In this year-end issue we continue our tradition of celebrating early childhood care and education by ranking the country’s best preschools to enable parents to select aptitudinally most suitable pre-primaries for youngest children. A second objective is multiplication and upgradation of ECCE institutions countrywide through healthy competition , writes Summiya Yasmeen
Early childhood care and education (ECCE) of India’s youngest and most vulnerable children has been a cause close to the collective heart of your editors since the early years of the new millennium. To generate awareness of the critical importance of professionally administered ECCE, since 2010 we have been publishing the annual EducationWorld India Preschool Rankings without interruption, and simultaneously convening annual ECCE conferences. Starting with rating and ranking Top 20 preschools in six major cities, the pioneer EW India Preschool Rankings (EWIPR) has evolved into the country’s largest and most comprehensive preschools rankings survey, with league tables rating over 600 preschools in 19 cities countrywide under ten parameters of early childhood education excellence, and ranking them inter se.
The annual EWIPR and your editors’ persistent advocacy of universal professional ECCE has borne fruit. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 mandates three years of compulsory ECCE for all children in the 3-6 age bracket countrywide. To this end, the centuries-old 10+2 school system has been replaced by a new 5+3+3+4 school continuum for all children, mandating three years of compulsory pre-primary education for children countrywide.
Moreover in October 2022, the Union education ministry released the first-ever National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) 2022 prescribing well-researched, age-appropriate curriculums, pedagogies and best practices to preschool the country’s youngest age group. The 360-page NCF-FS unambiguously mandates that they learn through play and reiterates the vital importance of professionally delivered ECCE for India’s 165 million children below six years including 84 million young’uns enrolled in the country’s 1.4 million government-run Anganwadi Centres (AWCs).
“The first eight years of a child’s life are truly critical and lay the foundation for lifelong well-being, and overall growth and development across all dimensions — physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional. Research from neuroscience informs us that over 85 percent of an individual’s brain development occurs by the age of six, indicating the critical importance of appropriate care and stimulation in a child’s early years to promote sustained and healthy brain development and growth… Regardless of the circumstances of birth or background, quality ECCE enables children to participate and flourish in the educational system throughout their lives. ECCE is thus perhaps one of the greatest and most powerful equalisers. High-quality ECCE in the Foundational Stage gives the best chance for all children to grow into good, ethical, thoughtful, creative, empathetic, and productive human beings,” says NCF-FS 2022 in a ringing endorsement of universal ECCE.
In this year-end issue we continue our tradition of celebrating early childhood care and education by rating and ranking the country’s best preschools to enable parents to select most aptitudinally suitable pre-primaries for youngest children. A second objective of the annual EWIPR is multiplication and upgradation of ECCE institutions countrywide through healthy competition.
Therefore to compile the EW India Preschool Rankings 2024-25 we commissioned the Bengaluru-based AZ Research Partners Pvt Ltd — which also conducted the record-breaking EW India School Rankings 2024-25 survey published in September and October — to conduct a field survey in 19 cities (where there is sufficient awareness of the importance of pre-primary education) viz, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Ahmedabad, Indore, Vadodara, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Gurugram, Noida, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, and Ghaziabad to rate and rank India’s most respected pre-primaries.
“For this year’s EWIPR we carefully selected 3,000 sample respondents comprising 2,200 parents with at least one child in preschool, and 800 teachers and educators of preschools in 19 cities. In a departure from past practice, we used a robust multi-modular methodology interviewing respondents face-to-face, telephonically and/or inviting them to respond by email. Every respondent was requested to rate preschools they were aware of — preschools unknown to at least 20 respondents were eliminated from the rankings — on ten parameters of early childhood education excellence as ideated and evolved by EducationWorld during the past 14 years. The parameters are: teacher competence, infrastructure, curriculum and pedagogy, safety and hygiene, individual attention to students, value for money, leadership, parental involvement and special needs education. The scores awarded to preschools by the sample respondents under every parameter were totaled to rank preschools in 19 cities. I believe EWIPR offers parents a reliable guide/league tables of the best preschools in the selected 19 cities,” says Shubra Mishra, an alumna of IIM-Lucknow with wide experience of market research (MARG, MARG-ORG) and corporate sector (Titan, Tata Tea and Blackstone Synovate) who promoted AZ Research Partners in 2002. Over the past two decades, AZ Research has established an excellent reputation for rigorous market research. Among AZR’s corporate clients: Mars Global, Wipro FMCG, IndusInd Bank, Abbott Pharmaceuticals, Polycab and Nova IVF.
