Play Schools: Playing It Up

chillibreeze writer — Saonli Hazra

Introduction
Schooling in India is serious business, both in terms of money and the efforts that are involved. Securing admissions into a reputed school of one’s choice is fraught with innumerable difficulties and parents are often at a loss to mitigate these hurdles.

From time to time, various policy changes have intervened with the admission process, trying to make the format simpler. For instance, the Ganguly Committee Report set down specific guidelines for schools to follow. However, many of these guidelines are flagrantly violated.

The media has highlighted the sorry state of affairs and prompted many a policy change; parents themselves have become more conscious and aware and prepare themselves in every possible way so as to ensure a seat for their little ones. Yet, the enormity of the situation remains largely unchanged.

It is in this situation that play schools or pre-nursery schools, as they are referred to, come into focus. Broadly speaking, most of the admission process is factored by the qualifications of the parents, their financial abilities and above all, their interest in their children. The latter two are often viewed as having a direct correlation to the kind of preparatory school a child has been to.

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Play schools, being preparatory schools, have increasingly been positioning themselves as a necessary means to an end – helping secure admission for the child into a good reputed school.

Play schools, also known as Montessori Schools, (due to the Montessori ideology that they follow) are spaces where little kids come to play, interact and learn certain age- relevant concepts in a fun and interesting way. So, in a way the phrase ‘play school’ is a misnomer, for beneath the veneer of color, play and interactive sessions, there is a serious exchange of concepts and ideas.

Play Schools – An Urbanized Affair
Play schools are still largely an urban phenomenon. This is mostly due to the rise in nuclear set ups, (people mostly migrate to urban centres in search of better livelihood opportunities) coupled with the shortage of quality day care services.

Play schools double up as learning centres as well as crèches. Often, play schools extend into day care centres providing a viable option to parents, who are fearful of leaving their child in the care of people other than ‘family’.

Forays into the non-urban market are not entirely absent. Zee Interactive Learning Systems, the educational wing of Zee Network, is proposing to open up rural centres and are thus working on a ‘Grameen’ model. This first-of-its-kind initiative shows the lucrative aspect of the business of pre-schooling. Although the idea is laudable, it is yet to be seen how well this concept would work for rural India.

Play Schools – A Function of Changing Attitudes and Increased Resources
People living in urban centres, have greater access to resources. They also have wider exposure to global standards in education and are the so-called ‘global citizens’. Such parents often view play schools as ‘necessary’ and have created a market for the same.

Attitudinal changes have also contributed to a growing demand for play schools. Parents no longer find wisdom in cocooning the child to the confines of the home. They understand a child’s need for companionship, space, a place to interact freely and indulge in games that contribute to his or her development. Play schools usually have their curriculum built around these needs and are a welcome proposition for parents.

Play Schools and their Benefits – The Debate
The debate over whether a play school scores over the home environment in the development of a child continues to have takers on both sides. Although in the West, the concept of play schools have been around for sometime, in India it is relatively new. Many play schools started coming up in the early 1990s. However, there has been a mushrooming of such schools in most urban neighborhoods of late. Clearly, the demand for these schools seems to be sustainable.

Some of the very obvious benefits that accrue out of going to a play school are language acquisition, training in age-appropriate behaviour, learning relevant concepts in congruence with age, increased association with peers, social adaptability and of course admission demands. Most play schools use guided play, simulative exercises, stories, toys and other fun exercises to teach children concepts that they would require as social beings.

The other side of the debate essentially focuses around the forced weaning away of the child and its repercussions, such as ‘Separation Anxiety’, which can have long term consequences. A child usually learns with age, the appropriate behavioral patterns as a part of natural progression. A play school, which is an alien ground for the child, can hardly have a role to play in this, it is argued.

Nevertheless, play schools are becoming a huge draw in urban India and children as young as two years of age are sent to these schools for limited hours. The teacher-student ratio in these schools is usually around 1:10, which ensures that each child receives enough love and attention.

At the end of it all, a parent has a child, who is more self-reliant, sociable and well versant with most concepts in accordance with his age. This makes play schools very popular with parents and especially those with kids, who are in line for the admission process.

Market-Led Enterprise
So far, the story has revolved around the demand for play schools. Ordinarily, play schools require capital and space as primary investments. This has led to a spiraling of play schools, but most fall short in the essential delivery of services. For example, the smaller play schools are not even aware of the Montessori methods of teaching. Often, schools fail in their promises and their callous attitude can be very costly indeed.

However, increased competition and market forces have ensured that brand positioning and thus quality service delivery is the only way to attract more students and thus grow bigger. This has separated the good, which tend to have a pan-India presence, from the organic ones. Quality is ensured only by huge personal investments like leadership, commitment of staff, trained personnel and of course synergy of energy.

These play schools also spend a lot of money on facilities such as swimming pool, splash pool, swings, and even a computer lab. Parents often make their choice of a play school on the basis of whether their child likes the swimming pool of a certain school or takes interest in the playground of another. This has at times led to schools glossing over essentials such as hygiene, well-equipped classrooms, spacious premises, trained teachers, sensitive and caring attendants.

Choosing Wisely – A Guide
Sending a child to a play school is not a very simple decision and requires a fair amount of homework. Some of the things a parent ought to consider besides the infrastructural facilities are things like the philosophy and vision of the school and its congruence with one’s own child-rearing ideas. Speaking to the staff and seeing if they are patient in giving answers, observing other children, taking into account the teacher-student ratio, cleanliness, helpfulness of attendants etc. should be important deciding factors. The affordability of the play school is an overriding question though.

Finally, the last word in sending a child to school does rest with the parents, and the most vital question a parent should be asking is “Am I comfortable in sending the child outside the home, even for a few hours?” The decision should closely include factors as existence of familiar support and the level of maturity in the child. All children are not the same and so a play school suited for one may not appeal to another. So, a careful assessment should precede the decision on what is best for your child.

Major Play School Chains in India
Some of the major play schools in India with a nationwide presence are:

Euro Kids: Euro Kids enjoys one of the most dominant positions in the pre-school scenario in India. An offshoot of Euro Kids International Private Limited, Euro Kids advertises itself as a second home for kids between the ages of 2-4 years. It is also the leader of the children’s book segment in India and operates through franchisee outlets in all parts of the country. The emphasis is on all round development of the child through age-appropriate activities.

Shemrock: Started in 1989, Shemrock boasts of 90 branches across the country. This chain was started by a husband wife team of Dr. and Dr. (Mrs.) Arora. Shemrock also seeks to provide all round development in a harmonious environment.

Mother’s Pride: This is another chain of play schools that is expanding fast in India under the able leadership of Dr. Sudha Gupta. Mother’s Pride has state-of-the-art facilities like theater, swimming pools, excellent learning aids and books that encourage a child’s aptitude and potential. They are one of the few centers to boast of a computer lab—young minds are introduced to computers and certain age-appropriate activities are included.

Kidzee: With over 600 centres all over India, this Zee Interactive Learning Systems Limited initiative in the field of children’s education is also an established brand name in the field of pre-nursery education. As their advertised line “ Where Learning is Fun” goes, this brand lives up to its name by providing a fun-filled activity center for kids between the ages of 2-4 years, ensuring that kids receive a harmonious atmosphere in which to play and learn.

Other major players in this field are Maple Bear, Daffodils, Ananda Play School, Bacchpan, Scoobees Jumbokids, etc.

 

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—About our writer:

Saonli Hazra writes for Chillibreeze