There’s been a major rearranging of seats at the Top 10 league table with EuroKids, Salt Lake, adjudged Kolkata’s most admired preschool by a substantial margin in the EW-C fore Survey 2011
In the world famous metropolis of Kolkata — capital of the eastern seaboard state of West Bengal (pop. 91 million) which recently witnessed a momentous change of guard with Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress registering a thumping victory in the state elections, thereby ending the 34-year uninterrupted rule of the Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Front government — there’s been a major rearranging of seats in the Top 10 league table.
EuroKids, Salt Lake, ranked No.2 in the EW-C fore Survey of Preschools 2010, has been rated Kolkata’s most admired preschool by a substantial margin with an aggregate score of 871. Although Little Millennium (previously Roots to Wings), Salt Lake, has dramatically improved upon its No.8 position in 2010, it’s a distant second with an aggregate score of 853. Prarambh, B.T. Road, ranked numero uno last year, has been pushed to third spot this year, followed by Bal Nilaya, Lake Gardens (4) and Red Apple Montessori House, Lenin Sarani (5) — both of whom have conceded one rank since last year.
A respondents sample of 189 SEC (socio-economic category) A parents and 48 principals and teachers polled by C fore in the City of Joy has rated EuroKids, Salt Lake (estb. 2007) — one of few preschools owned, administered and managed by the parent Mumbai-based EuroKids International Ltd — first on the parameters of competence of teachers, individual attention to stud-ents, value for money, parental involve-ment, special needs education and safety and hygiene. “It’s a great honour for the entire team of teachers and staff to be ranked Kolkata’s No.1 preschool. Since inception our priority has been to ensure all our teachers are well-trained to offer the best possible care and attention to all our pupils. Moreover, as part of the tenth anniversary celebrat-ions of our company this year, we launched Ver.5 curriculum under which there’s special emphasis on parental involvement. I’m glad our efforts have been appreciated and acknowledged, especially on certain critical parameters,” says Navnit Daniel Alley, the Kolkata-based regional manager of EuroKids International Ltd, which has 19 preschools in the city (tuition fees: Rs.1,000-1,200 per month) including EuroKids, Lake Town, ranked No. 18.
As in the other five cities where the preschools survey was conducted, some new nurseries have gate-crashed into the Top 10 league table. Ranked No.6 and 7 respectively are the previously unranked Blooming Bud School, Bangur Avenue and Tree House, New Alipore. The Top 10 table is completed by Dolna Creche, Kasba, which has vaulted from No.19 position last year to No.8 in 2011; Kidzee Tulip, Dover Lane (9) and Mongrace Montes-sori House, Short Street (10).
Promoted by the Mumbai-based Tree House Education and Accessories Ltd, Tree House, New Alipore is one of 20 preschools in Kolkata and 230 countrywide established by the company. “Tree House admitted its first batch of students only four months ago and we are thrilled that our efforts to bring world-class preschool education to Kolkata have been acknowledged in such a short time. We pride ourselves on our competent teachers, innovative teaching methods, excellent infras-tructure, newest play equipment and affordable tuition fees. All these combine to make Tree House the No.1 self-operated (proprietorial) preschool chain in India,” says Rajesh Bhatia, managing director of Tree House Education and Accessories Ltd, which successfully raised Rs.31 crore and Rs.9 crore from FC VI India Venture (Mauritius) Ltd and Matrix Partners Investment Holding respectively, last year, and is all set to make a public offer of its equity shares to fund its all-India expansion and development plans.
Pressing parental demand for high-quality preschool education and freed-om from government controls and regulation has prompted the entry of several heavyweight corporates and entrepreneurs into the early childhood education sector, which according to a CLSA India report is growing at 35 percent per annum. Consequently it’s not surprising that franchisee presc-hools of high-profile corporate chains dominate the 11-20 rankings of Kolkata’s most admired preschools. At No.12 is Kidzee, Jodhpur Park; No. 16 is Little Millennium, AJC Bose Road followed by Kangaroo Kids, Salt Lake (17) and EuroKids, Lake Town (18).
Kolkata's best preschools league table userfiles/Kolkata-table.pdf
Parameters of Excellence: Kolkata's Top Preschools userfiles/Kolkata-Parameters of Excellence.pdf