While the subject of early childhood care and education (ECCE) was unfamiliar within the rest of the country, pre-primary schools such as West Wind, Breach Candy (estb.1947) and Besant Montessori (1948) had already started providing professionally administered ECCE to infants in the 2-5 age group. Here are Mumbai’s best preschools 2019-20.

Until the mid 19th century the western seaboard city of Bombay — now known as Mumbai — played second fiddle to Calcutta (now Kolkata) which was India’s commercial capital under the East India Company, the world’s first and arguably largest and most powerful multinational. But after India under the brilliant leadership of Mahatma Gandhi wrested freedom from foreign rule, and especially after the state of West Bengal (pop. 91 million), which has Kolkata as its admin capital, elected the CPM (Communist Party of India)-led Left Front government that uninterruptedly misruled it for 34 years (1977-2011), Mumbai has emerged as the country’s undisputed commercial capital and business and finance hub. Moreover, as a port city, it had historically been open to Western influences and best practices in business, finance, and education.

Therefore while the subject of early childhood care and education (ECCE) was unfamiliar within the rest of the country, pre-primaries such as West Wind, Breach Candy (estb.1947) and Besant Montessori (1948) had already started providing professionally administered ECCE to infants in the 2-5 age group. Since then the number of pre-primaries or preschools has multiplied manifold and they have mushroomed in all localities and street corners. However, only 58 of them are sufficiently well-reputed to be included in the 2019-20 EW league table of Mumbai’s best proprietary pre-primaries. Under the ranking methodology of the Delhi-based market research and opinion polls company Centre for Forecasting & Research Pvt. Ltd (C fore, estb. 2000) which interviewed 700 sample respondents (parents with children in preschool, principals and teachers), low-profile preschool evaluated by less than 30 respondents are eliminated from the rankings exercise.

Therefore, the 2019-20 league table has rated and ranked 58 of Mumbai’s sufficiently well-known preschools in proprietary and 15 in the franchised categories. Moreover based on public feedback and demand, we have rated and ranked proprietary and franchised preschools in neighbouring Thane separately this year (see p.62).

PROPRIETARY PRESCHOOLS

For the past five years, the league table of Mumbai’s most admired proprietary preschools has been dominated by the vintage Besant Montessori, Juhu, (BMJ, estb.1948) and this year’s sample respondents have reaffirmed their faith in this pre-primary whose management has moved with the times and introduced contemporary best practices into this 71-year-old preschool’s operations. This year, BMJ has been awarded highest score on six of the ten EW parameters of ECCE excellence, including teacher competence, teacher welfare and development, individual attention to pupils, and innovative teaching.

“Although we are simultaneously humbled and delighted to be ranked Mumbai’s #1 pre-primary for the fifth year in succession, we accept this honour with a heavy heart. Our director Mme. Dolly Wadia who had joined this preschool in the 1950s and had succeeded our founder Tehmina Wadia in 1991, passed away in August, aged 89. However her presence is still with us in BMJ and we are confident that the strong foundation built by Tehmina and Dolly Wadia, who always exhorted us to strive for improvement under all parameters of ECCE excellence, will continue to inspire us to make our children feel comfortable in the home away from home environment created by our highly competent teachers, staff and trustees. We thank your knowledgeable sample respondents for their trust and belief in BMJ and for ranking us as Mumbai’s best preschool repeatedly,” says Arundhati Chaudhari, an alumna of the St. Nicholas Centre for Montessori Education, London, who joined BMJ in 1997 as a teacher and is currently headmistress of the Montessori section of the pre-primary to class V BMJ which has 150 children mentored by 16 teachers on its muster rolls.

Though the city’s vintage pre-primaries — West Wind (estb. 1947) which has relocated from Breach Candy to Gamdevi is ranked a creditable #5 — dominate the 2019-20 league table of proprietary preschools, the Top 10 table is crowded with a host of mint new preschools offering dazzling infrastructure and latest Western pedagogies.
Kookabura, Juhu — the favoured preschool of Bollywood stars — is ranked#2 for the second year in succession together with Witty World, Goregaon (W) promoted from #3 in 2018-19. But the highlight of the EW Mumbai proprietary preschools league table 2019-20 is the dramatic debut of two previously unranked pre-primaries — By the Sea, Worli (estb. 2010) and Creative Kids, Colaba (estb. 2009) at #3 — which have overtaken Alpha Kids International, Andheri ranked #4 (2) jointly with Podar Jumbo Kids, Khar (5) and Spring Buds International, Juhu (4) followed by Casa Vista Montessori, Worli which has stormed into the Top 5 from #25 last year.

