Report on PLAN FOR PRE-SCHOOL Prepared for: Pratham IGNOU Community College
Prepared By: Mayuri Gathe 1st year PGDM, Institute for Technology and Management
Approved by: Mr. Smitin Brid Date: 10th Jan 2012
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the submitted report entitled “ PLAN FOR PRE-SCHOOL” is an original work done by Mayuri Gathe under my supervision.
Place: Mumbai.
Signature:
Date: 10th January 2012. (Mr. Smitin Brid )
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Nanda Gole and Mr. Smitin Brid, for giving me an opportunity to research about the preschools in India by giving a report on PLAN FOR PRE-SCHOOL. This Project is great source of learning and a good experience, as it made me aware of situation of pre school and competitiveness in this business.
DATE: 10th January 2012 PLACE: Mumbai
Mayuri Gathe
Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Options for setting up a pre school 3. Permission to start up a pre school 4. Name your school 5. Finding a location 6. Financing your business a) Private sources b) Commercial banks c) Venture capitalist d) Government agencies e) Other sources
7. Preschool budget a) Start-up budget b) Operating budget
8. Setting up fees 9. Playschool infrastructure a) Rooms b) Outdoors
10. Samples of Pre School 11. Management department a) Director/Manager b) Finding and hiring staff (1)Steps in hiring staff (2)Recruiting staff (3)Determining staff size (4)Settling working hours (5)Establishing salaries
12. Preparing centres a) Safety b) Equipments and material c) Setup d) Storage
13. Courses a) Craft ideas b) Play centres c) Music for education d) Learning activities e) Necessary skills
14. Facilities 15. Playschool curriculum a) Montessori method b) Reggio Emilia Approach c) Waldorf Kindergarten
16. Admission procedure a) Parent interview b) Application form c) Documents required
17. Forms, receipts and paper work 18. Day in a play school 19. Caring for children 20. Promotion a) Web designing b) Brochure
21. Marketing
1. INTRODUCTION Owning and operating a child care business can be a very challenging and rewarding career. Success in this field requires dedication, love and patience. The work day is longer than a normal eight-hour day, but the satisfaction of watching children grow and develop will be worth the extra effort. If you are interested in starting a child care business, this publication will help you plan, prepare and operate your business. It explains the step-by-step process of starting the business, from assessing the need for child care services to selecting the service, setting up your business and preparing for opening day. A sample business plan outline for child care businesses is included, in addition to a sample parent survey, a typical undergraduate curriculum in early childhood instruction, general resources and a list of related national organizations.
2. OPTION FOR SETTING UP A PRE-SCHOOL Many play schools have come up in recent times. The different ways adapted by people are: 1) Choosing a Preschool / Play school Franchisor. There are as many as 100 franchisors offering their brand name and support to those who want to start a play school in India. But the benefit of going for a franchisor is not, what the Franchisors generally communicate to prospective franchisees. 2) Play school Consultancy. There are many play school consultants available, who can help you in setting up your preschool with your own brand name. They provide guidance about location, equipment, curriculum and promotion and offer support. 3) Consulting a play school owner. You can get good guidance from a friend or relative who has a successful running play school. They can advise you on budget, costs incurred, safety measures, teacher recruitment and many others. Be sure that you get continuous support from them.
3. PERMISSION TO START UP A PRE-SCHOOL Many people aspiring to start a preschool are worried about the legal permissions and conditions involved in setting up a preschool. Here’s the good news for all of them! In India there are no rules and regulations for starting a play school, preschool or a day care centre. So if you feel capable of setting a good play school, then there are no legal issues you have to face.
4. NAME YOUR SCHOOL Choose a unique and attractive name for your school. Remember that, the name is the first thing a parent notices in your play school. You can get this name registered. You can then choose a good logo that goes well with your name and concept of school.
5. FINDING A LOCATION An ideal location for a play school would be a place in a residential area with sample space outside filled with greenery. Usually play schools require a minimum area of 900 sq. ft to no actual upper limit. An independent house, duplex house, a full fledged building will all prove to be a good location. Commercial and traffic filled areas should never be opted for preschools. A serene and natural environment around the school would be a boon. The cost of the centre itself, especially for a location outside your home, will be one of your major start-up expenses. Many child care providers operate from their homes, but you may want to build, buy or rent space for your centre.
Operating a Centre outside Your Home Finding adequate space and the right location requires money, time and thought. Look for space that is accessible and will require few, if any, repairs. Sources of information on possible locations include Classified real estate advertisements
-- Homes for rent or sale. -- Apartments for rent or sale. -- Condominiums for rent or sale. -- Boarded-up space. Local industry
-- Ask public relations offices if they have space to rent or donate. -- Approach commercial contractors about new commercial and residential space. -- Ask local government officials about space in their buildings for donation or rent. Property management companies
-- Find out if there is any space in office buildings. If you are not building your own centre, in most cases some changes will be needed. Renovation can involve projects ranging from painting to rewiring or major plumbing, which often become very expensive. Occupancy (space) costs include utilities, maintenance and repair expenses and insurance. To help estimate these expenses, do some preliminary research. Utilities
-- Project utility costs based on last year's costs plus inflation. If a deposit is required or opening a utility account, how much will it be? Will your account be based on commercial (business) rates or private home rates?
Maintenance and repair
-- Plumbing, wiring, roofing and outside and inside walls. -- Cleaning supplies and equipment. -- Snow removal, if required. -- Trash removal. -- Lawn mowing. -- Insect control. Insurance
-- Do you need liability or fire and theft insurance? A fidelity bond?
