Australia's largest listed childcare operator G8 Education has reassured shareholders its growth plan is nothing like the now defunct ABC Learning Centres.
G8 plans to continue to buy existing childcare centres, but has no set acquisition target and will only buy good quality centres, chairman Jenny Hutson told the group's annual general meeting.
One shareholder asked if G8's expansion plans may see the company go the same way as Eddie Groves' ABC Learning Centres, which fell into voluntary liquidation in 2008 and was bought by Goodstart.
Ms Hutson said there was a huge difference between G8 and ABC Learning.
"We buy existing good centres with great people and work on those centres," she said.
"ABC Learning built new centres, they were developers in the childcare sector, they had targets while we don't have targets.
"We want to do good business in an existing business and take what we acquire and make it incrementally better."
G8 has 455 childcare centres after acquiring 203 during the 2014 calendar year.
Its brands include Pelican Childcare, Community Kids and Jellybeans.
Ms Hutson also said the company would benefit from the federal government's proposed childcare package, set to be implemented in mid-2017.
The package aims to encourage more parents into work and give them greater access to childcare.
"People should have choice and we think this package is well considered and positive for the sector and therefore positive for G8," Ms Hutson said.
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