Here, Rebecca shares the details of Monkey Puzzle’s founding story, their bold decision to franchise their nursery settings and how it feels to return to the fold in what is set to be a memorable 2025 for the brand.
Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries has always been a family-driven endeavour for us – the idea to start our own childcare setting just came naturally. Mark’s mother had run a number of nurseries in the Cambridge area, with Mark being brought up living above one of the settings, nurseries were always very close to home – in more ways than one!
Mark and I both had senior jobs in London but after several years working long hours and late nights, we knew we couldn’t juggle that life with having a family. Moving into childcare felt like a natural step for us.
In 2002, we opened our first nursery in Hertfordshire. Our vision: to create a high-quality childcare setting with a personal, family-oriented touch. After three years, we had successfully expanded across Hertfordshire and the bold decision was taken to do what had never been done – to franchise a day nursery business. This move was grounded in our growing confidence of the industry and a desire to create something truly special – we wanted nursery owners to be on-site, meeting parents and solving problems directly. The principle was to create a warmth and responsiveness that big nursery chains just couldn’t offer.
Launched at the British Franchise Association’s exhibition in 2005, Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries grew rapidly. At one point, it was the third largest nursery group in the UK and remains the largest franchised nursery group in the country.
Two years ago, we stepped back from the business – however, we quickly realised how much we missed day-to-day operations. We were too young to retire! We missed working with the team and the buzz of leading the business and being part of something that makes a real difference – Monkey Puzzle is in our DNA. Everyone has been working extremely hard, so to see all their stellar work has made us both really proud. Coming back was about reigniting that energy and helping Monkey Puzzle reach its full potential.
Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries has always been more than a business – it’s a labour of love and a family legacy. So, we’re very lucky to have our son, Jude, start working alongside us in the business.
It’s great to see him getting stuck in and contributing, rather than just hearing about what we’re doing at the dinner table! He’s learning the ropes. But it’s fantastic to see him really rolling up his sleeves and working on some really critical tasks. He’s helping with competitor analysis at the moment, and soon he’ll assist in our marketing department.
Seeing Jude work alongside us is exactly why we started Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries over two decades ago. This business has always been about family – for us, our team and for the parents and children we serve. To have Jude as part of this next chapter is incredibly special.
Our goals for 2025 are clear. We want to improve our occupancy rates across the network. There’s so much room for us to grow, and we’re committed to working closely with our nursery owners to help them reach more families and fill more places.
Another key priority is tackling recruitment challenges. If we do want to increase our occupancy percentage, we will need to recruit in line with that. Attracting and retaining the right people is essential – strong teams are central to delivering the best care and experiences for all the little ones we look after.
We also want every franchisee to feel supported and part of the Monkey Puzzle family and we’re always looking for ways to evolve and improve what we offer.
2024 was a remarkable success for all involved at Monkey Puzzle. We opened several new settings, placed as the highest rated childcare franchise in the prestigious Elite Franchise Top 100 list and were shortlisted for multiple awards at the industry-leading HSBC BFA British Franchise Awards. We know the landscape has changed since we started so it’s a pivotal time for us to take the charge and support our nationwide network to achieve even more success in 2025.