Operating a Canter from Your Home Operating a child care centre outside your home is very costly, and may not be financially feasible for most child care providers. As a matter of fact, many very successful child care centres are located in the homes of the providers. The advantages of operating a centre from your home are Fewer expenses. Convenience for the provider and generally for the parents. Lower overhead. More flexible hours. Proximity for provider to his or her family.
There are, however, certain safety regulations that may require changes to the rooms you will be using. You also are required to have adequate insurance protection for the centre. If you don't have them already, you will need fire and theft insurance for your home. If you have insurance, make sure your policy covers the supplies and equipment that you purchase.
6. FINANCING YOUR PLAN With an investment of 5 lacks or more, one can start a preschool in India. Many popular school chains offer franchise units to establish a branch. The deciding factor is not the low capital required, but the space. Even that has been taken care of by acquiring a leased property. To further assist the entrepreneur, banks and financial institutions provide loans to help in starting the business. In cities personal loans of amount 3 to 5 lacks are provided without any mortgage and in just a week or so. Getting funding for your business can pose a problem, especially if you don't know where to go or whom to see. There are many sources for financing your centre. However, that financing depends on whether you are beginning a nonprofits or for-profit organization. These sources of financing can be divided into five categories: private sources, venture capitalists, commercial banks, government agencies and other sources. a) Private Sources Private sources include your own savings or funds from friends or relatives, and are among the most common methods of financing. The advantages of using your own money are (1) there are no finance charges . The disadvantages are (1) you lose the interest you could be earning on your money and (2) you lose the use of your savings as a cushion for any future emergencies. The advantages of borrowing from friends and relatives are (1) they are less likely to make demands on your style of management, (2) there is no legal limit on how much you can borrow and (3) the terms of borrowing can be negotiated and usually are more flexible than
those of commercial sources.
b) Commercial Banks All banks have a commercial division. Since the banking industry was deregulated, many savings and loan associations also engage in commercial banking. All commercial banks offer business loans -- both short-term and long-term -- at prevailing interest rates. When applying for money from a bank or individual investor, show a willingness to invest your own money. You must be willing to risk your assets if you expect others to risk theirs. c) Venture capitalist venture capitalists are the most unlikely to finance your centre; they tend to invest in growth firms rather than start-up businesses because of the significant long-term capital appreciation and the high yields generated on investment returns. d) Government Agencies Local government agencies offer special financial assistance to small businesses. Many loan programs, administered under government guidelines and funded by the government, are available. Each program is designed to assist a special type of business. e) Other Sources Credit unions and life insurance companies also can be a source of funds. Credit unions offer personal loans to members, usually at interest rates lower than those of commercial banks. Insurance companies will often loan money against a life insurance policy for up to 95 percent of the policy value. Their interest rates also are generally lower than those charged by commercial banks. Interest payments may be deferred as long as your premium payments are made. But until the loan is repaid, your coverage will be reduced by the amount of the loan.
7. PRE-SCHOOL BUDGET Setting your budget is the most important step in starting any business. If your operation is to succeed, you'll need a sound budget, i.e., a plan that provides a realistic projection of actual estimated expenses and income. Preparing both a start-up budget and an operating budget will tell you what you will spend, now and in the future, and where the money will come from for starting and operating your centre. Most important, these budgets will indicate whether your projected income will meet your expenses. Your money should accommodate the following necessities. Though this list is not complete, it gives an overall idea about the minimum requirements.
Location and building cost (Lease / Rent) Play school set up cost (includes indoor, outdoor and other equipment) Curriculum Paper Work for office purpose like, receipts, fees, forms, report cards. Teachers’ training and staff salaries Marketing / Promotion costs Transport facility Web development costs Do keep a good margin between the money you want to spend on setting up a preschool and the money you can invest (the former being lesser). This is because you can never predict when indispensable expenses turn up.
a) Start-up Budget The first step to building a sound financial plan is a start-up budget. This will usually include such one-time costs as major equipment, renovation, utility deposits and down payments. Additionally, your start-up budget should include at least 60 to 90 days of operating costs.
Table 1 -- Start-up Budget Expenses
Amount
Personnel (costs prior to opening)
_______
Occupancy Down payment or purchase of building
_______
Remodelling costs
_______
Rent deposit
_______
Utilities deposit
_______
Equipment Office
_______
Program
_______
Installation fee
_______
Supplies Program
_______
Office
_______
Housekeeping (toilet paper cleaning supplies)
_______
Food service
_______
Miscellaneous Advertising
_______
Food (first month)
_______
Legal and professional fees Operating cash
_______
Insurance
_______
Expenses Total
_______
Income Total
_______
b) Operating Budget Prepare an operating budget when your centre actually opens. This budget reflects your spending priorities, the expenses you will incur and how you will meet those expenses. From the moment the door to your new business opens, you will undoubtedly receive a certain amount of income. ____________________________________________________________________________ Table 2 -- Annual Operating Budget Expenses
Annual
Total
Director/head teacher
________
_______
Teachers (#)
________
_______
Aide (1)
________
_______
Cook/maintenance
________
________
Aides (2)
________
________
Secretary/bookkeeper
________
________
________
________
Personnel Full-time (100%)
Part-time (50%)
Substitutes (minimum wage/hour x # weeks) Occupancy Monthly rent 12 months
________
(number of square feet amt/sq.ft.)