Alefia Poonawala, promoter-director of Creative Kids, Colaba (CKC, estb. 2009), is delighted that this low-profile school has debuted in the EW Mumbai proprietary preschools table with a highly creditable #3 ranking. “This is really exciting. Although our pre-primary is turning ten years of age, we have never been ranked before. Therefore I am very pleased that your well-informed sample respondents have awarded us a high #3 rank for the first time. In CKC we have always strived hard to give individual attention to all our children, and to make every day in school an enjoyable learning experience by implementing the latest ECCE pedagogies from all around the world. It’s very encouraging that our institutional building efforts have been recognised by Mumbai’s educationally informed public,” says Poonawala, an MMBS graduate of D.Y Patil University, Navi Mumbai with several Canadian ECCE diploma certificates. After starting a children’s book club and serving the Akshara Books Library, Mumbai, Poonawala promoted CKC in 2009. Currently, this highly-ranked preschool has 110 children mentored by 15 teachers on its muster rolls.

It’s in keeping with the entrepreneurial culture of Mumbai that despite sky-high real estate prices, a large number of greenfield globally benchmarked pre-primaries are springing up in India’s commercial capital. Also promoted to the Top 5 table this year is the previously unranked Toddler’s Den, Bandra West (estb. 2018) jointly ranked #5 with Casa Vista, Montessori, Worli (CVMW) and West Wind, Gamdevi.

“It’s very exciting to learn that CVMW which is only three years old is ranked among the Top 5 pre-primary schools of Mumbai, considering we were ranked #25 in 2018-19. I’m especially gratified that we have been awarded high scores on the parameters of infrastructure and safety and hygiene, because we spent a lot of time conceptualising, planning and constructing CVMW as a scenic and child-friendly school to ensure that our children are eager to come here everyday. The huge promotion in our ranking is proof that our concerted effort to design and build this globally benchmarked preschool has paid off,” says Aksheeta Parekh, an arts graduate of Mumbai University and the Association of Montessori Organisations who acquired valuable teaching and admin experience in Billabong High and B.D. Somani International schools in Mumbai before she went solo and promoted CVMW in 2016.

Beyond the Top 5 there are some big changes in the seating arrangements on the Top 10 table. The well-known Saifee Nursery, Malabar Hill is ranked a notch higher this year at #6 (7). But the surprise element is the previously unranked Ubuntu Montessori, Tardeo which has vaulted to #7 with excellent scores under the parameters of safety and hygiene, innovative teaching and value for money. Likewise, the once highly ranked Harmony Montessori, Khar (W) is recovering its momentum and is #8 (12) this year. The Top 10 list is completed by the Garodia Preschool, Ghatkopar East which has risen high in the esteem of this year’s sample respondents who have spectacularly promoted it to #10 (30).

Further down the 58-strong EW 2019-20 league table of Mumbai’s sufficiently well-known pre-primaries, the previously unranked Veda Montessori, Juhu and KinderHome, Bandra have debuted at a creditable #12 and #13 respectively, and the Sophia Nursery of Sophia College, Breach Candy has improved its ranking to #16 (23).
Among the other preschools which have improved their ranking this year are the previously unranked Mango Tree, Worli at #21, Little Palms, Breach Candy #23 (25), Witty World, Goregaon (E) #24 (26), three Aptech Montana International schools (Chembur, Andheri and Goregaon), Bright Minds Activity Centre Gamdevi #34 (37). Moreover, nine previously unranked, presumably new preschools are featured in the annual EW Mumbai preschools league table for the first time, indicating that supply is rising to meet the demand for high quality, professionally administered ECCE in India’s pace-setting commercial capital.

FRANCHISED

Evidently, despite the reality that the curriculums they follow are conceptualised and designed in the research labs of well-funded preschool chains such as Kangaroo Kids, EuroKids International, Podar Jumbo Kids and Kidzee, franchised preschools in Mumbai are accorded less professional and social respect than proprietary pre-primaries. The latter are widely believed to offer customised, hands-on early childhood care and education (ECCE) to youngest children.

