THE OFF MKT is a confidential listing platform for childcare centers and other specialized commercial properties. It allows owners to sell discreetly and verified buyers to find opportunities that aren’t publicly marketed. The platform combines structure, confidentiality, and a proven process that leads to smoother transitions for all parties.

Why sell a childcare center off-market?

Selling off-market gives owners privacy, control, and flexibility. It minimizes disruption to staff, families, and operations while still connecting with qualified buyers. THE OFF MKT adds structure and documentation so deals stay compliant and confidential throughout the process.

Who can list a property or business on THE OFF MKT?

Listings are managed through Aaron Kraft at Kidder Mathews for licensed childcare facilities in Washington State. As the platform grows, Aaron is developing a broker network throughout the country to manage listings in compliance with each State’s laws.

How do buyers gain access to listings?

Buyers register, schedule a short introductory call, and sign a confidentiality agreement (NDA). Once verified, they can view redacted listings in full detail—including financials, DCYF transfer notes, virtual tours, and property information—through a secure dashboard.

What types of listings are available?

THE OFF MKT currently focuses on licensed childcare centers, both operating businesses and real estate. Over time, it will expand to include preschools, schools, medical offices, and flex or industrial properties suited for learning environments.

Can I post my requirements if I’m looking for a property?

Yes. Verified operators can submit a requirement—a description of the type of facility they need. THE OFF MKT may post that need in redacted form so potential sellers can connect through the platform.

Is THE OFF MKT a real estate brokerage?

THE OFF MKT is a technology and marketing platform. Brokerage services for Washington State listings are provided by Aaron Kraft through Kidder Mathews. As the site expands, independent brokers and verified owners will be able to post listings directly.

What makes THE OFF MKT different from other listing sites?

Traditional listing sites are public and unfiltered, which often leads to unnecessary exposure or misalignment. THE OFF MKT is private and curated—it verifies every user, structures the process, and keeps deals on track with documentation, NDAs, and timelines designed for childcare transactions.

How does THE OFF MKT help lower the cost of childcare?

By improving how childcare centers change hands, the platform reduces transaction inefficiencies, wasted marketing, and mismatched buyers. Over time, that helps lower the real estate cost component of childcare, creating more sustainable operations and better affordability.

What does it cost to use THE OFF MKT?

Registration is free for verified users. Sellers currently work directly through Aaron Kraft at Kidder Mathews, and buyer access is included after verification. Future platform fees may apply for independent listings or success-based transactions.

How is my information protected?

All users agree to confidentiality terms. Private data and listing materials are watermarked, stored securely, and shared only with verified users who have signed an NDA. THE OFF MKT uses role-based access and revocable links to maintain control over who can view what.

Encouraging Offers to Find Fair Market

Mar 10

Written By TheOFFMKT

How OFF MKT Improves Market Efficiency in Childcare Transactions

The childcare transaction market is fragmented.

Owners often don’t know who the real buyers are. Buyers miss opportunities because deals circulate through small networks. Operators looking to grow often hear about opportunities too late — or not at all.

The result is simple: too few offers and too little real market feedback.

OFF MKT exists to fix that.

Our focus is straightforward: encourage qualified offers so the market can determine fair value.

Everything about the platform is designed to increase transparency, improve participation, and ultimately increase transaction velocity across the childcare industry.

Fair Market Requires a Complete Market

Fair market value isn’t determined by opinion.

It emerges when qualified buyers have the opportunity to evaluate an opportunity and respond with offers.

In many childcare transactions today, a seller may only reach a handful of potential buyers. Sometimes just one. That means pricing is determined by a limited slice of the market rather than true demand.

When the market is incomplete:

• Sellers may accept offers below what the market might support
• Buyers miss opportunities they would have pursued
• Transactions stall because expectations never meet reality

OFF MKT works to bring the full qualified buyer ecosystem into one organized environment, allowing the market to actually function.

Encouraging Offers, Not Just Exposure

Most listing platforms focus on visibility.

OFF MKT focuses on encouraging participation and offers.

Offers are the clearest signal in any transaction. They reveal how buyers evaluate:

• Cash flow and financial performance
• Enrollment and licensing capacity
• Real estate value
• Local demand for childcare services

Each offer provides information that helps move a transaction closer to where the market truly is.

The more qualified buyers evaluating an opportunity, the easier it becomes to determine fair market value.

Data, Transparency, and a Common Language

OFF MKT is being built to become a data authority for childcare transactions.

But data alone isn’t enough.

The platform also provides frameworks for underwriting, helping buyers and sellers evaluate opportunities using the same structure and assumptions.

Childcare transactions often break down because participants are looking at the same business through completely different lenses. By standardizing how information is presented and analyzed, OFF MKT helps participants begin to speak the same language.

When buyers and sellers understand the same metrics, it becomes much easier to evaluate opportunities and move toward agreement.

Over time, this combination of data transparency and consistent underwriting frameworks reduces uncertainty and improves the efficiency of the market.

Who Participates in OFF MKT

OFF MKT is not a public listing platform. Participation is limited to individuals and organizations actively involved in childcare ownership, operations, and acquisitions.

This includes:

Owners and Operators
Independent childcare owners evaluating growth or exit opportunities.

Regional Operators
Groups expanding through acquisitions or new locations.

Franchisees

Operators within national franchise systems such as:

Primrose Schools
The Goddard School
Kiddie Academy
Lightbridge Academy
Celebree School
Kids ‘R’ Kids
LeafSpring School

Institutional Buyers

Organizations acquiring childcare centers nationally and regionally, including:

KinderCare Learning Companies
Bright Horizons
Learning Care Group (La Petite Academy, Childtime, Tutor Time, Everbrook Academy)
Cadence Education
Endeavor Schools
Guidepost Montessori / Higher Ground Education
Spring Education Group
Busy Bees
KLA Schools

Licensed Brokers

Licensed brokers participate in the marketplace and must adhere to the platform’s standards and processes to ensure transactions remain organized, confidential, and professionally managed.

Closing the Bid–Ask Spread

In many transactions, the biggest challenge is the gap between seller expectations and buyer pricing.

That gap often exists because the market never fully forms.

By encouraging offers and creating real market feedback, OFF MKT helps buyers and sellers understand where demand actually exists.

As more participants evaluate opportunities, pricing becomes clearer and the bid-ask spread begins to close.

Building a Marketplace That Works

OFF MKT is built around a simple idea:

When the right participants have access to the same information, markets function better.

By encouraging offers, organizing data, and creating underwriting frameworks that help the industry speak the same language, the platform allows buyers and sellers to engage with greater clarity and confidence.

The goal isn’t to push prices higher or lower.

The goal is simply to find the market.

When that happens, transactions become easier to complete — benefiting operators, investors, and the communities that rely on quality childcare.

And when the market works, more childcare transactions happen.

The OFF MKT Principles

The marketplace is built around a few simple ideas:

Encourage Offers
Real market feedback comes from offers, not opinions.

Let the Market Speak
Fair value is discovered when qualified buyers can participate.

Transparency Through Data
Better information leads to better decisions.

A Common Underwriting Framework
When buyers and sellers evaluate opportunities using the same structure, transactions move faster.

Broad Participation From Qualified Buyers
Regional operators, franchisees, and institutional buyers all play a role in forming the market.

Fair Market Outcomes
When the full ecosystem participates, transactions occur closer to true market value.

TheOFFMKT https://www.theoffmkt.com