The acquisition of the 12 nurseries - eight of which are branded Caring Daycare, a further three Major Minor Nurseries and one under the name of Noah’s Ark - adds a further 800 places to the group.
Busy Bees will now provide care for more than 21,000 children at 238 settings, employing more than 7,600 staff.
The deal follows the acquistion of Kinder Nurseries by Busy Bees in March, a group of 12 nurseries and nine out-of-school clubs in Kent.
Caring Daycare was set up by Peter Churchley in 1989. The nurseries, most of which are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, are based in Camberley, Dorking, Godalming, Guildford, Haslemere, Midhurst, Petworth and Woking in Surrey. Two of the settings are in children’s centres.
Marg Randles, managing director of Busy Bees, said, ‘We are delighted to welcome Caring Daycare, Major Minor and Noah’s Arc nurseries into the Busy Bees family and really look forward to being part of their future.
‘It is an absolute pleasure to work with such experienced managers and devoted staff teams.
‘We will continue to work closely with the management team to ensure the handover is as seamless as possible for the children, parents and staff.’
Peter Churchley, former owner of Caring Daycare Nurseries, said, ‘After 14 years we feel the time is right to let the business continue its development within a larger professional organisation which will support the nurseries’ rise to the next level.
'We have chosen Busy Bees because, despite the number of nurseries they own, they are still managed on a day-to-day basis by members of the founding families, 30 years on. This ensures a genuine and sincere commitment to delivering the highest possible standards of childcare. Busy Bees has character and integrity and we are confident that they will support you in delivering outstanding childcare, education and family services.’
