Thinking of selling your childcare business? Unlock its value with our expert advice

Ireland’s early learning and childcare sector is going through the biggest ownership shift in its history. Ireland has over 4,000 registered early learning and childcare services and between 70% and 80% of them are family businesses built up over years by people who answered a need in their community rather than set out to build an institutional-scale operation. 

That fragmentation has become an investment opportunity. Consolidation is underway and every signal points to it accelerating. The question for owners isn’t whether consolidation will reach their corner of the market - it’s whether they’ll be in a position to negotiate from strength when it does. 

Consolidators ascribe value to sentiment; they price identifiable risks and strengths. Owners who achieve superior outcomes are those who proactively address these areas well in advance of engaging with potential buyers. 

The most useful thing many owners can do isn’t to put their business on the market tomorrow. It’s to find out, confidentially and without obligation, what a buyer would actually see if they looked at the business today and what could be done over the next year or two to materially improve that picture. 

HLB assists owner operators understand key areas such as compliance and registration history, regulatory readiness, revenue composition, property and lease structure, staffing and ratios, occupancy and age-mix, and founder dependence.  

We recently advised on the deal the sector now uses as its benchmark, giving us a clear, experience-led understanding of how buyers assess and execute deals in the ELC sector.  

We understand the Core Funding model, the ERO wage structure, Tusla compliance frameworks, and how policy changes flow through to valuation. 

Start the Conversation 

Whether you are actively exploring a sale, weighing up succession options, or just want an honest read on where your business stands against what buyers are looking for, reach out to Eoghan Briody at [email protected] to have a confidential conversation.

To learn more about how we can support you, visit our Early Learning & Childcare page.