In the following pages, we present parameter scores and league tables ranking the best pre-primary schools in proprietary and franchised categories in 19 cities countrywide (and an addendum of 30 other cities). Also on popular demand, we present a league table ranking India’s Top 10 Preschools (see below) that have set national benchmarks in providing contemporary, international-standard early childhood care and education.
With Paromita Sengupta, Reshma Ravishanker & Baishali Mukherjee
“I am deeply honoured that the Nita Mukesh Ambani Junior School — Early Years Campus is ranked India’s #1 preschool of 2024-25. Inspired by the visionary leadership of my mother — Nita Ambani — who has built Dhirubhai Ambani International School into a happy school and India’s #1 international day school in the short span of two decades, we developed NMAJS-EYC as a home away from home for our youngest learners. At NMAJS-EYC, we celebrate early childhood as a journey of curiosity, wonder, and joy, where every experience is crafted to nurture imagination, foster growth, and inspire lifelong love of learning. Rooted in the IB Primary Years Programme and inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, our curriculum emphasises inquiry-driven, play-based learning. Therefore the highest score awarded to us for curriculum and pedagogy is very satisfying. Our highest score for teacher competence is also very satisfying as our educators are the heart of our school, and their passion and dedication shape the foundation of our children’s future. Moreover, our high score for individual attention to students is merited as we offer an enviable 1:4 student-teacher ratio as is our top score for parental involvement which shows that in a short time we have won the trust of our parents.” — Isha Ambani Piramal, Vice-Chairperson, Nita Mukesh Ambani Junior School & Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai (NMAJS-EYC: 122 students and 31 teachers)
“Thank you for the honour of India’s #1 preschool ranking in the inaugural EW national preschools league table. Our teachers are elated to hear this news and feel appreciated and motivated to continue efforts to nurture youngest children’s love for learning in a joyful, inclusive, and enriching environment. Healthy Planet TGA Early Years is India’s first inter-generational campus with a unique learning community. It offers curated learning spaces, a co-working space, an organic café, community library, and enrichment studios for the visual and performing arts. Our sprawling 40,000 sq. ft. campus ensures open-ended, curiosity-driven spaces and five nature-inspired learning areas. Therefore, it’s encouraging that your sample respondents have awarded us the highest score for infrastructure provision. Moreover, with our 1:6 teacher-pupil ratio providing highly personalised, child-led learning, it’s fitting that we are awarded the top score for individual attention to students. Our highest scores on the parameters of teacher competence and teacher welfare and development are also well-deserved as we are the first preschool to host a Learning Lab for education research and childhood education innovation. We aspire to become a global hub for innovation in early childhood education and look forward to sharing our learnings and best practices with fellow educators worldwide.” — Dr. Arunabh Singh, Co-Founder, Healthy Planet Schools (Noida: 91 students and 19 teachers)
“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)
We are thrilled to be ranked Ahmedabad’s #1 franchise preschool for the second year. Vedant International’s consistent top rank in the EW league table is the result of our highly qualified and caring teachers, age-appropriate infrastructure, technology-driven curriculum focused on new teaching methodologies, parental involvement, and provision of a safe, hygienic and stimulating learning environment. I’m glad your sample respondents have awarded us highest score under all these parameters. Teacher welfare and development is also a high priority for Vedant International. Therefore I’m very pleased with our top score under this parameter. Teachers are our biggest strength and we provide all facilities for their continuous development” — Sonal Thakkar (centre right), centre head, Vedant International Preschool, South Bopal (300 students, 21 teachers)
We are delighted to be ranked Gurugram’s #1 preschool for the second consecutive year. This is the outcome of the collective effort of our teachers, staff, and parents. The distinguishing feature of Beansprouts is our innovative 360 degree curriculum that develops children’s creativity and critical thinking through inquiry, investigation, discovery and hands-on exploration. It also integrates the outdoors as a ‘third teacher’ encouraging children to learn through nature and play on a specially designed campus that provides large sensory spaces flooded with natural light and play-learn materials. Therefore I am very pleased that your sample respondents have awarded us top scores for infrastructure and second highest for curriculum and pedagogy. We also make every effort to involve parents with their child’s learning through regular parent-teacher meetings, workshops and cultural events. Therefore, we greatly value that your respondents have also awarded us highest score for parental involvement. Our objective is to provide age-appropriate, joyful learning experiences to ensure children’s smooth progression into primary school” — Soumya Gulati, deputy director, academic development and innovation, Beansprouts Pre-Primary (175 students and 40 teachers)
