The pandemic was a seismic shift for everyone, but for many parents now having to juggle childcare, schooling and work from home it was an overload. As many parents found out, it's nearly impossible to work a normal schedule while trying to feed, entertain and protect kid throughout the day. Meetings get interrupted, and meltdowns happen.
The Haven Collection was ahead of the curve in recognizing the need, not just for childcare, but comprehensive family care when they opened in Middletown, RI in 2019. Known then as the Coggeshall Club, the company became the first licensed daycare in the United States to offer unlimited use of workspaces and an onsite gym. Founder Britt Riley said after rounds of closures and reopenings due to COVID, the company is now running both the original out of Middletown and a new location in Gladstone, New Jersey, which opened in 2021.
This week, the company announced it had closed its seed round, raising $2.6 million from six investors. According to Riley, the funds from this round will allow the Haven Collection to build the foundation for its next stage of growth, which will include new club locations.
Riley was a new mom, working a busy, largely remote position as a marketing executive when the idea for the combination daycare, workspace and gym hit her. She founded the first pilot club, Coggeshall Club with partners Morgan Everson and Christy Johnson soon after.
“I felt like I was never able to do anything 'enough' — when I was with my kids I thought about work, and when I was working I thought about my kids; it was a painful cycle that so many parents were facing,” Riley said. “I realized the only way to solve this problem faced by the majority of working families is to provide an entirely new experience”
The club, she said, offers the highest-quality Montessori and Reggio Emilia blended play-based daycare and unlimited access to workspaces and wellness opportunities for parents.
Currently, the Haven Collection employs about 50 teachers and support staff between its two locations and 60% are full-time, Riley said. With full time status, she added, they receive health care, a 401(k) plan, partial tuition reimbursement for relevant continuing education, PTO, paid holidays and more.
“We are currently hiring for a few positions, which will bring us to our target headcount of approximately 55 employees until our next club opens,” she said. “We will hire another 30 or so at that point.”
In addition to working on building more clubs in New England, Riley said the Haven Collection is also working on a few exciting larger-scale growth initiatives. The company is also gearing up for its Series A funding round.
“We’re fortunate to have some great people already committed to the round,” Riley said. It is a very exciting time for us!”
An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled Britt Riley's name and the company.
