“We are deeply honoured to be ranked Delhi’s #1 preschool for the second consecutive year. This ranking reflects the unwavering dedication of our team and the trust of the families we serve. Pathways Early Years is known for its holistic and child-centered curriculum and pedagogies inspired by Reggio Emilia philosophy. Our experienced educators, multi-age learning opportunities, and a curriculum that balances academics with social-emotional growth sets us apart. I am happy this has been acknowledged by your respondents who have awarded us highest score for curriculum and pedagogy. We also believe that youngest children’s development requires parental involvement and skilled teachers who adapt pedagogies to every child’s unique learning style. Therefore, our highest score for parental involvement is also well-deserved as is our second highest score for competence of teachers. We hope to expand Pathways Early Years to more locations across Delhi NCR, providing our proven high-quality early childhood education model to a larger community.” — Natasha Tholia, Director, Pathways Early Years, Greater Kailash

“We are thrilled that we’ve been promoted to Delhi’s #1 franchise preschool. This recognition reflects our commitment to nurturing young minds with innovative early years education. GDPS stands for providing a nurturing environment, highly experienced educators, and a play-based curriculum focusing on children’s holistic development. Our teachers use handmade teaching and learning materials to encourage children to learn through play, inquiry and discovery. Therefore, it gives me great satisfaction to learn that your survey respondents have awarded us the highest scores on the parameters of competence of teachers and curriculum and pedagogy. I believe this harmonious blend of high-quality teachers and an engaging, joyful curriculum in a safe, supportive learning environment has won us the trust and confidence of our parents’ community. Our promotion to Delhi’s #1 preschool has strengthened our resolve to continuously improve by integrating latest ECCE pedagogies and environmentally conscious practices.” — Rima C. Ailawadi, Principal, GD Goenka Public School, Junior Wing, Model Town (400 students and 31 teachers)

“Our reaction is one of pride, gratitude, and fulfilment that Podar Prep is ranked Mumbai’s #1 preschool for the fifth consecutive year. This is validation of our commitment to excellence and the dedication of our management, teachers, and parents to provide our children joyful learning. I am especially satisfied with our highest scores under competence of teachers, individual attention to students, and parental involvement, and high score for curriculum and pedagogy. They are testimony to the high priority we give to holistic development of children under our care. Our objective is to PREPare children for life. Towards this end we have designed a Glocal curriculum combining India’s NEP 2020, the UK’s Early Years Foundation Stage, and Australia’s Early Years Learning Framework; adopted S.T.R.E.A.M-based learning, storytelling pedagogies; and integrated Symphonics and Number Magic programs mandated by the NIPUN Bharat literacy and numeracy development guidelines. Over the next year, we plan to increase investment in teacher empowerment and curriculum enhancement, to continue setting new benchmarks in early childhood education” — Dr. Swati Popat Vats, President, Podar Education Network which has 452 proprietary and franchise preschools with an aggregate enrolment of 48,000 children and 2,000 teachers countrywide

“I am thrilled that we are ranked Mumbai’s #1 franchised preschool for the second consecutive year. This top rank is a testament to our team’s hard work and commitment to providing nurturing and high-quality early years education to children. Our highest scores under the teacher development and teacher competence parameters are proof that we have a team of excellent early years educators who make all efforts to nurture every child’s unique potential using play-based and experiential activities to make learning enjoyable. Moreover, our highest score for parental involvement is valuable as it reaffirms the strong partnership we have forged with our parents’ community to support optimal early childhood development. But I am disappointed that we have not been given a higher score for individual attention to students as our teachers make special efforts to adapt teaching-learning to suit every child’s strengths and learning styles to build children’s confidence and enable them to realise their full potential.” — Sangeeta Gupta, Director, Podar Prep Plus, Mahavir Nagar (150 students and 20 teachers)

“We are delighted to be ranked Thane’s #1 preschool. Our well-trained and experienced teachers are the heart of our preschool. They ensure that our children receive high-quality holistic early childhood education. Therefore, it’s gratifying that we have been awarded the highest score under the teacher competence parameter. I am also happy that our investment in continuously upgrading our curriculum which blends academic learning with emotional and social development has paid off with Sunflower being awarded the highest score under curriculum and pedagogy. Our good performance on all other parameters is proof that we are providing a well-rounded education experience and are constantly innovating with new initiatives such as our recently launched Nature and Sustainability Program, to stay ahead of the rest” — Seema Saini, Principal, SunFlower Playschool, Thane (486 students, 33 teachers

“We are grateful to EducationWorld’s knowledgeable survey respondents for ranking us Thane’s #1 preschool this year. I credit our promotion to the hard work of our teachers, a child-centred curriculum and the unwavering support of our parents’ community. Our top score for curriculum and pedagogy is a validation of our carefully designed curriculum that integrates globally best ECCE pedagogies. Likewise, our second highest scores under the parameters of competence of teachers and parental involvement reflect our commitment to providing well-qualified and trained early years educators and actively involving parents in the progress and development of children. We plan to improve our scores under these parameters by introducing new teacher training programmes and a digital app to enhance parent-teacher communication. I am also thrilled with our highest score for safety and hygiene as we pay special attention to providing children a safe and secure learning environment where they can realise their full potential” — Misba Khan (centre), Centre Head, The Learning Curve Preschool, Mira Road, Shanti Park (102 students, 10 teachers)

