KinderCare Learning Companies

KLC

Market cap $502M

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. (NYSE: KLC) (“KinderCare”), the nation's leading provider of high-quality early childhood education and care, has earned its fourth consecutive WELL Health-Safety Rating in recognition of the company's continued commitment to providing a safe and healthy learning environment for children in its KinderCare Learning Centers. KinderCare is the only national child care provider to earn the WELL Health-Safety Rating. KinderCare.

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Crème School, a leading provider of premium early childhood education, today announced the opening of The Crème School of Great Park in Irvine, Calif., marking its first expansion into California and 16th state nationwide. Located in Irvine's growing Great Park neighborhood, the new flagship school will serve nearly 200 children. It introduces Crème's newest school design, the first of its kind, featuring modern learning environments, elevated family amen.

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. (NYSE: KLC) (“KinderCare”), the nation's leading provider of high-quality early childhood education and care, congratulates New York Governor Kathy Hochul and state legislators on their decision to invest $1.7 billion in the state's early childhood education programs, ensuring that hundreds of thousands of children across New York have access to affordable, high-quality child care. The $1.7 billion will support affordable,.

KinderCare Learning Companies remains a "Strong Buy" as operational improvements and revised guidance signal substantial upside potential despite the recent share price doubling. KLC's profitability suffered from occupancy declines and self-inflicted operational distractions, but management's corrective actions and cost-cutting are expected to drive stabilization. Recent guidance revision raised 2026 EBITDA to $215–$235 million, supporting a bullish valuation case even at conservative EV/EBITDA multiples.

Maintain Hold on KinderCare as core fundamentals remain weak despite some targeted enrollment gains. KLC's Q1 2026 revenue was stable, but the ECE segment saw declining enrollment, occupancy, and margins, with EBITDA down 38% y/y. Opportunity Region initiatives show localized improvement, yet broad-based recovery and occupancy above 70% remain elusive.

KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. (KLC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Unfortunately, this is by far the larger of its two core businesses. That said, the company did beat on both revenue and profitability in the first quarter.

KinderCare Learning Companies NYSE: KLC reported modest first-quarter revenue growth while management said lower enrollment in its early childhood education centers continued to pressure profitability.

KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. (KLC) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.04 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.01 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.23 per share a year ago.

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KinderCare's First Quarter 2026 Earnings Press Release.