NeighborSchools, a startup on a mission to put a home daycare on every block, has been acquired.
The Boston-based startup, which helps childhood educators open and manage licensed, micro-daycares in their homes, announced it was acquired by Higher Ground Education Inc. Thursday morning. The companies did not disclose the terms of the deal.
Higher Ground owns and operates over 100 Montessori schools serving more than 10,000 students from infancy through adolescence. During the pandemic, Higher Ground launched digital offerings like virtual school, a homeschooling platform and a nanny placement service.
Higher Ground’s acquisition of NeighborSchools will allow the company to pilot what it calls a new “hub and spoke” model. The company plans to expand its infant classrooms per school by opening certified “micro-schools” in nearby homes.
Brian Swartz, CEO and co-founder of NeighborSchools, said Ray Girn, founder and CEO of Higher Ground, came to them with a vision that combined the two companies' approaches.
“His comment was, what if we could, together, find a way to create kind of like satellite classrooms — licensed, home-based programs, exactly what NeighborSchools does — that act like partnership schools to our brick and mortar Guidepost centers,” Swartz said.
Higher Ground’s preschools operate under the Guidepost brand, Swartz said.
“These micro-schools effectively expand the size of that school and then leverage the expertise of that head of school. Leverage this amazing facility, whether it’s the playground or a gross motor skills area. Allow parents to come together and meet as one community,” Swartz said.
When children are ready to move up from infant home-based care, they can graduate into Higher Ground’s established preschools, Swartz said.
Swartz said the demand for infant and toddler care is “through the roof.” Creating more home-based programs helps meet some of this need.
Higher Ground is piloting this approach in Marlborough, Massachusetts; Austin, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Burke, Virginia.
Swartz said he and co-founders Bridget Garsh and Cedric McDougal will continue working as part of Higher Ground. Garsh will help lead the new “hub and spoke” approach, and McDougal and Swartz are working in product and engineering at the parent company.
The acquisition did include layoffs, but Swartz declined to say how many NeighborSchools employees were impacted. He said the remaining team members are now part of the remote-first Higher Ground team.
Earlier this year, NeighborSchools raised a $5 million early-stage funding round. This funding was led by Accomplice with participation from Chelsea Clinton's Metrodora Ventures, HannahGrey and 186 Ventures.
