Noida’s transformation into a major IT/ITES hub has prompted several go-getting edupreneurs to promote proprietary and franchised preschools for the young children of thousands of skilled professionals working and living in this new satellite city of Delhi.

Although it falls within the administrative jurisdiction of the socio-economically backward state of Uttar Pradesh, Noida has emerged as a major IT (information technology) and ITES (IT enabled services) hub because of its proximity to Delhi, the national capital, and its inclusion in the National Capital Region (NCR). Consequently, this new satellite city (pop.630,000) which has mushroomed on the Delhi-UP border, hosts the India offices of several new-age blue-chip/IT multinationals including TCS, IBM, HCL, Wipro Technologies, and Accenture, among others.

Voted the best city in Uttar Pradesh by ABP News in 2015, Noida’s transformation into a major IT/ITES hub has attracted thousands of young skilled professionals to live and work in it. In turn, this has created pressing demand for high-quality early childhood and K-12 education. Therefore, several nationally top-ranked K-12 schools such as Step by Step, Gyanshree, Shiv Nadar School, and Amity International have sprung up in this newly established city. Not to be left behind, several go-getting edupreneurs have promoted a clutch of proprietary and franchised pre-primaries to provide high-quality ECCE (early childhood care and education) to youngest children in the 0-6 age group.

To compile the EW Noida Preschool Rankings 2019-20, field personnel of the well-known Delhi-based market research and opinion polls company Centre for Forecasting & Research Pvt. Ltd (C fore, estb.2000) interviewed 673 parents of preschool-going children and 79 teachers/principals in Noida.

PROPRIETARY PRESCHOOLS

Last ranked #1 in 2015-16, the Windows Play Group & Nursery School, Sector 50 (estb.2003) has regained its #1 position after a four-year hiatus with top score under the parameters of teacher competence, teacher welfare and development, infrastructure, individual attention to students, value for money and parental involvement. The Gaia Green School, Sector 93, ranked #1 for three successive years, has ceded top spot and is ranked #2 jointly with the previously unranked The Ardee School, Sector 100 which has made an impressive debut.

Amiown, Sector 44 and Pathways Early Years, Sector 100 are tied at #3. And the top table is completed by Khaitan Preschool, Sector 40 and Stimulus Preschool, Sector 39, jointly ranked #4 and ASPAM Preschool, Sector 62 at #5.

Monica Baluja, founder-principal of the Windows Play Group & Nursery School, is gratified that “Noida’s pioneer new-age preschool” has regained its “rightful” #1 rank. “The entire team is elated that after three years, we have been voted #1 again. Clearly, Noida’s parents and teachers communities recognise that we encourage children to develop socially, emotionally and cognitively through directed play and that our teachers are thoroughly trained for this as reflected in our top score under the parameter of teacher competence. The EW#1 ranking endorses the feedback we get from parents praising us for the excellent foundational education we provide,” says Baluja, a psychology graduate of Delhi University who promoted Windows Nursery in 2003. Currently, the preschool has an enrolment of 200 children and 20 teachers on its muster rolls.

Beyond the Top 5, this year’s 752 sample respondents have given Little Pearls School, Sector 29 (estb.1990) a substantial promotion, from #8 in 2018-19 to #6 this year, a rank it shares with SERRA International, Sector 62 (5).
White Canvas Preschool, NS-53 has retained its #7 rank even as The Smiling Stars, Sector 92 (9) and ASPAM Preschool, Sector 55 (10) are tied at #8. The Manthan School, Sector 78 has debuted at #9 and the previously unranked Ramagya Roots, Sector 50 and Rayz International Preschool, Sector 19 (11) are tied at #10.

Poonam Yadav, director of Little Pearls School, Sector 29 (LPS, estb.1990), is euphoric this pre-primary has been promoted two notches in the 15-strong league table of Noida’s most admired proprietary preschools. “Our sustained effort to improve on all parameters is evidently being appreciated by parents and ECCE experts in Noida. Our USP is the specially designed LPS early years holistic curriculum which improves children’s socialisation and life skills. This makes them self-confident and facilitates their admission into top-ranked schools in Delhi NCR,” says Yadav, an alumna of Delhi University and the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad. Sited on a generous 18,000-plus sq. ft with a “70 percent open area” campus, LPS has an enrolment of 250 children mentored by 22 highly qualified teachers.

FRANCHISED PRESCHOOLS

Dislodging Kangaroo Kids (KK), Sector 34, from its #1 position in the EW Noida franchised preschools league table will take some doing. A franchisee of the well-known Mumbai-based 100-strong Kangaroo Kids chain, KK, Sector 34 (estb.2004) is ranked #1 for the fifth year consecutively with top scores on all ten parameters of early childhood education excellence.

Sharmila Chatterjee, principal of KK, Sector 34 (KKS-34, estb.2004), is “humbled” with the recognition. “I am simultaneously humbled and reassured by our top ratings on all ten parameters. It’s apparent that our effort to deliver a customised experience to every child to make her learning joyful and meaningful is being appreciated by Noida’s parents and educators. We will continue to do our best to innovate and integrate contemporary ECCE practices and set new benchmarks,” vows Chatterjee, an alumna of Delhi University and IIM-Ahmedabad who promoted KKS34 in 2004 after a 16-year career in K-12 school education (Delhi Public School Ghaziabad Society (DPSGS), Meerut Road and DPSGS, Vasundhara).

Although there’s no change at the very top of the 2019-20 league table of Noida’s franchised preschools, further down the 10-strong league table, the 752 sample respondents have decreed a major reshuffle. Maple Bear Canadian Preschool, Sector 141 (MBCPS-141) is ranked #2 (#5 in 2018), EuroKids, Sector 93 has slipped to #3 (2) while another Maple Bear Canadian Preschool, Sector 141 is promoted to #4 (7) and Little Millennium, Sector 45 to #5 (6).
Kidzee, Sector 27, at #6 (8) and Maple Bear Canadian Preschool, Sector 122, #7 (9) have improved their rankings even as Kidzee, Sector 62 at #8 (4) has yielded rank. The Top 10 table is completed by the previously unranked Kidzee, Sector 116 at #9 and Maple Bear Canadian Preschool, Sector 48 at #10. Commendably, the low-profile Maple Bear Canadian has four franchised schools in Noida’s Top 10.

Bhanwarjeet Kaur, branch head of MBCPS-141 (estb.2016) which has 137 students mentored by 13 qualified teachers, is pleased that the “hard work put in by our teachers is being valued and recognised”. “Our distinguishing feature is that we have developed excellent teacher capability to adapt and deliver the well-designed Maple Bear curriculum and involve the parents’ community to enhance our children’s learning experience. The annual EW preschools rankings initiative has encouraged us to improve across all parameters of ECCE excellence. Inspired by our substantially higher ranking this year, we will continue to improve and develop into one of the best preschools of the country,” says Kaur, an education postgraduate of Delhi University, who signed up with Maple Bear Canadian four years ago to promote MBCPS-141.