________
Heat/air-conditioning
________
Electricity
________
Telephone
________
Insurance
________
Equipment Educational
________
Kitchen
________
Housekeeping
________
Office
________
Depreciation
________
Supplies Educational
________
Housekeeping
________
Office
________
Food 2 meals and 1 snack (cost x no. of children x no. of days in the centre/year)
________
Other expenses Advertising
________
Licensing fees
________
Liability insurance (cost/child/year)
________
Annual payment on start-up loan
________
Total expenses
________
Income Fees (Assess 90% enrolment; no. of children x enrolment % cost/week x no. of weeks)
________
Fund-raising/donations
________
Total income
________
8. SETTING A SCHOOL FEES Your play school fee has to be competitive. Conduct a small survey by visiting few schools in your area. Observe the community around your school. You can have an estimate about the affordability of parents towards the preschool education. For example if you are going to set up the school in a posh locality, you can build a high quality preschool (if your budget permits). Parents will be willing to pay good amount of fees for sending their kids to a preschool maintaining good standards. Determining Your Fees: Charge too much and the fear is parents won't utilize your service. Charge to little and you might as well work for nothing. So just what should you charge for your child care services? The five tips below from Start & Run a Profitable Home Day Care. 1) Check out the rates for child care in your area. 2) Calculate your expenses. 3) Place a value on your time. 4) Factor in the quality of the program you offer 5) Planning for the unexpected 6) Tally It Up
9. PRE-SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE Ambience attracts parents to join their kids in your preschool. Make your play school colourful and buy as many toys as you can. Here’s a quick list for your reference which will help you in planning your layout. Rooms
Reception Class rooms Nap room Audio Visual room Activity Room Ball room / Play room Dining room Kitchen
Outdoor Swimming pool Garden Assembly Play area for see-saw, slide Play is the most interesting thing for any child. The preschool owners have to take utmost care in choosing the play equipment. Play and learning equipment at your preschool increase the scope of admissions in your school. Safety being first, your play school equipment should serve the following purposes
Entertainment Learning through play Health and exercise Increase the ambience of your school
Here is a brief list of the things you need for setting up a good quality modern preschool. School Furniture : Plastics melded or Wooden tables, chairs and desks, Reception table, Chair, furniture for staff. Dining table Play equipments : Slide, Rockers, Cycles, Ball rooms, Play stations, Play houses, Sand pit, Gym Equipment for activity room: Spindle boxes, Puzzles, Blocks, Alphabets, Towers Play school Interiors : Wall Paintings, Wall hangings, Book rack and books (usually placed at the reception) Miscellaneous : Stationery items, Uniforms, bags, Projector, Interactive CDs
10. SAMPLE OF PLAY SCHOOL
Play ground
Study place
Storage place
Day care centre
Health centre
11. MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT Planning and developing a program that adequately manages your centre is very important. There are many factors that you must consider, such as finding and hiring qualified staff, determining staff size, setting working hours, deciding on staff responsibilities, establishing salaries and fringe benefits and developing personnel policies. Any school require a group of people to manage a school, which includes: a) Director /Manager : Every profitable day care centre requires a sharp manager or director. This person might be yourself, or someone you hire for the job. The director should have an empathy with people, be an excellent judge of people, be sales oriented, and have an outgoing personality. As much as anything else, this person must have the ability to listen to, and really hear what other people are saying without the influence of preconceived opinions, or making snap decisions. Your director will be responsible for the hiring and supervision of your other help and the budgeting, scheduling and overall day-to-day operation of the business. A good director for a day care centre will command a salary equal to teachers in your public schools, plus fringe benefit allowances such as free enrolment for their children and perhaps medical and dental insurance if you choose to provide group coverage. b) Finding and Hiring Staff (1) Some steps in the hiring process include 1. Establish criteria for selecting your staff. Working with children involves enhancing their social, intellectual, emotional and physical development. Major considerations in a candidate are his or her personal qualities; attitude toward child care, children and parents; previous applicable employment and education or other special training. Having the necessary qualities and skills to fulfil the job description is, of course, also important.
2. Establish a time frame. Remember, you will need time to advertise, interview and make selections, and some individuals may have to give notice to present employers, so it is wise to begin the hiring process at least 60 days in advance. 3. Advertise for employees. 4. Review resumes based on your criteria. 5. Telephone any promising applicants for an interview. Screen to be sure they meet your criteria. 6. Have candidates fill out application forms. 7. Conduct interviews (if possible, observe candidate with children). 8. Contact references. 9. Review and make your decision. 10.Notify candidates of your decision, even those you do not hire .
(2) Recruiting Staff following lists shows several places where you might begin to recruit staff. 1. College placement 2. office 3. Vocational high school 4. State licensing office 5. Information and referral agency 6. Local employment agency 7. Newspaper advertisements(nearest city paper) 8. Local business school 9. Notices in markets and Laundromats
(3) Determining Staff Size The size of your staff will depend on how many children you plan to care for, state licensing regulations and the quality of the program you plan to provide. States establish minimum guidelines for the number of staff needed in a child care centre, depending on the age of the children. You may choose to exceed these minimum requirements. Research has shown that for three to five year olds, groups of 14-18 children work well. Infants should be in much smaller groups than that, and school-age children may be in slightly larger groups. In addition to your regular staff (those caring for the children), you will need to make decisions regarding other personnel who, although not working directly with the children, are necessary to maintain a smoothly operating centre (e.g., a cook if you are preparing food at the centre, a secretary, a bookkeeper and a custodian). Substitute staff will be necessary for days when regular staff and volunteers are ill, on vacation or in training.
(4) Setting Working Hours As you decide on the number of staff you will need, also plan the hours they will work at the centre. Most centres are open 10 to 12 hours daily. However, the kind of service you plan to provide will determine your centre’s hours. Working with children is emotionally and physically demanding. Staff tends to be less effective after six hours. If you require eight hour shifts, staff are entitled by law to lunch breaks and coffee breaks, the latter usually once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
(5) Establishing Salaries and Fringe Benefits To maintain a consistent, qualified staff, you must offer competitive salaries and fringe benefits.
