The operator is one of the largest nursery groups in Ireland, running 13 centres and providing places for 1,250 children.
The new 7,000 square foot facility in Elephant and Castle will cater for more than 120 children and provide a combination of entitlement-funded and private places for children aged four months to 12 years.
There are currently 11 staff employed and this will rise to 33.
The nursery group worked with Dublin company Sketch Architects to design the space with sensory rooms, dedicated crawl spaces and sleeping pods.
Tigers Childcare won the contract to operate the facility from international property group Lendlease following a competitive tender process.
The London centre will adopt the company’s Irish model, with senior staff qualified to degree level and the rest qualified in early years care and education to Level 3 or above, exceeding current minimum qualification levels in the UK.
Founder and managing director of Tigers Childcare, Karen Clince, said, ‘We want to provide something different to what’s currently available in the UK market when it comes to quality and family experience. From the design of the centre to staff qualifications we hope to set a new benchmark for childcare provision in the UK by applying to Elephant Park the same practices, procedures and ethos underpinning our success in Ireland.’
Last month, Tigers Childcare secured an investment of €5 million from Dunport Capital to help roll out its expansion plans in Ireland and the UK.
The childcare centre is part of Elephant Park, a £2.5 billion urban regeneration project between Lendlease and the London Borough of Southwark in south London. Around 3,000 new homes, restaurants, shops and a park are being built on the 28-acre development.
Kristy Lansdown, project director of Elephant Park, for Lendlease said, ‘We are very pleased that Tigers Childcare has opened its doors to the local community, and that we have been able to add them to the strong line-up of businesses moving to Elephant Park.'
