A playschool is meant for kids under the age of 5 and is primarily aimed at providing quality education for kindergarten kids. So if you love kids then starting a playschool may be a good idea.
The staff have to be well trained to take care of children.File pic: Padmalatha Ravi
So what is the advantage of starting a play school?
You get a high degree of satisfaction working with kids and contributing to their growth and development. You help nurture a positive environment for kids where their physical and mental growth takes place seamlessly.
As Anjana Sen, Director of Kidzzone pre-school puts it,” When 500 kids pass out of my play school and join different schools and I see their mothers smiling, I feel glad that I was in some way responsible for their development and growth.”. And she further adds,” When I see their younger siblings coming back to our playschool I feel satisfied that we have succeeded in our goal of keeping the kids safe and happy”.
Steps involved in setting up daycare
Setting up a pre school does not require any legal permission in India. This means you are free of legal hassles and can get down to the nitty-gritty of playschool setup. But once your playschool is established it is a good idea to get your playschool registered as a Trust or society in the office of Registrar.
Planning for daycare
Budget
You have to plan for all expenses like Franchisee fees if you are taking the help of a franchiser, lease or rent fees for building, furniture, curriculum, staff salaries, teacher training, office stationery, marketing etc. These are only the minimum requirements. So keep cash in surplus as other expenses may turn up once you start school. Anjana Sen recommends that a minimum of 50000 to 2 lakh rupees be kept handy when starting this venture.
Once a year you may have to set aside 20000-25000 rupees for annual maintenance like replacing broken toys, paint, books etc. Also things like medicines, laundry, food items like biscuits, cereals, water etc also needs to be planned for every month and the appropriate budget kept aside as monthly expenses.
Hygienic surroundings are a plus point.Pic: File pics. Padmalatha Ravi
Location
An area which is quiet and safe is the ideal location for a playschool. A residential layout is preferred with adequate space. Consider the following rooms in your playschool; play rooms, dining room and activity room along with a playground. If you are staying in apartments you can also consider using common rooms, community halls or un-leased flats as playschool.
Infrastructure
To attract kids and parents a playschool should be colorful and the ambience joyful. For this consider
- Colorful children furniture like plastic chairs, tables, and play equipments like rockers, slide etc. Also book racks, wall hangings and staff furniture needs to be considered.
- Indoor activity games like puzzles, towers, alphabets and other board games.
- Art craft supplies like finger paints, clay, ribbon, glitter, paint brushes etc
- Office supplies like pencils, pens, and stationeries like CD’s, bags, markers etc.
All these are subjected to your budgetary limits. You can start small and expand later. Facilities like lunch, transportation, full day care etc can be added later.
Curriculum
You can follow the Montessori Method of education. The Montessori Method of education is a methodology emphasising the natural learning of children and focuses both on social interaction and academics. There are other less popular education methods too like Reggio Emilia Approach and Waldorf education.
Playschool consultants are professionals who guide you in setting up educational institutions. By consulting such a person a playschool owner can get help in choosing staff, location, curriculum, equipment for a limited period of time.
One can look up Just dial, yellow pages etc for consultants in their area. There are some groups like http://www.thepreschoolsource.com/consulting.htm, www.sunbeameduserve.com,http://www.saieduserve.com etc which may help too.
For choosing a good curriculum you can get the advice of playschool consultants, pre-school teachers or owners of established playschools.
As Renuka Nair, founder principal of FUN N LEARN, with more than 15 years in working with younger children puts it, ‘a combination of education approaches like Montessori and Kindergarten (methodology focusing more on visual materials and play) ensures that all aspects of a child’s education is taken care of. This enables the child to successfully transit from a play school to a regular school.”
You can also take the help of internet to decide on curriculum and books. Whichever curriculum you follow make sure it is competitive enough and enables the kids to adjust to the school’s education board like CBSE/ICSE or state board.
On your own? Or Franchisee?
You could start a playschool independently or go with a Franchiser. There are plenty of well known Franchisers in Bangalore like Shemrock, KidZee etc. The advantages of going with a Franchiser are that they support you in selecting location for playschool, hiring trained staff, developing good curriculum, marketing, purchasing school equipment etc. You also start with a brand name which means parents associate your school with quality.
But on the downside you will have to shell out franchisee fees and royalty. Apart from this there are also few known issues in going for Franchise like poor business model, inadequate training for teachers, unkept promises etc.
If you do not wish to be a franchisee then you can take the help of playschool consultant to advice you on location, curriculum, equipment etc. You can also talk with established playschool owners to help determine your budget.
