A school holiday club provider is expanding into early years after acquiring a nursery.
Bee Active plans to grow Raindrops Nursery following the purchase, which will include more jobs and an improved offer for parents and children.
Raindrops currently has two settings in Knypersley, near Biddulph, – a nursery and a preschool – accommodating approximately 50 children.
Both sites will continue to operate and whilst some staffing changes have taken place, the majority of the 11 Raindrops staff members are staying on.
Bee Active CEO Ben Mills said: “Bee Active have worked closely with Raindrops for a number of years and when the owner reached out about their plans to explore pastures new, we felt it was a fantastic opportunity that was not to be missed.
“We know that a high-quality early years education has a profound positive impact on children’s development in later life.
“This acquisition is an exciting new chapter for Bee Active and compliments our vision of helping every child in Stoke-on-Trent to be healthy, happy and active for life.”
He added: “We aim to provide amazing experiences and an outstanding education to the children in our care, developing independent, resilient, lifelong learners.
“Our core offer will centre around developing positive outcomes for children’s wellbeing, physical and mental health and embedding healthy lifestyle choices from an early age.
“We have lots of exciting future plans to enhance the offer for parents and boost the experience for children.
“In the next 12 to 18 months we will be investing in extensive renovations of both sites, developing a fresh new curriculum, and strengthening knowledge, skills, and daily practice.”
Bee Active, based in Tunstall, in Stoke-on-Trent, was started by Ben and his brother Bobby in 2013 and employs over 30 people as well as having a bank of casual staff members.
The company runs school holiday clubs across North Staffordshire and South Cheshire and also operates after school sports clubs, before and after school care clubs, runs football coaching, provides PE lessons to children and gentle exercise sessions for older people.
Anyone interested in working at the early years settings should email [email protected] with a CV and cover letter.