Kids Allowed, the children’s nursery group based in Greater Manchester and Cheshire, has confirmed funding that will support the opening of two new nurseries and return the company to that of a family-owned business.
Kids Allowed, established in 2003, delivers progressive and forward-thinking childcare services with a proven track record for offering an exceptional early-years experience to children and families. The company was set up when Founder & CEO Jennie Johnson couldn’t find childcare that wowed her following the birth of her second child. So she went off and created it herself.
Across a network of eight centres, children from birth to aged 10 are provided with care, education and stimulation, including off-site visits, freshly cooked nutritious food and a unique play-based learning philosophy which makes a huge impact on thousands of children across the North West. Many of the local feeder schools are renowned for saying “you can tell a Kids Allowed child”.
Mental health activities such as yoga and happy breathing exercises are just a selection of the activities in which the children participate. There is a real focus on reducing environmental impact, with significant successes seen in reducing single use plastics. Every Kids Allowed site inspected by Ofsted has an Outstanding rating.
Triodos Bank, one of the world's leading sustainable banks, is providing part of the funding. Triodos lends solely to organisations delivering positive social, environmental or cultural impact. This is Triodos’ first multi-million pound loan in this sector.
Phillip Bate, senior relationship manager at Triodos Bank UK, said: “As a values-based bank we aim to finance organisations that promote people's quality of life. Kids Allowed is an excellent fit with our values and mission. We have been impressed by their focus on social inclusion, reducing environmental impact and providing market leading support for staff, including sick pay and private health care.”
Jennie Johnson MBE, chief executive & founder, Kids Allowed said: “Our focus continues to be on providing a unique and outstanding experience for every child as well as for parents. In order to make Kids Allowed a reality fifteen years ago, we needed investors. This new finance has enabled Kids Allowed to become a fully owned family business which has always been the intention. The Kids Allowed family are very much looking forward to the next fifteen years of “making children happy”. We have specifically chosen to work with Triodos Bank as they understand our needs and values which is fundamental to everything that Kids Allowed stands for.”
In 2017, Kids Allowed were the winner of the Manchester Evening News Business of the Year award, Nursery World’s Nursery Group of the Year and Jennie Johnson was the first female to be crowned CEO of the Year at the prestigious Private Business Awards.
-ENDS-
For more information, please contact:
Ed Grattan
T: 0117 311 0229
M: 07817 413 792
[email protected]
About Triodos Bank
Triodos Bank is a global pioneer in sustainable banking using the power of finance to invest in projects that are good for people and the planet. Triodos uses its €15.1 billion in assets to create social, environmental and cultural value in a transparent and sustainable way.
With UK operations based in Bristol, Triodos Bank has branches in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Germany and an agency in France. Globally, Triodos Bank has microfinance projects in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, and is a founding member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV), a worldwide network of 54 banks seeking to transform finance into a vehicle of positive influence.
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