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Is Cadence Education Private Equity Owned?
🔵 PE OWNED — ON WATCH
Cadence Education
Includes Cadence Academy
childcare · Scottsdale, AZ
PE FirmApax Partners →
Year Acquired
2020
“Tuition goes up every six months. Teacher pay stays flat. The PE owners keep changing, but the pattern never does.”
Too Soon to Tell
- •Apax Partners acquired Cadence Education from Morgan Stanley Capital Partners in 2020 — at least the third PE ownership change for the childcare chain, which keeps getting flipped between firms
- •Teachers at a Washington state location went on strike in August 2023 over stagnant wages — experienced staff were making $16/hour while tuition increased every six months
- •Despite regular tuition hikes, Cadence did not confirm whether any of the increased revenue was shared with the teachers actually caring for children
- •The PE ownership carousel means long-term investment in quality is always secondary to positioning the company for the next sale
- •Senator Merkley launched a formal investigation in March 2026 into PE ownership of childcare — targeting KinderCare and Learning Care Group, but the regulatory spotlight is on every PE-backed childcare operator including Cadence
- •Still acquiring: bought East Cobb Prep (Atlanta) in January 2026 and Precious Angel's (Rhode Island) in February 2026 — growing the portfolio while the Senate investigates the business model
Early Signs
- ▸Parents face tuition increases every six months, with no visible improvement in staffing levels or program quality — the money goes up to ownership, not into the classrooms
- ▸Teachers report buying classroom materials out of their own pockets because the budget doesn't cover basics — the PE owners raise prices but won't fund supplies
- ▸Staff turnover driven by low pay means children constantly lose the caregivers they've bonded with — in early childhood education, relationship stability is everything
- ▸Multiple PE ownership changes create instability for families who enrolled their children expecting consistency and instead got a revolving door of corporate strategies
- ▸A U.S. Senator is now formally investigating whether PE-owned childcare prioritizes returns over children's safety — the same pattern parents at Cadence locations have been reporting for years
Sources
- 'The End User Is a Dollar Sign, It's Not a Child' — Early Learning Nation(2024-04-01)
- Early-learning employees strike over low, stagnant wages — The JOLT News Organization(2023-08-01)
- Funds advised by Apax Partners to acquire Cadence Education — Apax Partners(2020-02-12)
- Merkley Launches Investigation Into PE Ownership of Child Care Centers — U.S. Senate(2026-03-24)
- SchoolWise Partners Facilitates Sale of Atlanta-Area Center to Cadence Education — PR Newswire(2026-01-13)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cadence Education owned by private equity?
Yes, but we're still watching. Cadence Education was acquired by Apax Partners in 2020, but visible consumer impacts haven't emerged yet.
What happened to Cadence Education after the acquisition?
Parents face tuition increases every six months, with no visible improvement in staffing levels or program quality — the money goes up to ownership, not into the classrooms Teachers report buying classroom materials out of their own pockets because the budget doesn't cover basics — the PE owners raise prices but won't fund supplies
Who owns Cadence Education?
Cadence Education is owned by Apax Partners, which acquired it in 2020.