Los Angeles, Calif. (May 10, 2021) – KinderCare Learning Centers^® has been chosen by Hope Street Friends as the new operator of their onsite child care center in Los Angeles. Hope Street Friends is a state-of-the-art child care and early education center located at 330 South Hope Street in downtown Los Angeles. Hope Street Friends employs more than 20 teachers and staff and will provide care for more than 80 children of partners and employees from Oaktree Capital Management L.P. (“Oaktree”) and Munger, Tolles & Olson, as well as for families from the surrounding community.

For more than 50 years, KinderCare has created safe, nurturing environments in centers across the country where kids can learn, grow and build confidence for life. KinderCare focuses on encouraging children’s natural curiosity to learn and providing high-quality early childhood education and care programs in a setting with industry-leading health and safety practices.

“More and more forward-thinking organizations are recognizing the importance of providing their employees with access to quality child care,” said Jeff Gerkin, senior vice president of KinderCare Education at Work. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Hope Street and provide the highest-level care and educational experience for the children whose parents work at Oaktree and Munger, Tolles & Olson, as well as families in the broader community.”

“We know Hope Street Friends families have been in need of care since the pandemic began and we can’t wait to welcome them back to their center,” said Elvia Rodriguez, Hope Street Friends center director. “It’s so important for young children to have the opportunity to learn and grow with friends, which is why we’re so excited to reopen Hope Street Friends.”

“As a proud sponsor of Hope Street Friends since it opened in 2009, Oaktree has long understood the significance of fostering credible and trusted early education and child care support for working families,” said Madeleine Horton, Managing Director and Global Head of Human Resources at Oaktree. “We are delighted to have found a like-minded partner in KinderCare. It is a privilege to not only be able to provide this vital resource for our Oaktree families, but also to support the growing needs of our local community in downtown Los Angeles.”

“We are thrilled that Hope Street Friends is reopening in KinderCare’s capable and caring hands,” says Munger, Tolles & Olson Partner, Rose Leda Ehler. “Onsite childcare is emblematic of our firm’s core values and commitment to our attorneys.  Support for working families, and the gender equity it furthers, is just one of the many areas in which Munger Tolles has been a trailblazer, demonstrating its commitment to attracting and retaining the very best talent that the legal profession has to offer.”

KinderCare teachers approach learning with the goal of building on children’s natural sense of discovery, joy and wonder. By combining play and education, KinderCare helps young minds develop and children build confidence. KinderCare brings a research-based, proprietary curriculum that is specifically developed to align with state early learning standards and kindergarten expectations, so parents have confidence that their children have the skills necessary for kindergarten. National assessments show that children do better the longer they’re enrolled in KinderCare. They also reach developmental milestones earlier and are better prepared for first grade than their peers.

Families can learn more about the center online.

Hope Street Friends is located within “Halo,” a new mixed-use destination at Wells Fargo Center in Downtown Los Angeles. Halo is reimagined by Brookfield Properties to provide Wells Fargo Center tenants and the surrounding community with a breadth of new centrally located dining and lifestyle experiences. In addition to the KinderCare-operated childcare center, Halo features 65,000 square feet of food and beverage opportunities, coupled with generous seating options, lively gathering spaces, and regular arts programming.

About KinderCare Education at Work™

KinderCare Education at Work™ provides customized family benefits for employers, including on-site and near-site early learning centers and back-up care for last-minute child care. We partner with visionary leaders at more than 400 employers around the country who understand that child care benefits are more critical than ever for working parents. To learn more, visit us at KinderCare/atwork.

About Oaktree

Oaktree is a leader among global investment managers specializing in alternative investments with $148 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2020. The firm emphasizes an opportunistic, value-oriented and risk-controlled approach to investments in credit, private equity, real assets and listed equities. The firm is headquartered in Los Angeles, California and has over 1,000 employees and offices in 19 cities worldwide. For additional information, please visit Oaktree’s website at http://www.oaktreecapital.com.

About Munger, Tolles & Olsen

For nearly 60 years, Munger, Tolles & Olson attorneys have partnered with clients on their most complex matters. With a deep bench that includes former governmental luminaries and over 158 former federal judicial clerks, our attorneys have extensive experience handling precedent-shaping cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals, and federal and state courts across the country. We are also a market leader in family-friendly policies, including those supporting parental leave and flexible work arrangements. The firm continuously seeks innovative ways to support our workforce, not only in their careers at work, but also in their efforts to integrate the demands on the job with their other interests and commitments.  Read more here.

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