“The big promotion from #4 last year to #1 is very satisfying. At Ryan Shalom we are focused on providing a joyful and stimulating learning environment through inquiry-led and play-based pedagogies. Children are provided with a range of experiential learning activities and art and sports programmes to learn enjoyably. Our curriculum also develops children’s problem-solving, logical thinking, decision-making and socio-emotional skills. We are committed to incorporating NEP 2020 recommendations and providing our children developmentally appropriate pedagogies and mentoring to realise their full potential” — Sonal Pinto, Director, Ryan International Group of Institutions (Ryan Shalom, Ulwe: 122 students and 8 teachers)

“After we were ranked #2 last year after being #1 for two consecutive years in 2021-22 and 2022-23, we were pessimistic about a promotion to top spot. However this year’s promotion awarded by your knowledgeable survey respondents has come as wonderful news. Our high scores on the parameters of teacher welfare and development, curriculum and pedagogy, special needs education, parental involvement and individual attention to students are testimony to our renewed effort to ensure children’s holistic development. As a Montessori preschool, providing individual attention to every child is of prime importance to us as is building a strong and well-informed parent community to partner with us to achieve whole-child development” — Nabanita Bose Mukherjee, Founder-Directress, Bubble Blue, New Town, Kolkata (50 students and 8 teachers)

“We are honoured to receive this accolade from EducationWorld. I attribute our #1 ranking to the consistent, collaborative efforts of all our stakeholders including teachers, parents, children, ancillary staff and management. The factors behind our #1 ranking are our iCan curriculum which uses evidence-based, deeply-researched teaching-learning strategies; well-trained teachers with almost two decades of experience; excellent teacher-pupil ratio of 1:6; active parental involvement; and a safe, stimulating learning environment. FYI we are one of few preschools in the city to have been awarded a safety rating of 99.56 percent by TUV India. Therefore, it’s unsurprising — but gratifying — to learn that your survey respondents have rated us highly on the parameters of curriculum and pedagogy, teacher competence, safety and hygiene, parental involvement and individual attention to students” — Archana Mantri, Principal, Kangaroo Kids International Pre-School, New Alipore (60 children and 10 teachers)

“We are gratified to learn that Srishti Montessori has been steadily rising in the public esteem and has been promoted to Chennai’s #1 preschool this year. This overdue recognition has finally come at a good time because this year we are celebrating our 30th anniversary. The heart of this pre-primary are our teachers — all well-trained in Montessori pedagogy to provide personal care and attention to every child to enable her overall growth and development through joyful pedagogies in a stress-free environment. That’s why I am specially pleased your survey respondents have awarded us highest scores under the parameters of competence of teachers, teacher welfare and development, as also curriculum and pedagogy and individual attention to students — the parameters we value the most. Moreover, the goodwill and satisfaction of our parents is reflected in our top score for parental involvement” — Prathima Muralidharan (centre), Principal, Srishti Montessori, Chennai

“We are thankful that the hard work and efforts of the entire Podar Jumbo Kids Plus (PJKP), Thalambur team has been appreciated. I credit our top ranking to the innovative ‘Kiducation’ child-centric curriculum provided by our franchisor Podar Education, Mumbai. This curriculum is focused on the holistic growth — motor skills, social-emotional development, and foundational literacy and numeracy — of children. This coupled with individual care and attention our committed teachers provide has been recognised by your sample respondents who have given us the highest scores for curriculum and pedagogy and individual attention to students. However, I am disappointed with our score under the competence of teachers parameter as we have invested substantially in professional development. We are aware that without well-experienced and trained teachers, even the best curriculum will fail to achieve its potential” — V. Sangeetha (centre), Centre Head, Podar Jumbo Kids Plus, Thalambur (164 students and 9 teachers)

“We are delighted to be ranked Bengaluru’s #1 preschool for the third consecutive year. This is huge motivation for our entire team in our 40th anniversary year. As one of the city’s first Montessori schools, our early childhood education development model has stood the test of time. We believe that nurturing children into confident young adults involves a community — teachers and parents working together. Harmony between these two important stakeholders is integral to our philosophy. Our high scores under the critical parameters of teacher competence, teacher welfare and development, value for money and parental involvement reflect our efforts in this direction. We strongly believe that education must be relevant to the times in which we live, constantly adapting to meet the needs of each generation” — Samina Mahmood (centre), Founder, Head Start Montessori, Koramangala

