Extending an exceptional study concept

Establishing a centre of excellence in the Pre school space is a remarkable achievement for any institution brand. To take that exceptional concept and extend it across locations requires an ability to maintain consistency in quality standards and teaching methodology. Several Pre school brands have managed to do this quite successfully in India and the benefits for parents and their children have been immense.

Being able to access a quality education brand, at a location closer to home, enables parents to make a better choice (since distance is no longer an obstacle) among the various options available and the children get a unique approach to education, which sets the foundation for their future academic growth.

Archana Jamdar, Head, Pedagogy & Teacher Training, Edvance, points out that the education and pre-school system in organized Pre schools is developed from globally accepted best teaching, learning practices. Such franchise pre-schools are empowered by:

• Access to international Research and development in the field of early childhood education
• Curriculum designed by expert educationists of the academic team with continuous monitoring and up gradation of the education system as per the changing needs
• Access to high quality materials like equipment and resources, furniture and fixtures to help create a stimulating learning environment
• Talent pool of quality early childhood educators - identify and recruit qualified teachers and other staff members for each franchise pre-school
• Regular training of the facilitators to ensure high standards of education
• A comprehensive training program on operational practice, customer service, marketing, staff hiring, training and quality assurance
• Systems and Quality Control with Continuous monitoring system to ensure quality

Serra International is an initiative of Edvance Pre-Schools, in partnership with EtonHouse International Education Group, Singapore. Edvance Pre-school's addresses the growing segment of quality-conscious parents who desire a holistic experience in the formative years of their child's life.

"The advantages of the Franchisee concept are that it addresses the growing segment of quality-conscious parents who desire a holistic experience in the formative years of their child's life. You have a standard pre-school education system / offering across the country and students have access to an international curriculum, in partnership with Asia's leading chain of pre-schools. Our teaching methods encourage experimentation for effective development of the child's cognitive skills. Our approach ensures that the child enjoys himself without compromising on learning.

The Edvance experience ensures strong overall moral, social, emotional and physical development, converting the child from a fledgling toddler into a confident, inquisitive and enthusiastic primary school student," she emphasises.

According to Kunal Sharma, Founder Director, Mexus Education, it is estimated that 50% of a person's ability to learn is developed during the age group of 2-4 years. This is where children develop auditory and sensory-motor skills. Rising awareness regarding importance of quality education at this early age has paved the way for organized preschools as against the unorganized centres traditionally run by housewives. Parents are now on the lookout for overall development for their children.

Using a visual method of teaching helps make the learning process more effective. Research has proven that many children have realized their passion for learning when their teachers used visual presentations in the classroom.

The idea is to hold the attention of your students and get your point across. While students may spend many minutes reading a few paragraphs on a topic like water cycle, a simple graphical representation of the same phenomenon explains the process in seconds. Learning aids like illustrations, diagrams and images aid the traditional method of teaching as it stimulates the visual senses to make learning more receptive and effective.

"The Pre school program that Iken Braingym offers under the Brain-e-kids banner encourages physical, social, emotional and intellectual growth. Children are actively involved in the learning process and the tools of learning include technology-integrated toys, games and touch-read books that take the toddlers through alphabets, numbers and shapes and help improve phonetics. Iken Braingym has established a strong franchise network. Each franchise operates as a separate business entity with due support from the parent brand. The benefits include allowing parents and students to easily access and reach the local Brain-e-kids representative and greater parent involvement. We believe that learning is most effective when it is voluntary rather than compulsive. Our focus is to transform learning into becoming fun-filled and student-friendly. For this purpose, we strive to innovate and design unique creations under our flagship brand Iken. To empower our rapid growth in domestic market, we found franchising the best way of business expansion," he explains.

Iken Braingym is a one-of-its kind educational space that adds many dimensions to the process of learning. It makes a unique statement in the world of knowledge. Some of the features that make it exceptional are:

• An intelligent space that is a combination of classroom, workshop, lab, museum, hobby center and tuition class,
• A high-tech arena comprising of countless hours of educational multimedia content, hands-on kits for learning and experimenting with ideas that learners possess,
• A futuristic environment, where education is entertaining, knowledge is endless, experimentation is reality and teacher is personal for every learner.