12. PREPARING THE CENTER Before you start caring for children, it is wise to transform your centre (i.e., your home or location outside your home) into a place that is safe, clean, comfortable and inviting to parents and children alike. There are a number of measures that you can take; each is described below.
a) Safety You must be confident that all areas the children will use -- indoors and outdoors -are safe. To check, you might want to crawl around on your hands and knees, asking, What could a child possibly get into here? How might a child be hurt here? What other problems could be caused here? Make sure
All items children should not use are safely locked away or on high, inaccessible shelves.
Precious breakables are put away.
Poisonous plants are out of reach.
Stairs are well lighted and secure underfoot.
Chemicals, medicines and other dangerous items are behind safety locks.
Toys are stored on shelves to avoid injury from falling lids on toy boxes.
All play materials, furniture, shelving, outdoor equipment -- everything with which children will come into contact -- should be checked every few days for loose parts or any safety hazard. Broken toys and missing pieces discourage play and should be fixed, put away or discarded.
b) Equipment and Materials The equipment and materials you will need depend on the ages of the children you care for. Here is a list of ideal equipment and materials for a centre serving a wide age range of children:
Child-size tables and chairs, booster seats, high chairs and infant seats. Tables can be used for eating and for a variety of children's activities.
Cribs, beds, cots, all with protective mattress pads covered with plastic that can be stored under the beds; blankets and sheets for each child. If you use your family's beds, lay the children's bedding on top of the made-up bed.
Diapering area (preferably near a faucet) that can be easily sanitized after each use; nearby childproof, sanitary storage for used diapers; step stools for sink and toilet.
Space -- to crawl, toddle, run, climb and to be alone (but still in view).
Outdoor play space (sand, hard surface for wheeled toys, swings, climber, garden) or a nearby park. A covered porch or carport is ideal for rainy days.
Art materials, such as meat trays, egg cartons, computer paper; washable surfaces for messy activities.
Water and sand to scoop and pour into plastic dishpans or a larger trough or water table; old throw rugs or other absorbent floor covering.
Large and small, simple and complicated toys, including building materials such as wooden and plastic blocks.
Good children's books and a quiet, cuddly place to read them.
Paperback books can be covered with clean adhesive plastic to protect and strengthen them.
Games, puzzles, dolls, vehicles (child powered rather than battery powered).
Make-believe props, clothes and costumes for dressing up and pretending.
Record player, tape recorder and radio; number, alphabet and colour charts or cards; canister for crayons, pencils and other miscellaneous art materials.
A fabric carrier for young babies and a backpack carrier for babies who can sit up. Many babies love swings and bouncing chairs.
For older children, a private place with props and equipment that children can rearrange as they choose. School-age children will also need a place to keep their things from school and perhaps a place to do their homework.
c) Setup Your job will be easier if you arrange your centre to simplify everyday routines. Some problems can be prevented by having selected things where the children can reach them (e.g., toys, spare clothes and water cups), and others where they can't (e.g., house plants, TV, crayons and children's projects). If children can take care of some of their own needs, it makes them feel independent and competent and frees you to do other things. Encourage the older children to help the younger children with simple tasks such as tying shoes and buttoning or zipping coats; it reinforces their independence, sharpens their skills and fosters friendship and learning among peers.
d) Storage Adequate storage is especially important for child care providers with limited space. Well-designed storage reduces clutter and increases play space. Boards and cement blocks make sturdy, inexpensive shelves for preschool and older children. Heavy cardboard cartons and wooden crates from grocery stores can also be used to build storage units. Make sure shelves are stable enough that children won't tip them over when they use the furniture to pull themselves up to stand or walk. It is a good idea to rotate toys and materials: put away items the children are tired of for a few weeks; bring them out later and the children will enjoy rediscovering them. You may want to assemble theme boxes containing all the materials you need for a specific activity. Every child should have a personal storage area, even if it is only a shoe box or an ice cream tub. Label it with the child's name and a special symbol. Each child's special area should be off limits to the other children. This gives the child a feeling of belonging and the security of knowing special things can be kept safely. As a businessperson, you will need office space. Efficient storage of administrative and financial records will save you time. You may not have the money to purchase a file cabinet or desk when you open your centre It is a good idea to find a secure place to keep your business records because these records will be used to file your federal and state taxes at the end of the year. If you misplace any of your records, filing accurate taxes will be virtually impossible.
13. COURSES Play group, Nursery, LKG/PP-1, UKG/PP-2 Day care program : decide on your regular day care hours. Generally, these are from 6 a.m. through 6 p.m. After-school care program. For making maximum utilization of resources, play school owners today conduct other events. Keeping the above factors in mind, list the different courses you would like to offer . The sample list of various activities is given below: 1. Tuitions, drawing, painting, Music, Dance and other extra-curricular
activities for elder children as well. 2. Exhibit a language skills i.e. with a little verbal stimulation. 3. pronunciation of words. 4. Identification of shapes, fruits, colours, signs, body parts. 5. Learning poems, stories acts. 6. Animal shows such as interaction with dogs or other domestic animals. 7. Teach them how to behave with other children. 8. Games like language games, puzzles. 9. Experiment with writing, reading. 10.Celebrating various festivals and events. 11.Literacy related play activities. 12.Homework, maintaining dairies, tasks for parents. 13.Seminars for parents about child health. 14.Eating manners.