We are delighted to be ranked Gurugram’s #1 franchise preschool for the fifth year in succession. This consistent top ranking is due to our determination to be the best preschool in the city. We believe that each child is unique and has the capability to reach her full potential through motivation, guidance and joyful teaching-learning. Therefore our curriculum has been specially designed bearing in mind child development milestones and provides a healthy mix of the theory of multiple intelligences, play-way learning, Reggio Amelia and Montessori pedagogies. At the heart of our teaching-learning are experiential activities including field trips, outdoor play, open-ended discussions, etc to develop children’s cognitive, socio-emotional skills and build their self-esteem and confidence. That’s why though we have been awarded high scores under all your ten parameters, I most pleased with our highest score for curriculum and pedagogy and individual attention to students.” — Deepali Karnwal (centre), Principal, The Shri Ram Wonder Years, Sector 54 (150 students, 13 teachers).
Beyond unbound joy, there is deep gratitude to learn that Amiown, Sector 44 has been promoted to Noida’s #1 preschool. While our greatest reward is our children’s happiness, well-being and development, receiving this recognition from peers, professionals and parents is motivating and inspiring. All Amiown preschools — promoted by the Amity Education Group, the world’s largest private education group — are built on the foundation of love and care driven by the philosophy of ‘nurturing happy and lifelong learners’. Our compassionate and qualified teachers and staff are dedicated to creating meaningful, constructive and immersive learning experiences for our children through our play and activity-based curriculum. They receive continuous training to innovate pedagogies, provide individual attention to children and are given all resources to optimise the learning experiences of children. Therefore, our highest score for teacher competence and development is well-deserved. Moreover we have international collaboration agreements with Kinderdance, Helen O Grady International, Trinity College UK for dance, speech and drama-related activities to supplement our in-house sports, dance, music and art programs, underscoring our commitment to providing well-rounded holistic education to our children.” — Sapna Chauhan (centre), Chairperson, Amiown – Amity’s Caring Preschool (Noida: 125 students and 20 teachers)
We are elated that we’ve been ranked Noida’s #1 preschool for the fifth consecutive year. This is due to our pioneering effort in reimagining early years education. Trans-disciplinary curriculum, student-centric pedagogies, innovative learning experiences and a new age iCan learning system is our USP. I am especially delighted that we are consistently awarded highest scores under the important parameters of competence of teachers and teacher welfare and development. This is motivation to continue our quest to be acknowledged as a progressive and quality-conscious preschool” — Sharmila Chatterjee (right), Principal, Kangaroo Kids International Preschool, Sector 34 (140 students, 16 teachers)
I am delighted that we’ve been ranked Bhubaneswar’s #1 preschool for the fifth year consecutively. Our founder the late Dr. Bijaya Kumar’s dream of building a happiness-driven institution rooted in Indian values has blossomed into this joyous preschool. The distinguishing feature of SAI Angan is that it’s a child-centric preschool that blends early childhood learning with creativity. Our curriculum focuses not just on foundational learning and social-emotional development but also introduces children to leadership and life skills through age-appropriate activities inspired by Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This explains our highest scores for curriculum and pedagogy and individual attention to children. I’m also delighted with our highest score for teacher competence, which is a tribute to our 67 dedicated teachers who use multi-sensory learning and experiential activities to customise lessons for our tiny tots. I’m also pleased with our top score for parental involvement as we actively encourage parents to join with us to enable our children to achieve development milestones” — Dr. Silpi Sahoo, Chairperson, SAI International Group of Institutions (SAI Angan, 417 students and 67 teachers)
It’s an honour to be ranked Chandigarh’s #1 preschool for five years in a row. At Strawberry Fields, we greatly value and prioritise teacher competence. Therefore, teacher welfare and development is a top priority to improve the competence of teachers on an ongoing basis by ensuring they are abreast with latest pedagogies and global best practices in early years education. Therefore, though I am happy with our highest score for curriculum and pedagogy, I believe we deserve a higher rating on the parameters of teacher development and teacher competence. Good teachers are the pre-requisite of delivering engaging curriculums and pedagogies. Another of our focus areas is providing modern, state-of-the-art infrastructure — for which we have rightly been awarded highest score — to enable our teachers to deliver play and discovery-based pedagogies. I also want to thank our parents for placing their trust in us. Currently, our third preschool is under construction to meet the rising demand for admissions” — Atul Khanna, Director, Strawberry Play School, Sector 24B (students 350, teachers 22).
