including Lollipops, EduKids, and Porse. Directly comparable as a multi-site licensed ECE operator serving similar age groups under the same MoE 20 Hours ECE subsidy regime.
• Kindercare Learning Centres: Established NZ ECE operator with multiple centres across the country providing full-day and sessional care for infants through preschoolers. Comparable as a multi-site, government-funded ECE competitor with overlapping curriculum and age-segment focus.

Emerging players

• KidsCountry: NZ-based smaller ECE operator with multiple centres focused on play-based learning. Comparable to Imagine Childcare as a similarly scaled, philosophy-led ECE operator competing in adjacent Wellington region catchments.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ImagineChild
• Facebookfacebook.com/ImagineChildcare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imagine-childcare

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Imagine Childcare Limited