a) Craft Ideas Bow Art Recommended Ages: 2 years up Materials: Gift bows (Dollar store bag works just fine.) Construction paper Foam or plastic bowls Non-toxic liquid paint Glue stick Glitter Directions: Pour liquid pain into foam or plastic bowls. Place one or two bows beside each bowl of paint. Give each child a piece of construction paper. You can use square pieces or cut out different Christmas shapes like a star, tree, round ornament etc. ahead of time.
b) Play centres Through play children learn to imitate animal noises, recognize alphabets and numbers, understand about sharing and getting along with their peers. They develop their large muscle skills by running, walking, climbing or riding a bike; their small muscles skills by colouring, cutting, pasting and painting. And this just scratches the surface. Learning centres can be set up at home on trays, little tables, or on a shelf as is the case with the reading centre. Different centres allow caregivers to guide a child's learning by providing suggestions or guidance on what to do with the materials provided.
c) Music for education Using a cassette or CD player to introduce children to different kinds of music like jazz, classical, international. getting children to move with the beat, clapping, dancing, doing a variety of movements that also help to build the large muscles and coordination.
d) Learning activity Make reading a daily part of the lives of your preschool charges by reading to them everyday from storybooks and what are known as big books, large-sized books with many pictures and items of interest that can be seen from a short distance. Make children a part of the experience by allowing them a chance to choose the stories to be read at story time.
e) Necessary skills Undergo Nursery teacher training / Montessori Teacher training / Pre-primary teacher training / Early childhood care training. You can also work as a teacher in a good play school for a short span to have a complete insight about preprimary education.
14. FACILITIES
Providing breakfast ,lunch, snacks You'll also need to decide whether you want to offer breakfast for the children. If so, you'll have to plan for a cook and food supplies for morning meals. You'll already be set up with kitchen facilities and a cook because you will be serving a noon meal. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks are required in some states, but even where they're not required, they are pretty much standard fare . Fresh fruit, cookies, and juice are the usual snack foods served in most day care centres. This entails a cook, dishes, planned menus, food supplies in bulk, and perhaps even small size table and chairs. You'll also have to have kitchen help and facilities for washing the dishes.
Travelling facilities such as school bus.
Emergency ambulance
Providing study materials.
The basic materials required: a stove, refrigerator and sink small tables and chairs pots & pans utensils, plastic cups, bowls, plates, etc. an ironing board & plastic iron a broom & dustpan dolls and a doll crib or cradle plastic food items or empty food containers a play phone play dough, cookie cutters, rolling pins, oven mitts, place mats etc. food coupons play money magazines, newspapers, menus pencils, note pads dress-up items like shirts, skirts, dresses, pants, sweaters, blouses, hats, scarves, ties, belts, purses, shoes, jewellery, shawls
15. PLAY SCHOOL CURRICULUM Curriculum is the back bone for a preschool. The quality of curriculum offered in your school will lift the standards of your school to great heights. The modern preschool education believes in stress-free learning. Today children are not forced to learn, but, encouraged to play and they learn in that process. Much research has been carried out and many theories have been developed for educating children from 0- 6yrs. The following methods are being adopted in different schools in India.
a) Montessori Method: The Montessori Method is an educating approach for children based on the research and experiences of Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori (1870–1952). It arose in the process of her experimental observation of young children given freedom in an environment, leading her to believe by 1907 that she had discovered "the child's true normal nature." Based on her observations, she created an environment prepared with materials designed for their self-directed learning activity. If your preschool is going to be Montessori based , you have to buy Montessori material like practical life material, sensorial materials, spindle boxes, metal insets etc.,
b) Reggio Emilia Approach: The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy focused on preschool and primary education. They felt that it is in the early years of development that children are forming who they are as an individual. This led to creation of a program based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment based on the interests of the children through a self-guided curriculum. The Reggio Emilia approach to teaching young children puts the natural development of children as well as the close relationships that they share with their environment at the centre of its philosophy.
Parents are a vital component to the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Parents are viewed as partners, collaborators and advocates for their children. Teachers respect parents as each child's first teacher and involve parents in every aspect of the curriculum. It is not uncommon to see parents volunteering within Reggio Emilia classrooms throughout the school. This philosophy does not end when the child leaves the classroom. Most parents who choose to send their children to a Reggio Emilia program incorporate many of the principles within their parenting and home life.
c) Waldorf Kindergarten: Waldorf education (also known as Steiner or Steiner- Waldorf education) is a humanistic approach to pedagogy based upon the educational philosophy of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steine. The approach emphasizes the role of the imagination in learning, developing thinking that includes a creative as well as an analytic component. Waldorf schools approach learning in early childhood through imitation and example. Extensive time is given for guided free play in a classroom environment that is homelike, includes natural materials and provides examples of productive work in which children can take part. The education emphasizes early experiences of daily, weekly and annual rhythms, including seasonal festivals drawn from a variety of traditions. There are no worksheets, posters, or calendars hanging on the walls. No books, no computers. The toys in the classroom are simple and made from natural materials
You can choose any method or a combination of the above as a basis of your curriculum. Ample material is available on internet for your reference. However it is a tedious work to frame good curriculum. You should again search for books to match the curriculum.
THE CURRICULUM PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT Appropriate opportunities should be provided in preschool education for children to develop personal and social skills, values and attitudes. These should include the following: • Play activities where children: – learn to co-operate, for example, in block play when they build together; – learn to take turns, for example, when a new pram or tricycle is provided; – learn to share, for example, in water play where they share containers and other equipment; – experience the therapeutic value of working with materials, such as clay, dough, paint, sand and water; – can explore their emotions, for example, in hospital play where they may learn to come to terms with fears.
