choicekids

What choicekids does

Busy Bees Aotearoa is a New Zealand-based early childhood education (ECE) provider operating more than 80 licensed centres across the country under multiple brands, including Busy Bees, House of Wonder, Montessori by Busy Bees, and Little Coasties. The company delivers play-based ECE for children aged 0–6 years, with its curriculum grounded in Te Whāriki, New Zealand's national early childhood curriculum, and integrated with Te Ao Māori values of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga. Programme offerings are organized under proprietary frameworks named Bee Curious (curriculum), MOVE (physical activity), and Nourish (nutrition, with bi-annual menus co-developed with registered dietitian Julia Scott), and centres communicate learning documentation to parents through the Storypark digital platform.

The business operates on a hybrid revenue model combining parent-paid ECE fees with government subsidies, primarily the 20 Hours ECE programme and other Ministry of Education funding. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; parents engage through the discoverchildcare.co.nz enrolment platform embedded on the corporate website, with individual centres managing direct enquiries. The company maintains multi-channel marketing via website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, with word-of-mouth referrals identified as the primary customer acquisition channel. Local school partnerships (e.g., Te Mata School, Hereworth School, Havelock North Primary) support transition-to-school programmes.

The company is privately held as part of the international Busy Bees organization, combining local operational autonomy with the parent's brand, curriculum assets, and capital stability. Headquartered in Auckland (PO Box 628, Whangaparaoa), it has no disclosed funding history, M&A activity, or executive leadership team beyond centre-level managers in the source data.

Name

choicekids

Legal name

Busy Bees

Website

https://choicekids.co.nz

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Busy Bees Aotearoa operates 80+ licensed early childhood education centres across New Zealand under multiple brands, delivering play-based ECE for children aged 0–6 grounded in Te Whāriki and Te Ao Māori values. Revenue derives from parent-paid fees and government ECE subsidies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Drop-In / Flexible Childcare Centers (EDACAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Physical Activity & Motor Development Programs (Health-Focused) (EDACAMAI), School-Age Wraparound Care (Ages 3–5) (EDACAHAA)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Childcare services
• Preschool programmes
• Kindergarten education
• Infant toddler care

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Early Childhood Education Fees: Parent-paid fees for childcare and early education services at Busy Bees centres across New Zealand. Centres offer various programmes for infants, toddlers and preschoolers with varying session times.
2. Government ECE Subsidies: Centres participate in government-funded early childhood education schemes including 20 Hours ECE (20 hours of free education for eligible children) and other Ministry of Education subsidies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

choicekids provides early childhood education and childcare services for young children (infants, toddlers, and preschoolers) through a network of physical ECE centres across New Zealand. Services are delivered through age-segmented programmes built on a play-based curriculum aligned with Te Whāriki, supported by proprietary frameworks (Bee Curious, MOVE, Nourish) and dietitian-designed on-site meals. The centres participate in the New Zealand 20 Hours ECE government subsidy scheme.

Product overview

The provided source data does not contain information about a company named 'choicekids'. The sources describe 'Busy Bees Aotearoa', a New Zealand early childhood education provider operating multiple childcare centres. No product or service information for choicekids was found in the available content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bee Curious: Busy Bees Curriculum Framework designed to guide and inspire kaiako in supporting tamariki through rich, interconnected learning experiences, built on the foundation of Te Whāriki
• MOVE
• Nourish
• Busy Bees Way