If you are starting on your own it is best to have some kind of early child hood training like Montessori training. In fact Renuka Nair, who is herself trained at Norte Dame, asserts that having a child psychology degree and teacher training helps you tremendously during the initial planning phases of playschool. A degree in child psychology also ensures that you can understand, help, accept and appreciate children better.
School forms and stationery
Like schools, you will have to arrange for report cards, admission forms, transfer certificate, diary, fee receipts etc. If you go for a franchise option then the franchisers will provide all these materials.
curriculum should have time for both fun and learning. File pic: Padmalatha Ravi
Staff
You will have to recruit teachers who have undergone Montessori or Nursery training. You may also have to seek out assistant teachers and aayas who love kids and have the experience to handle kindergarten kids. The number of teachers will depend on teacher and child ratio. Some playschools stick to National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) methodology and opt for 1:4 ratio for infants and 1:10 for 3-5 olds.
Marketing
Once the basic infrastructure is in place you can think of ways to promote your school. Banners, newspaper ads, internet etc are some of the ways to garner attention to your school. But the best marketing is word of mouth which is one of the trusted and reliable ways of spreading awareness about your school.
Generic tips for starting of a playschool:
Having a child psychology degree and teacher training helps you tremendously during the initial planning phases of playschool. A degree in child psychology also ensures that you can understand, help, accept and appreciate children better.
- A playschool should always use paint that is lead free and which has no odors.
- Make sure that all electrical sockets have plastic prongs in them. This prevents kids from sticking their fingers in to the sockets.
- Have a child proof lock in rooms so that you can store unsafe materials like medicines, chemicals etc behind it.
- The toys should be safe and hygienic to use and should be made of non toxic materials which can be easily cleaned and disinfected.
- If you are providing lunch or snacks keep all hot pans and pots out of reach of kids.
- Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for fire safety.
- Keep a first aid kit handy and have tie ups with doctors or clinics in case of emergencies.
Challenges if any?
Along the way you are sure to encounter challenges unique to your venture. One of the biggest challenges in a playschool according to Anjana Sen is meeting a mother’s expectation. A mother always thinks the world revolves around her son and satisfying her is the mammoth task. Another typical work related challenge which you are likely to face is making a toddler trust you. It is difficult to anticipate the needs of a toddler and it is necessary to form a bond with them to make them comfortable.
Handling difficult children can also be a very challenging task. “Here a degree in child psychology is a major benefit”, states Renuka Nair categorically.
To round off take up this venture only if you are passionate with kids. Otherwise it is difficult to succeed. As Anjana Sen asserts,” Love for kids is a must in this field. If love does not come from heart kids will no longer wish to come to school everyday and will feel uncomfortable.” The result gets reflected in their personality and work reports.
So care and unconditional love for kids will get you a long way in this undertaking. Though the investment could be anywhere between 50000 to 200000 rupees in this venture the returns can also start as high as 50k per month, a few months down the lane.⊕
i want to start a play school so what is the process and how i can do it in a right way
As such there are no rules to start a playschool in residential area. The factors to consider during the start would be safety,hygiene etc concerning the kid. Get a no objection from the residents staying nearby as well to avoid future problems.
Dear Samatha Suresh,
We help you in starting your play school, kindly send your contact details or contact us so that we can provide you all details regarding requirement pertaining to this.
Contact:
Bhupender Sharma – 092162-22267
Email us: info.insightmgm@gmail.com
Dear Samatha Suresh,
Setting up a Preschool is not as easy as the name sounds. It involves a lot of co ordination of various activities/resources, which might be difficult for an individual to handle on his/her own considering their involvement in various other things.we will help you,send your contact details.Email us :::info@oiplayschool.com
Respected Sir/ madam
I want to start a play school near by rohini sector 18 Delhi. At present i am running a computer institute since 2012. Please help me out how can i start it and what are the basic requirement for it.
please mail me the details or may contact to my no. 9953632177, amit.poria20@gmail.com
Dear Sir / Madam,
I am looking forward to start a preschool in West Bengal, Nadia Dist.,Krishnanagar . Kindly guide me with the basic requirement to form the preschool.
Please mail me the details at
Dear Sir/Madam,
Can you please let me know some best play-school consultants in Bangalore to start new school near Nagarbhavi.
Dear Guruprasad,
Kindly visit our website http://www.imsolutions.in or email us at info.insightmgm@gmail.com or you can call us at +91-92162-22267 to know more about your play school queries.
thanks
Bhupender Sharma
+91-9216222267
http://www.imsolutions.in
I am planning top start a play school in DELHI NCR Kindly guide me with the basic requirement to form the preschool.
