Our story
The story of people&baby began in 2004 with the observation that there was a chronic shortage of places in day care centres all over France. Today, with 700 private and municipal centres, people&baby is France's leading independent family-run day care operator.
Wholly owned by its two founders, entrepreneur Christophe Durieux and childcare nurse Odile Broglin, the people&baby network is the only one to be managed on a day-to-day basis by a woman specialising in early childhood.
A day care model based on solidarity and designed for everyone
Backed by its assets, people&baby has built its business from the outset on an innovative model underpinned by a genuine commitment to society. In fact, all our centres are accredited by the Protection Maternelle Infantile (PMI) and approved by the Caisses d'Allocations Familiales (CAF), enabling parents to benefit from rates equivalent to the municipal ones for a place in a multi-accueil centre.
In addition, a unique partnership with the French employment office (Pôle Emploi) called “Crèche Solidarité Emploi” offers occasional childcare to jobseekers. This community-minded initiative is the only one of its kind.
In the same spirit, Crèches Pour Tous posts the availability of all people&baby daycare centres (700) and partner establishments (3,160 private and public centres) so families can learn about open spaces in real time.
A company with more than 15 years of growth
From the outset, people&baby has opted for a dense and extensive network, offering families more childcare options close to their home or workplace. With 850 self-managed day care centres in France and abroad, people&baby recorded a growth rate of 31% in the number of places in 2022.
In 2015, people&baby expanded our range of services with Flexi Family, an online platform with advice and in-home services (Childhood, Dependence, Home, Parenting) to help make life easier for families. The company joined the French Federation of Personal Services (FESP).
Key dates
- 2004: Founding of people&baby
- 2008: Launch of Flexi crèche, the first emergency childcare service for all salaried parents.
- 2008: Signing of the Parenthood in Companies Charter
- 2009: Creation of Crèches Bio
- 2011: Creation of Crèches Pour Tous and Modulo Crèche, the first modular environmentally-friendly childcare centre
- 2011: Adoption of the ISO 26000 standard, on corporate social and environmental responsibility
- 2013: Creation of the people&baby Foundation for Childhood, under the aegis of the Fondation de France
- 2014: Creation of Crèche Solidarité Emploi, a unique partnership with Pôle Emploi
- 2015: Member of the French Federation of Personal Services (FESP)
- 2015: Member of the network of Entrepreneurs of the Future
- 2016: Creation of Génération Durable
- 2017: Creation of Flexi Family, a comprehensive range of family services
- 2017: First bilingual childcare centres in Ile-de-France
- 2018: Launch of crècheslib, an online reservation system of half-days in our centres
- 2018: Creation of everykid.com, an online shop with more than 1,500 prof-tested items for children
- 2019 : people&baby is expanding the scope of his daycare services with yoga classes and awakening workshops "Graines de Génies" on saturdays and with Summer Camps on holidays.
- 2020 : creation of the program "My crèches at home" sent to all parents during the confinement
- 2021 : 10 artists join people&baby to roll out the art&nature educational project in all our crèches.
- 2021 : Summer camps: our crèches remain open during the summer and welcome children up to the age of 6.
- 2022 : Our network of bilingual daycare centers reaches 200 across France
- 2022 : Roll-out of crèche connect, the mobile application for families in our daycare centers
- 2023 : Internationally, the people&baby group has developed a network of 190 daycare centers and kindergartens in 12 countries in Europe, Asia, North America and the United Arab Emirates.