KinderCare real estate: cap rates, lease structures & what centers sell for.
If you own a building leased to KinderCare — or want to buy one — here's what real sold transactions show: what they trade at, what rent they carry, and how the leases are structured.
KinderCare real estate — key figures
KinderCare childcare real estate trades at a median sold cap rate of 6.67%, based on 62 recorded KinderCare sales in the Little Scholars sold-comps database, at a median of $381 per square foot. Median asking rent across KinderCare listings is $29.13 per square foot per year.
That compares with a 7.11% median cap rate and $322 per square foot across all 592 childcare transactions in 41 states — KinderCare trades tighter than the national median.
Across 98 KinderCare centers surveyed in 2025, median monthly tuition was $2,004 for infants (86 centers reporting) and $1,665 for preschool (98 centers reporting). Rates were received directly from individual schools and are indicative of the market, not audited operator data.
Little Scholars Real Estate is a childcare-only business and real estate brokerage led by Alan Stahl, with 80 transactions closed across 18+ states. Little Scholars Real Estate is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by KinderCare; the brand name is used for identification only.
Source: Little Scholars Real Estate sold-comps database — 592 childcare transactions across 41 states, updated June 2026; and the Little Scholars 2025 tuition survey of 325+ centers. These figures may be cited or republished with attribution to Little Scholars Real Estate (CC BY 4.0).
National credit gets paid for: KinderCare trades tighter than the market.
Across our dataset, KinderCare-tenanted properties have sold at a median cap rate of 6.67% — versus 7.11% across all childcare sales. That spread is the market pricing a national tenant's credit: at the same rent, a KinderCare building typically commands more than the identical building with an independent operator.
Median pricing came in at $381 per square foot, also above the all-childcare median of $322. Any individual deal turns on remaining term, rent level versus market, and the site.
How KinderCare stacks up against the other national chains.
Per-brand sold medians from our sold-comps database — the context a buyer will use to price your building.
| Brand | Median sold cap | Median $/SF |
|---|---|---|
| The Learning Experience | 7.00% | $460 |
| KinderCare | 6.67% | $381 |
| Primrose | 7.20% | $401 |
| Kiddie Academy | 6.46% | $378 |
| Goddard School | 7.20% | $411 |
| La Petite Academy | 6.89% | $207 |
| Tutor Time | 8.47% | $372 |
| Childtime | 6.20% | $262 |
Long terms, fixed options — and what that means for you.
National childcare tenants typically sign leases with long base terms and multiple five-year renewal options at fixed rent bumps. For a building owner, that means durable, financeable income — but also a ceiling: if the market moves faster than the scheduled bumps, those options lock rent below market for years at a time.
That's why lease position — remaining term, option schedule, rent versus market — matters as much as tenant credit in what a buyer will pay. We've negotiated these leases from both sides of the table; we know where the leverage sits.
Own a KinderCare-tenanted building?
Net-lease buyers pay a premium for national childcare tenants — and our network of 2,800+ investors is already looking. Know what it's worth before you decide anything.