Guardian Early Learning + Urbanise FM

How Guardian Early Learning Took Control of Facilities Across a National Portfolio of 187 centres.

Guardian Child Care and Education Facility

99.95%  Fire compliance across the portfolio	15 min  Response KPI achieved across all centres	90%+  Centre satisfaction rating
187  Centres live within 3 months	800+  Work orders processed per month	20%  Reduction in maintenance costs

Who is Guardian Early Learning?

Guardian Early Learning is one of Australia's largest early childhood education providers, operating 187 centres nationally. With environments where child safety, regulatory compliance and service continuity are non-negotiable, facilities management is a core operational responsibility, not a back-office function. In 2024, Guardian undertook a strategic review of its facilities management model to strengthen visibility, accountability and consistency across its national portfolio. The outcome was a decision to bring FM in-house, supported by Urbanise FM as the operational platform.

The Challenge: Limited Visibility Across a Complex National Portfolio

Facilities services were being managed through an outsourced arrangement that, while functional, limited the organisation's ability to operate proactively. Real-time visibility over compliance documentation, response performance and budget tracking was constrained, and centre managers were not receiving the level of service the business expected to deliver.

"It was quite reactive. We were responding when issues arose rather than operating with clear structure and oversight." 

— Parnesh Chand, Head of Facilities, Guardian Early Learning 

Leadership recognised that greater control, transparency and structure were needed to support long-term growth and meet the governance standards expected of a provider at Guardian's scale.

Bringing Facilities Management In-House with Urbanise FM

Guardian made the decision to bring facilities management in-house, selecting Urbanise FM as the platform to underpin the transition. Parnesh, drawing on prior experience with the platform, recommended it for its intuitive interface, portfolio-wide visibility and suitability for non-technical users — a critical consideration in a network where centre directors are the primary requesters of maintenance services.

The objective was to establish:

• Full accountability across all 187 centres

• Centralised compliance documentation and audit-ready records

• Structured preventive maintenance scheduling

• Direct contractor oversight with mandatory documentation before payment

• Real-time financial visibility with direct NetSuite integration

The help desk team was brought into the implementation from the outset, building deep system proficiency before go-live. All 187 centres were live within three months.

How Urbanise FM Facility Management Software Enabled the Shift

Urbanise FM became the operational backbone of Guardian's in-house model, centralising work orders, preventive maintenance plans, compliance documentation and budget approvals into a single facility management platform across every location.

Key capabilities that underpinned the transition:

• A branded self-service portal for centre teams to log and track maintenance requests

• Centralised visibility across all sites for the support office in real time

• Asset-level compliance tracking with audit-ready documentation

• Structured preventive maintenance scheduling replacing ad hoc, reactive processes

• Mandatory service reports and compliance documentation before contractor payment approval

• Live GL budget monitoring at centre and portfolio level

• Direct integration with NetSuite, replacing manual invoice processing

This structure ensured that facilities management across Guardian's early learning portfolio became measurable, auditable and scalable.

Achieving 99.95% Fire Compliance Across the Portfolio

Following a comprehensive compliance review and remediation program managed through Urbanise FM, Guardian now maintains 99.95% fire compliance across all 187 centres — with only a small number of items pending council resolution.

All compliance documentation sits within the facility management platform, providing audit-ready records at both location and asset level. For an early learning provider operating under the National Quality Framework, this level of assurance is foundational to safe and compliant operations.

"With the previous model, we did not have the same level of visibility. Now we can see compliance, budgets and performance across every centre in real time." 

— Parnesh Chand   

A 15-Minute Response KPI, Consistently Met

Response times for new maintenance requests have improved significantly since implementation. With structured workflows embedded in Urbanise FM, Guardian now operates to a 15-minute response KPI across its entire portfolio and consistently meets it.

Centre Directors log requests through an intuitive interface designed for non-technical users. Updates, contractor attendance and completion evidence are all captured within the same system, reducing follow-up and giving centre managers confidence that requests are being acted on promptly.

90%+ Centre Satisfaction Across the Network

Following implementation, Guardian introduced structured feedback surveys across its network. Centre satisfaction now consistently exceeds 90% positive feedback, reflecting the improvement in service quality, communication and responsiveness that the in-house model has delivered.

By centralising every request, update and resolution within one facility management software platform, administrative friction has reduced and communication has improved across the entire organisation.

Improved Financial Governance and Cost Control

The transition to an in-house model supported by Urbanise FM has strengthened financial governance across the portfolio. Live GL budget tracking provides real-time oversight at both centre and portfolio level. Work orders follow structured approval pathways, contractors must provide service documentation before payment is approved, and invoices integrate directly into NetSuite.

"Budgets are visible in the system which makes it very easy for us to stay on top of." 

— Parnesh Chand 

Improved preventive maintenance planning, stronger contractor accountability and end-to-end spend visibility have together driven a 20% reduction in overall FM costs since implementation.

Strong, Consistent Adoption Across 187 Centres

Urbanise FM is now embedded across the entire Guardian network, processing approximately 800 maintenance work orders per month. The platform's intuitive design has ensured strong uptake among non-technical centre directors, with many expressing satisfaction with the visibility and responsiveness the system provides.

For a multi-site early learning provider, this level of consistent and structured engagement ensures processes are standardised, transparent and scalable as the portfolio continues to grow.

"Across 187 centres, maintaining safe and compliant environments is non-negotiable. Since bringing facilities management in-house and implementing Urbanise FM, we have achieved 99.95% fire compliance, a 15-minute response KPI and real-time visibility across the entire portfolio." 

— Parnesh Chand, Head of Facilities, Guardian Early Learning 

See What Urbanise FM Can Do for Your Early Learning Portfolio

Guardian's results demonstrate what is possible when early learning operators move to a purpose-built facility management software platform. If you manage facilities across multiple early learning or childcare centres in Australia or New Zealand, we'd like to show you how Urbanise FM works in practice. Request a demo to speak with our team.

Request a Demo