A representative sample of 197 SEC A preschool parents and teachers rated and ranked Noida’s Top 10 pre-primaries 2013 for the first time.

A satellite township of Delhi NCR (National Capital Region), Noida (pop. 642,381) — an IT and industrial hub — is one of four new cities (in addition to Pune, Gurgaon and Ahmedabad) included in the EW India Preschool Rankings 2013. A respondents sample base comprising 145 SEC (socio-economic category) A preschool parents and 52 teachers/principals in Noida were polled by the Delhi-based market research firm C fore to rate and rank Noida’s Top 10 pre-primaries 2013 on ten parameters of excellence including teacher competence, individualised attention to students, leadership quality, parental involvement, innovative teaching and infrastructure. The ratings awarded to each preschool were aggregated to arrive at a total score on which basis the Top 10 pre-primaries of Noida 2013 have been ranked for the first time.

These respondents have ranked Windows Play Group & Nursery, Sector 50, Noida’s #1 pre-primary, awarding it top scores on five of the ten parameters of early childhood care and education (ECCE) excellence, viz, — teacher competence, individual attention to students, leadership quality, parental involvement, and special needs education.

In a speed interview with EducationWorld’s Delhi correspondent Autar Nehru, Windows’ founder-principal Monica Baluja said she “expected it (the #1 ranking) given that we leave nothing to chance and work hard”, also clarifying that “there is no provision for special needs education” in this preschool. Curiously, several subsequent e-mails and telephone calls requesting further and better particulars elicited no response.

The top management of Noida’s second ranked Gaia Playschool, Sector 93, was more forthcoming. “While this is encouraging news, the #2 ranking is unfair as we are a unique preschool. The core philosophy of Gaia is nature — the playschool is spread over 2,000 sq. metres, the largest play area of any preschool in Noida — with extensive lawns, ponds, and open play zones. In Gaia, we provide ECCE from a child’s perspective and every child is loved, respected and nurtured in a non-intrusive green environment. Perhaps your respondents are unaware that Gaia is greatly appreciated by educationists from Europe, Australia and the US who have evinced interest in importing our ECCE philosophy into their countries,” says Aditi Jain Anil, founder-chair-person of Gaia, the Pragyavataran Educational Society and member of CABE (Central Advisory Board of Education).

Top ranked on the parameters of infrastructure provision, teacher welfare and development and value for money (tuition fee: Rs.50,000 per year), Gaia has 80 children and 12 teachers on its muster rolls. Also ranked among the Top 5 are Kangaroo Kids, Sector 34 (#3) followed by Amiown, Sector 44 (#4) and Little Pearls Play School, Sector 29 (#5).

Promoted in 2005 by the Amity Group of institutions, Amiown is rated among the top 5 pre-primaries in Noida on the parameters of teacher competence, innovative teaching, infrastructure, leadership quality, parental involvement and safety and hygiene. “I am appreciative that parents and teachers in Noida have ranked Amiown among the Top 5. Evidently there’s growing awareness that we pay a lot of attention to teacher training in our own Amity Centre for Educational Research & Training to ensure that global best practices and contemporary pedagogies are incorporated into the curriculum. Our play schools offer safe, happy and caring environments where children learn at their own pace. The philosophy and values which have helped Amity schools and universities establish excellent reputations have permeated Amiown play schools as well,” says Sapna Chauhan, an alumna of Wharton Business School and vice chairperson of the Amiown Group of five pre-primaries in Delhi NCR with an aggregate enrollment of 900 children.

The latter half of the Noida Top 10 league table features three play schools in Sector 62 — Gennext (#6), Gunjan Play School (#7) and Kidzee (#8) — followed by Mother’s Pride, Sector 19 (#9) and Rhythm Play School, Sector 51 (#10).

To read Noida’s Top 10 pre-primaries 2013 league table visit http://www.educationworld.in/rank-preschool/noida/2013.html