Please mail the details at ammitmalikk@gmail.com, or call at 9818520974
Hi, i am planning to start a cruch school in Gurgaon kindly guide me with the basic requirement to form the cruch.please email the details at hiteshikalra87@gmail.com or call at 8587026797
Anyone intrested to open a playschool, with a very low invest ment ,please contact us @ thakursudhir82@gmail.com or 8699826432. We are always there to help you.
Anyone interested in International Preschool franchise, Montessori Based Teaching Methodology & USA Based Curriculum, drop an email at edupromoteinc@gmail.com or call us at 9818765074. Visit us at http://www.dmpsglobal.com
That’s an Good initiative, On the other hand, we should have enough patience and dedication to handle the circumstances. Anyways, Good luck and my best wishes to SAMATHA SURESH.
http://www.vydehischool.com
http://www.vkids.in
I am looking forward to start a preschool in tamilnadu, Thiruchirappali Dist.,lalgudi Tk . Balaji Nagar, Kindly guide me with the basic requirement to form the preschool. Please mail me the details at
Dear Dhiva,
Please mail me at edupromoteinc@gmail.com or call me at 9818765074, will guide you about all the details related to preschool.
Dear sir/ madam
im looking forward to start playschool. please kindly guide me & give suggestions hw to start & hw i can it in a right way.
please send ur email ID / Contact No.
Dear sir/madam I am looking forward to start playschool in chennai. Please kindly guide me this is my mail I’d :divya88.pvm@gmail.com pl send me the details.
Hi. Interested in taking over any existing pre-schools in Bangalore.
Conducting Dance and freestyle classes for kids Marthhalli in Doddanekundhi mail me thomas.ramco@gmail.com
Have a great house in Gokulam, Mysore in one of the best residential areas suitable for preschool. Contact me if interested in partnering at vittal.setty@gmail.com
Hello, I have a 2 storeyed house on a 40×60 land near l r bande, shampura bangalore and am interested to give it on rent for preschools.interested parties cancontact me at 7899962030.
Thanks
David
First, get a no-objection certificate from the local Tehsildar. Next, you need to write an application to the Directorate of Education in your state, for which you need to show financial capability and maintain a Fixed Deposit in the name of your school as proof of financial strength. After this your school will be recognized by the govt. of your concerned state. Finally, you will need to get affiliated with an education board.
For preschools in Bangalore logon http://www.enrolmentdesk.com/bengaluru/list-of-preschools
Hi Sir,
I would like start a play school cum day care in bangalore, in my house, could you please give me the requirements and procedures for the same. please email to chitrajoseph@hotmail.com
Marthhalli mahadevpura
3500 sqft house available for rent ideal for preschool in peaceful residential layout – JP nagar, Bangalore.
Please contact- 9886438279
I am looking for a rented house around Banashankari, Bangalore to start a preschool. It should be minimum 1000sft.Please contact 9900943309.
Hi, I want to open a pre-school in Bangalore. Please tell me the current rules in Bangalore/Karnataka for this. any pointer on good Bangalore based consultants could be helpful. Thanks in advance for any help.
2400sqft Villa for rent to setup PLAYSCHOOL at cheap budget. It’s a beautiful and quite neighborhood, ideal for PLAYSCHOOL to be setup. The property has a garden on which kids will enjoy to play and relax. It has got plenty of trees, rest assured that kids will breathe clean and fresh air and enjoy their time here. 8 minutes to Manyata Tech Park.
Located at Dr.Shivaramakaranth Nagar, feel free to call me @ 9964218839
Hi mam planning to start play school what is the fist thing I have to do
I have not done NTT training
Hi mam planning to start play school what is the fist thing I have to do
I have not done NTT training
Hi we r planning to open a playway school in punjab. Want to know wt r the things required for this? What is the procedure ??
Hi Sir, I would like start a play school in Bhadrachalam. Could you please give me the requirements and procedures for the same. My contact info 9494323236
hi Sir/madam I would like to start a day care center, play home,L.k.g &,u.k.g. I heard that government has made a rule in this year to get a license to run the school. kindly help me in the procedure to take the licence. where I should apply?contact no: 9902487909
my self pankaj i want to open my pre school in meerut in minimum investment so kindly make out the way….
Sir,
Me and friend want to start day care( from 2 to 4 aged kids)in Bangalore.we don’t know the rules and procedure about this.plz guide us ..could u pls give your contact no too.
Hi
My name is Gangaraja I am planning to start a play home I need help of consultancy pls provide the contact
Hi im akshatha here im thinking to open a montessori school please let me know how to do and all briefly and what the things need to be done
Can you please let me know some best play-school consultants in Sira Tumkur to start new school in Sira Town.