"In 2008, new parent Clare Roberts was struggling to find a suitable nursery, so she opened her own, Kids Planet. Right from the start, she knew that an engaged team would be critical for success, particularly in a sector with historically low pay and-as anyone who's tried to look after more than two children at once can attest-high stress."
"The nursery did well, so Kids Planet began to expand. There were 16 sites in 2016, when Roberts first took minority private equity funding from BGF, later selling a majority stake to Fremman in 2021, remaining as CEO. Since then, the chain-she prefers 'family'-has grown to 252 sites around the U.K., primarily through acquisition."
""Values are a bit like campfire stories - if you're not careful, they get really diluted. And, they're not at the forefront of what everyone's goals and aims are," says Roberts. "So we did quite a big piece of work a few years ago, where we tried to get our values into a place that was easily recognizable for colleagues.""
Clare Roberts founded Kids Planet in 2008 after struggling to find suitable childcare, prioritizing an engaged team in a low-pay, high-stress sector. The business grew to 16 sites by 2016 after minority investment from BGF, and Roberts sold a majority stake to Fremman in 2021 while remaining CEO. Growth accelerated largely through acquisitions to reach 252 U.K. sites. Maintaining a consistent culture across many acquired nurseries posed a significant challenge. Roberts anchored culture in clear values and developed the CARE framework—Community, A safe place, Reflective, Excellent—to make values recognizable and sustain employee engagement. Kids Planet features on Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For - Europe 2025.
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