This is the first of our chain of five preschools. Therefore, it’s very satisfying and special to learn that it has been ranked Ghaziabad #1 and our institution development efforts have been appreciated. Our mission is to deliver world-class foundational education that facilitates children’s cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. Our curriculum and pedagogies accord special importance to developing children’s emotional quotient and social development in addition to foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Therefore I’m pleased to note that our top scores are under the parameters of curriculum and pedagogy and competence of teachers. Looking ahead we intend to incorporate more research-backed innovative ECCE practices, and expand our footprint to other cities” — Dhwani Jaipuria, Director, Little One – The Jaipuria Preschools (Little One, Chander Nagar: 120 students and 10 teachers).
We are thrilled to be ranked Bhopal’s #1 preschool in this year’s EW rankings. That we have been awarded top scores under eight of the 10 parameters of pre-primary education excellence is testimony to the dedication of our teachers, staff, and leadership. This is endorsed by the top scores awarded by your sample respondents to us under the parameters of teacher welfare and development, teacher competence, and individual attention to children. Moreover, our highly trained teachers teach an excellent curriculum with the full support of our parents’ community as indicated by our top scores under the parameters of curriculum and pedagogy and parental involvement. Our future plans include mainstreaming special needs children and strengthening parental engagement” — Vandana Dhupar, Principal, DPS Castle of Dreams, Kolar Road (student 80, teachers 14).
We are honoured to be ranked Jaipur’s #1 preschool for the fifth successive year. This consistent validation reaffirms our commitment to providing highest quality early childhood education. Teacher training and development is the cornerstone of our institution with every effort invested to enhance and improve the skills and teaching of our dedicated team of educators. It’s gratifying to learn that your sample respondents have acknowledged our effort in this area and awarded us the highest scores under teacher welfare and development parameter which has translated into teacher competence. Our focus on inculcating foundational literacy and numeracy, social skills, values and social and emotional skills through experiential pedagogies integrating technology and art has resulted in our being awarded top score under the parameter of curriculum & pedagogy” — Jyoti Joshi, Principal, Bal Vatika Pre-Primary School, Sawai Ram Singh Road, Jaipur (167 students and 13 teachers)
All of us are experiencing a sense of satisfaction, pride and achievement on being ranked Vadodara’s #1 preschool. This is the outcome of the efforts of our committed teachers and supportive parents — the most important partners in ensuring children’s optimal development. It’s especially satisfying that our top scores are on the parameters of competence of teachers and curriculum and pedagogy, because we have nurtured excellent teachers who think out-of-the-box, continuously upgrade the curriculum and use innovative and effective pedagogies. Moreover, all children are encouraged to participate in a wide range of sports, cultural, and life skills activities and parenting sessions are regularly conducted to ensure parents active involvement in their children’s learning journey” — Geeta Sikdar, Director, Neev — The Prep School (900 students and 70 teachers).