“We are overjoyed to learn that we’ve again been ranked Bengaluru’s #1 franchised preschool with top scores under the important parameters of teacher competence, teacher welfare and development, and curriculum and pedagogy. We follow the Canadian curriculum, which is focused on child-centred, personalised learning and experiential pedagogies. Moreover, our committed teachers, modern infrastructure, and well-researched curriculum combine to create a nurturing and engaging environment that promotes academic excellence and children’s personal development. We are grateful for the trust and support of our parents and assure them we will continue to deliver value and excellence in early childhood education” — Ritu Handa, Director, Maple Bear Canadian Preschool, RMV Stage 2 (165 students and 16 teachers)

“We are delighted that we are Hyderabad’s #1 preschool in a very competitive league table. Our top score for teacher competence is a well-deserved tribute to our passionate teachers working zealously towards our objective of “unlocking the potential of every child” in our care. We follow the Happy Minds model of early years education within the curricular framework of the Geneva-based International Baccalaureate, therefore I believe we deserve a higher score under curriculum & pedagogy. We are an eco-friendly school sited in a hi-tech urban landscape surrounded by lush greenery which merits the highest score for infrastructure. Nevertheless, our top score for parental involvement reflects parental satisfaction and enjoyment which is very gratifying as is our high scores for safety and hygiene and attention we pay to our special needs children. That we have been awarded top score under only two parameters and are still ranked Hyderabad’s #1 preschool is testimony to the joyful, holistic early years education we provide” — Sudeshna Chatterjee, Principal, The Gaudium School (Pre-primary), Nanakramguda (students 450, teachers 120)

“We are elated but not surprised that your sample respondents have promoted us to Hyderabad’s #1+ franchise preschool. This recognition from EducationWorld was long overdue. There is increasing awareness of our mantra — to bring smiles to every child’s face. For this we need to provide welcoming infrastructure and focused attention to every child. Therefore, we are delighted that under the parameters of infrastructure and individual attention to children we have been awarded highest scores. This combined with our high score for teacher competence, curriculum and pedagogy — and top score for leadership — enables us to provide strong foundational education to our children” — Bindu Gaddipati, Director, Podar Prep Plus, Nallagandla (225 students, 30 teachers)

“I am elated, excited as well as humbled that our unique teaching-learning philosophy is being recognized and appreciated by EducationWorld’s sample respondents. Our philosophy is to introduce youngest children to multi-disciplinary learning with full parental support while providing continuous professional development to our teachers. Therefore, I am delighted with our top scores under the parameters of curriculum and pedagogy and parental involvement and second highest score for teacher competence. We are committed to continuous upgradation and improvement. That’s why the annual EducationWorld preschool rankings are very useful” — Pratima Sinha (centre), CEO, Birla Open Minds Preschool, Kollur (students 90, teachers 11)

“We are honoured to be ranked Pune’s #1 preschool for the third consecutive year, and appreciate your sample respondents awarding us highest score under the parameters of teacher welfare and development, curriculum and pedagogy, individual attention to students, and parental involvement. This is because we have invested heavily in teacher development to ensure that our teachers are trained in latest ECCE pedagogies and have developed the skills to provide individualised care and age-appropriate education to every child. Investment in teacher training is supported by a thoughtfully designed, experiential learning curriculum that integrates global best practices with Indian cultural values to ensure balanced development of children’s academic, social, and emotional skills. However, I’m surprised we have not been awarded higher scores for infrastructure provision as we offer state-of-the-art facilities for early learners including a Montessori Lab, Light Studio, and Music and Art room to develop children’s creativity and self-directed learning skills” — Aarti Kanwal, Principal of Elpro First Steps (502 students and 56 teachers)

“It’s great that we have been re-voted Pune’s #1 franchised preschool. We believe in providing a child-centred, innovative curriculum and inclusive teaching practices and pedagogies that focus on nurturing children’s all-round development. For this we also actively encourage parental involvement through workshops and volunteer opportunities. Whether it’s through individualised instruction, adaptive learning materials, and collaborative support of parents and specialists, our teachers are trained to adapt the curriculum and pedagogy to suit every child’s learning style and capability. This flexible, child-centred, inclusive teaching philosophy develops youngest children’s creativity, critical thinking, and socio-emotional skills. I am pleased that your sample respondents have acknowledged these efforts and rated us #1 under the parameters of curriculum and pedagogy, teacher welfare and development and special needs education. We plan to enrich our curriculum with ‘Herueka: The Visible Thinking’ based on Harvard University’s Zero Project” — Geeta Bharadwaj, Director, EuroKids, Ashok Nagar (students 103, teachers 11)

“Many thanks to your sample respondents for voting us Ahmedabad’s #1 preschool for the third year in a row. This recognition is the outcome of the dedication and passion that we invest into providing holistic early childhood education to our young learners. While all ten parameters of preschool education excellence are vital, we pride ourselves for individual attention to students. We believe each child is unique and our personalised approach ensures that their unique early childhood intelligences are developed in a safe and supportive environment. Therefore I’m delighted with our top score under this parameter. Early introduction to green initiatives on our campus is next on the agenda” — Rutvi Vyas (centre right), founder, Vedant International Preschool, Maninagar (700 students, 45 teachers)