• Stories, rhymes, music and drama In these activities, children should be given opportunities to express emotion, develop self confidence, extend their imagination, identify with characters, appreciate the imagery of words and take part in group situations as they sing and dance.
• The environment Most children are interested in and curious about living things. They should be given guidance on how to care for plants and animals, and encouraged to consider the needs of others in the environment.
• Personal health and hygiene Children eat and drink together every day. This provides adults with opportunities to talk naturally and informally with children about healthy foods and healthy eating habits. As they engage in various types of play and other activities, children become aware of the importance of personal safety. Children should be encouraged to develop acceptable standards of hygiene. Opportunities for this will occur in the course of daily routines, for example, washing hands after messy play and after going to the toilet.
CREATIVE/AESTHETIC DEVELOPMENT Children should be given opportunities to develop their creative skills and aesthetic appreciation through play activities and other experiences. These may include the following:
• Painting and drawing In these activities children experience working: – at vertical and horizontal levels; – with paper of different colours, shapes, textures and sizes; – with various media and tools such as paint, crayons, pencils, brushes, fingers, sponges and combs.
• Paper, card, wood, fabrics and scrap materials Children should have opportunities to work with materials of different textures which will offer them sensory experiences. They should be encouraged to make pictures and models.
• Malleable materials Children should be given opportunities to work with large amounts of clay and dough and should be given time to explore their properties and to develop their creative abilities.
• Music Children should participate in simple musical activities such as singing and listening to music. They should develop an awareness of different sounds, pitch and rhythm, and create their own sounds using percussion instruments. They should have opportunities to respond freely to music through movement and mime.
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Language development occurs when: • children have access to a wide variety of play activities and are encouraged to talk about their experiences, ideas, feelings and achievements to one another and to adults during the course of their play; • adults are available to listen to and talk with the children in a relaxed atmosphere; • children have access to a well-stocked library of story and information books suited to their needs, interests, race and culture, and when books are available in various areas of play, for example, at the house corner and interest table; • children have opportunities to listen to stories and rhymes told or read to them in one-to-one situations or in small and large groups; • children enjoy and share books with each other and engage in role play; • children are encouraged to be aware of print in the environment; • children have access to a variety of painting and writing materials.
EARLY MATHEMATICAL EXPERIENCES Children use their own everyday language to talk about mathematical concepts and, with the skilful help of adults, will begin to use mathematical language as they develop an awareness of space, size, order, pattern, number and relationships. For example, as children play they develop an awareness of: • space as they build with large blocks on the floor or push a pram through a confined space; • size as they dress a variety of dolls and teddy bears; • order and pattern as they thread beads of different sizes, shapes and colours; • number as they help to lay the table in the house corner for dinner; • relationships as they pretend to cook and place the correct lids on saucepans. Through play, children need to have: • time to experiment with a wide range of materials; • opportunities to explore and investigate the properties of the materials; • encouragement to discuss their experiences and findings with adults and peers. Rhymes, stories, songs, seasonal events, birthdays, routines, such as tidying away toys and equipment, and incidental occurrences in the course of the day also help children to develop mathematical concepts.
EARLY EXPERIENCES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Children can also learn about themselves, their environment and about how things work from books, pictures, posters and photographs. Children need opportunities to: • observe and explore, for example, in water play when they explore the properties of water and observe how different objects behave in water; • use their senses, for example, in sand play when they feel the texture of dry and damp sand and make comparisons or when they identify sounds such as the telephone ringing, blocks falling and birds singing; • explore, for example, in creative/aesthetic play when they work with malleable materials such as dough and clay, becoming aware of how these materials behave when poked, rolled, squashed and pulled; • observe and respect living things, handling them with care and sensitivity, for example, by helping to attend to plants and helping to keep the nature/ interest table fresh and attractive; • make models, for example, in construction play when they assemble, rearrange and build with a variety of sizes and shapes of blocks and other materials, observing that carefully stacked blocks are less likely to fall than those that are stacked haphazardly and that a broad surface of blocks gives a better base for building; • put things together in a variety of ways, for example, in creative or construction play when they make models with materials, both natural and manmade, sticking, cutting, folding and, on occasions, taking things apart; • learn about themselves by talking with adults and listening to appropriate stories, rhymes and songs.
KNOWLEDGE AND APPRECIATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT
To help them develop knowledge and understanding of the environment, children should have opportunities, individually or in groups to: • experiment with a wide variety of play materials. Through talking with adults and other children, they learn the names of materials and equipment and observe how these behave. They develop an awareness of space as they help to tidy away equipment. They become familiar with some positional and directional words; • talk about topics which arise naturally from the children’ s own experience, for example, holidays, festive seasons and birthdays; • explore items on the nature/interest table, for example, photographs of events which took place during the year, plants at different stages of development and natural materials such as sheep’ s wool or shells; • talk about the weather and the seasons at appropriate times during the year; • talk about themselves, for example, where they live, the members of their extended family and events in their lives both past and present; • listen to stories and rhymes which have some reference to the past; • use their senses to explore the immediate inside and outside environment; • play with simple floor maps and small vehicles, discussing road safety when appropriate; • learn about their pre-school setting, for example, the name of the setting and the people who work in it, the names, function and position of different rooms, and the name of the school to which they will transfer; • play with materials associated with different places and occupations, such as the seaside, the farm, the fire station and talk about related ideas with adults. • talk about the work of some of the people in the local community, for example, the shopkeeper and the dentist.
