Bush Babies Childcare

What Bush Babies Childcare does

Bush Babies Childcare is a family-owned early childhood education and care provider operating from a small acreage site at 89–91 Rickard Road in Warrimoo, in the Lower Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. The business was founded in January 1992 by Cheryl and Ian Cruwys and is now operated by their children, Robyn Hayward (Owner/Nominated Supervisor/Childcare Director) and Jim Cruwys (Owner/Business Manager), following a leadership succession in 2024. The main centre offers licensed long day care for children aged 0 to school age across two rooms — the Blossom Room (0–3 years, capacity 19) and the Gumnut Room (3–5 years, capacity 20) — operating 7am–6pm, 50 weeks per year, with all meals and materials included in fees.

The company's service stack combines core long day care and preschool programming with differentiated educational offerings, including a Little Scientists-certified STEM curriculum and a Bush Kindy nature-immersion program, delivered using a Beam Mobile Interactive Projector and supported by an outdoor environment the operator describes as the largest in the Blue Mountains. Operational technology is standard third-party childcare SaaS: OWNA handles enrolments, waitlist management, daily reporting and development tracking, and KinderM8 is used for parent communication. The business has expanded its footprint beyond the main centre through two Out-of-School Hours (OOSH) services — at Warrimoo Public School since 2018 and at Wycliffe Public School from 28 July 2025.

Revenue is generated through subscription-style recurring childcare and OOSH fees billed weekly, with eligible families receiving the Australian Government's Child Care Subsidy (CCS) automatically applied. The company is an approved CCS provider. Acquisition is predominantly direct-to-consumer via a waitlist system, with marketing relying on 30+ years of community reputation and word-of-mouth in the Lower Blue Mountains rather than formal digital channels. Bush Babies is privately held with no external investors, no subsidiaries, and no parent company.

Name

Bush Babies Childcare

Legal name

Bush Babies Childcare

Website

https://bushbabieschildcare.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Bush Babies Childcare is a family-owned early childhood education and care provider in Warrimoo, NSW, delivering long day care and preschool for 0–5 year-olds plus before- and after-school OOSH care at two local public schools to families in the Lower Blue Mountains.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Childcare Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDACAAAA

Full-Day Childcare Centers

Education/Early Childhood Education/Daycare & Childcare Centers

SECONDARYEDACAHAB

Extended Day Programs at Preschools & Childcare Centers

Education/Early Childhood Education/Before & After School Care (Early Years)

SECONDARYEDACAAAG

Toddler-Focused Childcare Centers

Education/Early Childhood Education/Daycare & Childcare Centers

Keywords

• Long day care
• Early childhood education
• Before after school care
• Preschool programs
• Childcare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Warrimoo

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Childcare Fees: Long day childcare fees charged to families for children aged 0 to school age. Families may receive Child Care Subsidy (CCS) government assistance which is automatically applied to fees. All meals and materials are included in fees.
2. Before and After School Care (OOSH): Out-of-school hours care services operating at Warrimoo Public School and Wycliffe Public School for school-aged children from Kindergarten to Year 6.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bush Babies Childcare operates a licensed long day care centre for children aged 0-5 across two age-specific rooms (Blossom Room 0-3 years, capacity 19; Gumnut Room 3-5 years, capacity 20), supplemented by before and after school care (OOSH) at Warrimoo Public School and Wycliffe Public School. All meals and learning materials are included in fees, with the Australian Government Child Care Subsidy (CCS) automatically applied for eligible families. Differentiated curriculum includes Bush Kindy nature immersion, Little Scientists STEM certification, and a Beam interactive floor projection system.

Product overview

Bush Babies Childcare operates as a multi-service early childhood education and care provider consisting of a main childcare centre with two age-specific rooms (Blossom Room for 0-3 years and Gumnut Room for 3-5 years), supplemented by before and after school care services at two school sites (OOSH @ Warrimoo and OOSH @ Wycliffe). The core offering includes long day care with integrated preschool programming, enhanced by specialized programs such as Little Scientists (STEM education) and Bush Kindy (nature-based learning). Supporting services include waitlist management through OWNA, parent communication via KinderM8 app, and meal provision. The company transitioned to family ownership under Robyn Hayward and Jim Cruwys in 2024, continuing a legacy of care established in 1992.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Long Day Care (Blossom Room and Gumnut Room) Family-owned licensed long day care centre for children aged 0-5 years, operated Monday-Friday 7am-6pm, 50 weeks per year, with the Blossom Room (0-3 years, licensed capacity 19) and Gumnut Room (3-5 years, licensed capacity 20). All meals and learning materials included in fees; eligible families receive the Australian Government Child Care Subsidy (CCS) automatically applied. Targeted at working and studying families in the Lower Blue Mountains.
• Blossom Room (0-3 years)

Quantifiable outcome

• Many children leave Bush Babies able to ride a two-wheel bike independently and confidently
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wycliffe Public SchoolcoreOthers · 28 July 2025Wycliffe Public School approached Robyn and Jim to take over the Out-of-School Hours Care service at their school. The service commenced operation on 28 July 2025 (Term 3, Week 1), providing care for school-aged children.
• Warrimoo Public SchoolcoreOthers · 1 January 2018Bush Babies took over operations of the OOSH service at Warrimoo Public School in 2018, at the request of the Department of Education. The service provides before and after school care for children from the school, operating from the school site.
• Little ScientistsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBush Babies is a Little Scientists Certified Childcare Centre, meaning educators have participated in specialized professional learning to support children's natural curiosity through STEM education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Goodstart Early Learning: Australia's largest not-for-profit early childhood education provider with ~660 centres. Comparable because it offers long day care and preschool for the same 0-5 segment, but at national scale rather than a single-region family operation.
• G8 Education: ASX-listed operator of ~400+ childcare centres across Australia (including brands like Affinity, Guardian, Only About Children). Comparable long day care and preschool offering; differs by being publicly listed and multi-state.
• Affinity Education: Operates a national network of ~200 childcare centres offering long day care and preschool. Same core product set as Bush Babies (0-5 day care with kindergarten program), but at corporate scale.
• Guardian Childcare & Education: Premium-positioned Australian childcare and early learning operator with multiple centres. Comparable curriculum-led, fee-for-service positioning vs Bush Babies' nature/STEM-led premium niche in the Blue Mountains.
• Only About Children: Integrated early learning, preschool and health/wellness services across NSW and VIC centres. Comparable because it targets a similar premium-parent segment with bundled day care + preschool, though at multi-site scale.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Global early education and childcare operator (US-listed). Directly comparable core product (long day care, preschool, employer-supported childcare) but at vastly larger scale and with broader geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• TheirCare: Specialist Australian before- and after-school care (OOSH) provider operating across hundreds of school sites. Directly comparable to Bush Babies OOSH @ Warrimoo and OOSH @ Wycliffe on the OOSH-only product, with much broader geographic reach.
• Kids Club OSHC: Operates before- and after-school care programs at Australian primary schools. Closely comparable on the OOSH sub-product Bush Babies runs at Warrimoo and Wycliffe Public Schools.
• Explore & Develop: Premium Australian long day care and preschool operator with a curriculum-led brand. Comparable on the integrated 0-5 long day care + preschool structure, with differentiation through a play-based and STEM-aligned curriculum similar to Bush Babies.
• Camp Australia: Leading Australian provider of before-, after-school and vacation care programs at primary schools. Directly comparable to Bush Babies' OOSH @ Warrimoo and OOSH @ Wycliffe on the school-based OSHC sub-product.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bush-babies-childcare-pty-ltd

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Bush Babies Childcare