Although franchised preschool promoters and professionals claim they are given sufficient latitude to adapt and improve upon the curriculums of their franchisors, the popular perception in Mumbai and the larger metros is that mass-produced common curriculums dispensed by preschool chains are not quite as good as the customised ECCE delivered to youngest children by proprietary preschools. This is evidenced by the high scores awarded by Mumbai’s common sample respondents under most parameters to proprietary preschools which add up to high aggregates for the latter.

For instance, the total score (the sum total of scores awarded under the ten selected parameters of ECCE excellence) awarded by this year’s Mumbai sample respondents to the top-ranked proprietary Besant Montessori, Juhu is 969 out of a maximum possible 1,100. On the other hand, the aggregate score awarded to the city’s top-ranked franchised preschool, Kangaroo Kids, Chembur is a relatively modest 846. Indeed, the Top 15 proprietaries have totals higher than KKC’s 846. Moreover, compared with 58 proprietary preschools which are sufficiently well-known to be included in the EW league tables — schools rated by less than 30 sample respondents are not ranked — the number of franchised preschools ranked is a mere 15.

However, Reshma Kukreja, promoter franchisee of Kangaroo Kids, Chembur (KKC, estb.2007), ranked Mumbai’s #1 franchised pre-primary for the fourth year in succession, disputes this popular belief. “I am very satisfied with the contemporary and regularly updated curriculum provided to us by our franchisor. I doubt if proprietary preschools have the curriculum research and continuous improvement capabilities that large chains have,” says Kukreja, a commerce graduate of Mumbai University with several diplomas in marketing and HRD awarded by the Welingkar Institute, Mumbai.

Therefore, Kukreja is “totally thrilled” that KKC and Kangaroo Kids, Ghatkopar (estb.2002) of which she is also the franchisee, are ranked among the Top 5 in Mumbai’s franchised preschools category. “The governing philosophy of both these schools is to give maximum individual attention to children to discover and nurture their multiple intelligences and to balance EQ (emotional quotient) with IQ (intelligence quotient). With us, children develop holistically in enjoyable and unforced environments,” says Kukreja.

This year, there is minor readjustment of the pecking order among Mumbai’s Top 5 franchised preschools. KKC is followed by EuroKids, Lokhandwala which has retained its #2 (2018-19) rank shared with Podar Jumbo Kids, Andheri promoted from #3 last year. Kangaroo Kids, Kandivali is ranked #3 (4) and Kangaroo Kids, Parel #4 (5) with Podar Jumbo Kids, Chembur and Kangaroo Kids, Ghatkopar (E) jointly ranked #5 (6 & 7).
Beyond top table, there is a major readjustment of the seating order. Kidzee, Kandivali (W) has been promoted to #6 (9) and the previously unranked Podar Jumbo Kids, Kandivali (W) has leapfrogged to #7. Moreover Kidzee, Bhandup (W) has been given a substantial promotion to #8 (14) with The Tree House, Vakola retaining its #9 ranking. Completing the Top 10 table is Kidzee, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai which has risen in public esteem to be ranked #10 (15).

Sangeeta Gupta, a committed ECCE edupreneur who runs four Podar Jumbo Kids (PJK) franchised preschools in Mumbai in Kandivali (E), Malad (W), Goregaon (E) and Kandivali (West) which have an aggregate enrolment of 550 children mentored by 55 teachers is very pleased that her newest school — PJK, Kandivali West (PJKKW, estb.2015) — has debuted at #7. “It’s a joy to share this good news with my teachers and parents. I am especially gratified that PJKKW has been awarded high scores for teacher welfare and parental involvement. In all my preschools, our teachers are continuously trained to implement the excellent curriculum provided by PJK to offer a play-rich and enjoyable early learning experience to our children,” says Gupta, a commerce graduate of Mumbai University, and an ECCE alumna of IGNOU and the Podar Institute of Education. Currently, PJKKW has 148 children enabled by 10 teachers on its muster rolls.

Beyond the Top 10, previously unranked Kiddies World, Kidzee, Powai has debuted at #11 co-ranked with Podar Jumbo Kids, Borivali East (12) and EuroKids Sindhi Society, Chembur is promoted to #12 (16).

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