Preschool Sample Timetable A sample pre-school timetable for the day: Sample Pre School Timetable 9.30am-10am Shelf work – jigsaws etc 10am-10.30am Snack time 10.30am-11.30am Group activity or work e.g. arts and crafts Painting – sponge Colouring – Crayons Paint brush pencils Bubble Butterfly Hand/eye coordination: • Gluing • Cutting exercises (following lines) • Practice writing (join the dots) • Threading • Weaving Music and Movement: Move tables out of the way. Action songs – The wheels on the bus Heads, shoulders, knees etc If you’re happy and you know it Exercises – Warm up and stretch different parts of the body. Sing individual songs. Lessons: • Colour (maybe colour of the week) • Find everything in the room that colour • Favourite colours • The rainbow
• Shapes • Shapes around the classroom • Favourite shapes • Numbers • Letters 11.30am-12pm Circle Time • Days of the week/months/weather etc • My news – children talk about holidays, birthdays etc • Story time Group lesson:*Life cycles – butterfly/chicken/frog *Seasons – what happens *Festivals/important days *Colours/shapes *Parts of the body/parts of animals *Care of self – brushing teeth, washing hands *Famous people and events *Different countries and customs – Foods/flags/animals *Animals 12pm-12.30pm Free play: *Lego *Straws *Connects *Building blocks *The farm *Road
16. ADMISSION PROCEDURE The first step is to give the full information about the school to the parents. Then the procedure will start step wise. a)
Interview of parents:
This is the first step in which all details about the children is taken from the parents. The certain questions are to be asked in such interview these are: Can you tell me about your child in brief? Tell me something about your family? Where do you work? What do you expect out of the school? What is the role of a school in a child’s life? Who takes all decisions in your family? What time do you come back from your work? How much do you travel? How do you manage alone? In your absence, who takes care of your child? Do your parents live with you? What is the language spoken at home? What is your qualification? Who cooks in your home? Do you have a live in maid? What are your child’s interest / hobbies? What are your hobbies? What activities do you do with your child? What is your child’s favourite cartoon character? Why are you not working? During school holidays, how will you manage with work and your child? Where is your hometown? How many times in a month do you eat dinner out? Do you have another child in this school? What would you look for in a good school? Why do you want to move your child from that school?
b)Application form: The sample of application form is given: Sample Admission Form The form is based on the admission forms of formal schools that parents will be asked to fill in at the time of admission. 1. Name of the child:_______________________________________ Sex:_____________________ 2. Date of birth(in words): ____________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________ (in figures):______________________ 3.Age on 01.04.08 (in words) __________________________ (in figures): ____________________ 4.Address:_______________________________________________________________ ________ ____________________________________ PH No (Res): _____________________________ Particulars of parents: Father a) Name: _____________________________________________________________________ ____ b) Educational qualification: ___________________________________________________________ c) Occupation / Profession : __________________________________________________________ d) Monthly Income: _________________________________________________________________ e) Office Address: __________________________________________________________________ f) Office Phone no: ______________________________ g)Email: ____________________________ b) Mother a) Name: _________________________________________________________________ _______ b) Educational qualification: __________________________________________________________ c) Occupation / Profession : _________________________________________________________ d) Monthly Income:
________________________________________________________________ e) Office Address: _________________________________________________________________ f) Office Phone no: ______________________________ b) Email: ____________________________ c) Sibling Details a) Name ____________________ School ______________________ Class __________________ b) Name ____________________ School ______________________ Class __________________
Name of the child’s present class teacher (s) Parent’s Signature 1. _____________________ 2. ____________________
c) Documents required
Photos Parents id Child’s Birth certificate
_______________
17. FORMS, RECEIPTS AND PAPER WORK You will be in need of a number of receipts Enquiry form : This form is given to the parents who arrive for the first time at your school. It includes columns for knowing about their personal information. This will be used later for making follow up calls Admission form / Enrolment form: This is a form required to be filled by parents at the time of admission. TC form: This form is given to the students who are moving out of the school in the middle of the course Feedback form: You can give this form to parents during parent-teacher meetings and receive their valuable feedback Fees collection receipts: These are to be given to the parents after fee payment. Diary: A diary is the most important book to be printed for pre-primary students. It has to be filled everyday by the teacher to make the parents aware of the happenings at school. It is also used to intimate parents abut their kid’s performance. Report Cards / assessment cards: Report cards must include many columns for tracking the complete performance of student. Grading system is usually followed in many pre-primary schools.
18. A DAY IN A PRE-SCHOOL
The day is broken down into one-hour segments, with pre-planned curriculum, much the same as classes at a public school. A typical day begins with a play period from whenever the children arrive until about 9 o'clock. For this, you'll need indoor sand boxes, toys and perhaps a family-sized television set. From 9 to 10, the children are separated into groups generally by ages - and you hold a reading or story-telling session. The mid-morning snack time is scheduled sometime between 10 to 11. For the younger children, this might include a mid-morning nap. After snack time, a learning session is usually held. Typically, this is the time when guests are invited in to speak or entertain the children. Work with your Chamber of Commerce, civic clubs, and city administration for guests.. Noon to 1 o'clock is generally lunch time, and from 1 until 2 is another learning session. During this afternoon learning session, you might offer the rudiments of reading, writing and arithmetic. About once a week, your afternoon learning session should be a tour or a trip to some place that might be interesting as well as educational for the children. These trips can be anything from a walk in your immediate neighbourhood to loading all the kids into cars or onto buses and taking them to the zoo. On days when you don't have a trip scheduled, your "learning session" might be a film or program related to nature, particularly animals. The advent of the Video Cassette Recorder has opened endless possibilities in this area. Nap time and snack time will fill a period for younger ones, and books and quiet games will occupy older children who do not take a nap. When the nap period is over, they're allowed to play until their parents come by to pick them up. Whenever possible, you should encourage the children to be outside during play periods. If you have lots of playground equipment, you won't necessarily always have to have organized games, but you will have to have a playground supervisor - someone to watch the children and see that they don't get hurt as they play.