Products and services

• Infant ECE Programme (0–2 years) Early childhood education and care programme for infants aged 0–2 years, focused on nurturing relationships, safe environments, and developmental activities delivered at physical ECE centres.
• Toddler Programme (2–4 years) ECE programme for toddlers aged 2–4 years that supports independence, emerging social skills, and developmental growth, delivered in-centre.
• Preschool / Kindergarten Programme (4–6 years) Kindergarten programme preparing children aged 4–6 for school transition, with focus on social competence and school readiness, delivered at ECE centres with local school transition partnerships.
• Bee Curious Curriculum Framework Proprietary curriculum framework built on the foundation of Te Whāriki that guides kaiako in supporting tamariki through rich, interconnected learning experiences across the centre network.
• MOVE Physical Activity Programme Physical activity programme delivering structured activities that build physical skills, resilience, perseverance, patience, coordination, gross-motor skills, and teamwork for children at ECE centres.
• Nourish Nutrition Programme Dietitian-designed nutrition programme providing on-site balanced meals and snacks with portion control, allergy management, and age-appropriate recipes for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, developed with registered dietitian Julia Scott.
• 20 Hours ECE Subsidised Education Participation in the New Zealand Ministry of Education 20 Hours ECE scheme, providing 20 hours of subsidised early childhood education per week for eligible children across the centre network.
• Storypark Parent Communication Service Digital communication service used by centres to share updates, pictures, and learning documentation with parents and whānau throughout a child's enrolment.
• School Transition Programme Transition-to-school programme delivered in partnership with local primary schools (e.g., Te Mata School, Hereworth School, Havelock North Primary School), allowing children to explore school environments and meet teachers before starting school.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rito Tohu Manawa Ora | Healthy Heart Award from Heart Foundation for promoting healthy food and physical activity

Named customers3 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Julia Scott (Registered Dietitian)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJulia Scott, a passionate and experienced dietitian, developed and created bi-annual childcare menus (Summer and Winter) for Busy Bees centres across Aotearoa. The Nourish programme features dietitian-designed recipes ensuring meals are delicious, nutritionally balanced, and age-appropriate for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
• Heart Foundation New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusy Bees Hastings received the Rito Tohu Manawa Ora | Healthy Heart Award from the Heart Foundation for the amazing things done to promote healthy food and physical activity, helping tamariki have healthy habits and healthy hearts for life.
• Te Mata SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal school partnership for transition to school programme at Busy Bees Havelock North, allowing children to explore school environments and meet teachers.
• Hereworth SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal school partnership for transition to school programme at Busy Bees Havelock North.
• Havelock North Primary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal school partnership for transition to school programme at Busy Bees Havelock North.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• BestStart: One of New Zealand's largest private ECE providers operating hundreds of childcare centres nationwide. Directly comparable to Busy Bees Aotearoa in operating model, government-subsidy reliance, and target families (0–6 year olds).
• Evolve Education: NZ-listed ECE operator running multiple centre brands across the country. Closest direct peer in terms of multi-brand centre portfolio, government-subsidy revenue mix, and scale comparable to Busy Bees' 80+ footprint.
• Kidsfirst: Large NZ ECE provider with a network of early learning centres. Comparable in terms of Te Whāriki-aligned curriculum, government funding participation, and 0–5 age group targeting.
• Porse Education & Training: NZ ECE provider offering both centre-based and home-based childcare and nanny services. Comparable target market (working families with young children) and recurring fee-based revenue model, though with stronger emphasis on home-based care.
• Barnardos New Zealand: Established NZ ECE provider with multiple early learning centres across the country. Comparable in operating model and subsidy reliance, though structured as a not-for-profit rather than for-profit.
• Kindercare Learning Centres: NZ-based ECE operator running a chain of childcare centres nationwide. Directly comparable in centre-based delivery, government-subsidy reliance, and 0–5 age group focus.

Broad incumbents

• Busy Bees (International): Global parent organisation operating thousands of nurseries across multiple countries. Direct parent of Busy Bees Aotearoa and source of the Bee Curious, MOVE, and Nourish curricula — relevant as the upstream platform that funds curriculum and procurement leverage.

Regional players

• G8 Education: One of Australia's largest listed ECE operators running hundreds of centres. Comparable in scale and multi-brand centre-based model, but operates in Australia rather than competing in the NZ market.
• Goodstart Early Learning: Australia's largest not-for-profit ECE provider with 600+ centres. Comparable operating model and government-subsidy reliance, but geographically confined to Australia.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Large US-listed ECE and employer-sponsored childcare operator. Comparable multi-site centre model and curriculum differentiation, though serving a different geography (predominantly US/UK).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@busybeesaotearoa
• Facebookfacebook.com/BusyBeesAotearoa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/busy-bees-aotearoa
• Instagraminstagram.com/busybeesaotearoa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 choicekids