Guardian Care Homes, which runs 32 residential homes across the UK, last month opened a new-build nursery on an industrial estate near Durham.
Bowburn Guardian Angels Nursery currently has 40 children on its books and is registered for 88 places. It also has an out-of-school unit for five- to 11-year-olds and a holiday club.
Guardian Care Homes also runs a 44-place nursery in Market Drayton, Shropshire.
KinderKare, which the company opened ten years ago, also shares its site with a care home in the grounds of Tunstall Hall.
Gary Hartland, managing director of Guardian Care Homes, said, 'It seems a natural extension of our care homes group to also run nurseries for children. I think parents will be very impressed when they see the high standard and imaginative facilities on offer.'
A spokesperson for the company said that there were no plans to open any more nurseries at the moment but 'would not rule it out'.