Table 5 -- Preschool Activities Developed by the
Gather children into a group for roll call.
Sing a good morning song together. Discuss the weather (cold hot warm raining).
Hand coordination activity -- Break up into individual groups according to age (group A -- age two; group B -- age three) for painting. Distribute water paint and paper to both groups. Let group A finger paint and group B paint using brushes.
Practice nursery rhymes using hand instruments.
Snack.
Introduce the numbers 1-5 and the letters A-C to class. Practice as a group and individually.
Hand coordination and motor skills activity – Introduce buttoning, zipping up clothes and typing.
Lunch/free time.
Nap.
Gather for story time.
Snack.
Free time.
Depending on the ages of the children you may want to do an activity all together with a small group or individually. Let the children know you value their work. Avoid activities to impress parents; keep your program cantered on the children at all times. Explain to parents why it is important for children to invest part of themselves in their work.
19. CARING OF CHILDREN
Your playground will require a fenced-in area. Drive around and look at the playground equipment in the play yards of your public schools and at day care centres in your area. You should have the basic sandboxes, swings, slides and jungle gyms but in this area you can be creative and original, provided your equipment meets safety standards. Some states require that you have a registered nurse on the premises, but generally, the main things needed are medical information from the parents and a written procedure to follow in case of accident or illness. Basically, when a child is injured or be comes ill, you should take him to the nearest medical centre, while another staff person gets in touch with the parents, and explains what happened. If the parent cannot be present at the medical centre, all information should be passed on to him/her immediately it is available. It's a good idea to have all your helpers indoctrinated with basic Red Cross first aid knowledge, and have a well-equipped first aid kit on the premises. As for any requirements relative to a full-time nurse, you should be able to hire registered nurses who are either not working or looking for extra income. You might be able to "hire the license" of a registered nurse. You pay a small fee to hang her license in your office, and she agrees to be available to serve your needs when you call.
20. PROMOTION a) Play school Web Development Why is it necessary to have a website for your play school?
It allows parents to get an idea about your school even before visiting it. You can update parents about events and celebrations coming up in your school. You can upload latest photographs of celebrations. Parents love seeing their kids’ pictures online and send the link to many of their friends giving free publicity for your school. With good optimization of your school website, your school can be seen in search results when parents are searching for preschool for their kids
Design When a website looks great, it sends the impression that the company or product is great. Keep in mind that your website may be your first chance to make an impression upon your site visitors, so make it a great one! Structure Have you ever been to a website and didn’t know where to start or how to check out? While structuring or restructuring your website, be sure that your visitors can easily navigate through your website. A confused consumer may easily say no to your service or product. Content Content is King! More over, it is the heart of your website. The first purpose of a blog or website is to educate and build expertise. A really great site offers content in the following forms: written articles, audio and video. This is a great way to meet the learning preferences of your site visitors.
Optimization It is a marketing tool that allows any online user to get more clicks in their web copy writing efforts for their website by improving the search engine results in the Web. Moreover, make sure that search engines can read your website. This is a great way to attract website visitors from major search engines such as Google. Maintenance Your website needs to be maintained the same way that we maintain our physical building. Content needs to be changed, design needs to be updated and items may need to be moved around. I suggest that a website be reviewed 2-3 times a week to track visitors with a scheduled monthly maintenance plan that includes: website visitors feedback.
b) Brochure: You should have a slickly printed, quality brochure showing your rates, your services, an outline of the curriculum, and a statement of your benefit goals for the children.
21. MARKETING With grand opening fanfare, and a strong advertising campaign, you should be able to be at 90 percent capacity within your first six weeks. In an area where a severe shortage of day care facilities exists, and with the right advertising and promotion, even sooner. Measure way to advertise: 1. The door-to-door, hand-out distribution of a quality informative
brochure. To save on costs, you can hire students attending advertising classes in your area colleges or even a free-lance advertising copywriter to help you with the design and writing of this brochure. All of this has to do with the image you want to create, and the quality of the service the "buyers" feel they're getting for the prices you are charging. Don't skimp on your brochure - you're aiming at people looking for the best place for their children. 2. You should place at least a two-column by four-inch grand opening
display ad in your local newspapers. 3. You should place similar ads in the local magazines and other
publications catering to the working mother. Send along a group picture of your staff, and a story about your services with your advertising order. 4. Phone the editors at your local newspapers, radio and TV stations and
invite them out to your grand opening. 5. Continue to hand out your brochures at the entrances to the office
buildings which house companies employing working mothers.
Other ways to promote your school
On parking boards- apartments, independent houses Cloth banners – at least 5 banners in the street leading to your school, at crossroads, parks. kids toy shops Online promotion (using internet) Local TV channels Newspapers Conducting events Flex banners Uniforms & School bags Name on transport vehicle Clippings in Cinema halls
Word of mouth Mouth to mouth publicity is still the first and best kind of reliable one believed by many parents. Hence the performance of your school throughout the year leads to creating good impression to parents who give the best publicity to their neighbours and friends However good the above ways of publicity are followed, if you fail to impress the parents of existing students, they can easily spoil the reputation of your school. Parents can prove to be the best way to promote your school. Offer some incentive like concession if they recommend another parent to join their kid in your school.
