What are ECE Consultants?
ECE consultants are advisors who specialize in the field of early childhood education and help owners grow, improve, or sell their childcare businesses.
What Do ECE Consultants Do?
ECE consultants help preschools and childcare business owners make strategic decisions to grow, optimize, or exit their businesses. Their role can include:
1. Business valuation
Conducting childcare-specific valuations that reflect real market trends
Identifying value-added opportunities to prepare for a sale
2. Exit planning
Helping owners create a roadmap to exit on their timeline
Clarifying financial goals, ideal timing, and deal structure preferences
Guiding succession planning or leadership transitions
3. Optimizing operations
Reviewing staffing, enrollment, and tuition strategies to improve profitability
Advising on systems, automation, and financial reporting improvements
Guiding owners through pricing, discounting, and vendor negotiations
4. Growth strategy and development
Advising on proven strategies to grow organically, by acquisition, or through new builds
Evaluating brownfield and greenfield development opportunities
Helping owners expand in alignment with personal and business goals
5. Transaction advisory and buyer matching
Guiding owners in preparing their organization for a sale
Confidentially marketing school businesses and real estate
Connecting owners with pre-vetted buyers from a national, international, and regional pool
Negotiating terms, facilitating buyers’ in-depth diligence processes, and ensuring a smooth close
Why Work with ECE Consultants like HINGE Advisors?
Not all ECE consultants are created equal. Most general business brokers or financial advisors are not deeply familiar with the regulatory, operational, and emotional complexities of early education. At HINGE Advisors, we deliver:
Unmatched Early Education Expertise
Our team has more than 300 years of combined experience in the early education industry.
We’ve successfully closed 300+ transactions since 2003 — that’s more than any other advisor in the industry.
We maintain relationships with 600+ active early education buyers and investors.
A Proven Process
From valuation through close, we follow a proprietary step-by-step process to streamline the experience for ECE sellers.
We protect your confidentiality at every stage using a strategic approach, NDAs, and secure data rooms.
Our advisors represent the interests of early education sellers exclusively, expertly managing negotiations and easing the stress of emotional and logistical challenges.
Results That Matter
At HINGE Advisors, our competitive process helps childcare sellers receive 21% more value on average compared to considering a single buyer.
We’ve helped early education business and real estate sellers gain more than $1 billion in value.
We offer seller-friendly contracts, including no up-front fees and no commission tails. We only get paid when you do.
Our process ensures cultural alignment between buyer and seller, looking out for your staff, students, and families.
Is Now the Right Time?
With increased buyer demand, evolving market dynamics, and higher than normal business and real estate values, it is an opportune time for early education owners to seek expert guidance about strategic short- or long-term options. Whether you need help streamlining operations, planning a growth strategy, or preparing for an exit, a specialized ECE consultant like HINGE Advisors can help you do it right.
Talk to the Experts in Early Education
HINGE Early Education Advisors is the leading consultancy dedicated exclusively to childcare and preschool businesses. From strategic planning and valuation to M&A and operations, we offer everything under one roof, backed by decades of industry experience.
Contact us confidentially online or call (864) 664-3877 to get started.