Harvest Partners, LP (“Harvest”) announced today that funds managed by Harvest have completed a majority acquisition of The Learning Experience (“TLE” or the “Company”) from Golden Gate Capital (“Golden Gate”). TLE, headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida, is a leading provider of early childhood education serving children six weeks to six years old. The Company’s management team, led by Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Richard Weissman, will continue to lead TLE and remain significant owners of the business. Golden Gate will retain a minority position in the Company as part of the transaction. Additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Nicholas Romano, Partner at Harvest, said, “We have been pursuing early childhood education as a priority sector for several years and believe TLE is a premier platform in the industry. TLE’s unique brand, proprietary curriculum, and strong operational support are highly valued by parents and franchisees alike. We are excited to partner with the Company through its next phase of growth.”
Michael DeFlorio, CEO and Partner at Harvest, added, “We are thrilled to partner with Richard and the entire TLE team. We believe they have built an exceptional company, and we look forward to providing additional financial and strategic resources to support TLE’s growth initiatives in the coming years.”
Founded in 2001, The Learning Experience is a leading franchisor and operator of early childhood education schools with a rapidly growing network of more than 430 schools in the U.S. and the U.K. TLE offers state-of-the-art education facilities and a proprietary curriculum for children to develop core academic and life skills, setting them up for success in kindergarten and beyond.
Complementing its in-center education, TLE extends learning beyond the classroom through its original intellectual property, Bubbles and Friends—a vibrant cast of characters that bring education to life through engaging, age-appropriate content. This award-winning edutainment platform includes original music, animated videos, and an interactive digital app, all designed to reinforce TLE’s curriculum and foster joyful, play-based learning at home and on the go. Beloved by children and parents alike, Bubbles and Friends supports continuous learning and deepens the emotional connection to TLE’s mission.
Mr. Weissman said, “From the beginning, our mission at The Learning Experience has been to positively impact the lives of children and their families. We are incredibly proud of what our team and franchisees have built in partnership with Golden Gate Capital, and we’re even more excited to begin our next chapter with Harvest, scaling our impact to even greater heights. As a management team, we’ve worked with several private equity partners over the past 20 years and have consistently generated strong performance. I’m confident that this next phase of growth with Harvest will take the company to new heights—while never losing sight of what matters most: the children and families we serve.”
Mike Montgomery, a Managing Director with Golden Gate Capital, added, “We are grateful to Richard and his team for their exemplary vision, leadership, and partnership. Over the course of our investment, TLE has more than tripled systemwide sales and expanded internationally and digitally via its proprietary Bubbles and Friends content. TLE has differentiated itself as one of the fastest growing and highest rated early childhood education providers in the country. We look forward to supporting TLE’s continued growth alongside Harvest Partners.”
Harris Williams & Co. served as financial advisor and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal advisor to Golden Gate and TLE. Ropes & Gray LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisors to Harvest.
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