In Kolkata — still awaiting poriborton (change) promised by the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal’s education system — professionally administered early childhood care and education is highly valued
In the eastern metropolis of Kolkata (pop. 14.5 million) —which is still awaiting poriborton (change) promised by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal’s education system, ruined during 34 years of uninterrupted rule of the CPM-led Left Front government — professionally administered early childhood care and education (ECCE) is highly valued. With the ECCE sector free of the regulatory attention of West Bengal’s notoriously venal government inspectors and levelling down politicians and party cadres, who have ruined the state’s school and higher education institutions, fully autonomous private pre-primaries in Kolkata have mushroomed, flourished and prospered.
In the newly segregated 2015 league tables of Kolkata’s best proprietary, franchised and pre-primaries of composite schools, a total of 37 preschools (cf. 20 in 2014) have been rated and ranked by 595 parents and 70 teachers/principals interviewed by Delhi-based market research and opinion polls agency C fore personnel.
Proprietary/owned
The league table of Kolkata’s most admired proprietary preschools is topped by Mongrace Montessori House, Short Street, unaffected by the new taxonomy and ranked #1 for a third consecutive year. Ditto Stepping Stones, Salt Lake, ranked #2 for the second year in a row. Top-ranked in its category on all ten parameters of ECCE excellence, the high-profile Mongrace Montessori (estb.1964) offers its 350 children aged 2.5-5.5 years, a 6,000 sq. ft play area, 16 classrooms fully equipped with Montessori equipment, library and computer room. 
“The new categorisation of preschools makes sense as it enables fair comparison. But it hasn’t affected our standing in Kolkata where we have been ranked #1 for the third time. I attribute the excellent reputation of Mongrace Montessori to our dedicated team of 30 teachers, well-informed parents and supportive management. It’s well-known in the city that our youngest children thrive in the happy and stimulating environment we provide, and are given a solid foundation for future learning,” says Suman Sood, a graduate of Panjab and Calcutta universities, who took charge as principal of Mongrace Montessori in 2011. Its sister preschool — Mongrace Montessori, New Town — which was ranked #7 in 2014, has benefitted from the new classification of preschools, and is ranked #3.
Inevitably, division of the composite 2014 Kolkata preschools league table has improved the rankings of several other proprietary preschools. Dolna Creche, Kasba, ranked #15 last year has jumped to #4 this year as has Alipore Tiny Tots from #13 to #7, Young Learners, Salt Lake (#11 to 9), Little Scholars, Sarat Bose Road (#16 to 11) and Little Hartley, Garcha Road (#20 to #14). Several previously unranked preschools have also gained from the new taxonomy which indicates that awareness of foundational ECCE is spreading. Among the Top 10 debutants are Bubble Blue, Salt Lake (#6) and StarKids, Rajarhat (#10).
Gargi Sen, principal of StarKids, Rajarhat (estb.2013), is enthused that this two-year-old pre-primary is ranked among Kolkata’s Top 10 proprietary preschools. “Entry into the Top 10 ranking is very encouraging and motivating for our teachers who have worked with zeal and passion to offer children high-quality early childhood care and education. In a short span of two years, our enrolment has grown to 200 children. That’s because our focus on activity-based learning arouses curiousity and children become inquisitive learners. Moreover, our attention to teacher development and high degree of parental involvement, has made StarKids the #1 choice of parents of east Kolkata,” says Sen, with over 20 years of accumulative teaching experience (Calcutta International School, Bridge International School) prior to being appointed founder-principal of StarKids two years ago..gif)
Franchised preschools
Unlike the city of Ahmedabad where the franchise league table features a mix of preschools licensed by national chains (EuroKids, Tree House) as well as local pre-primary groups (Calorx, Shanti Juniors), the league table of Kolkata’s best franchised preschools is dominated by franchisees of national chains. The Mumbai-based EuroKids International, Kangaroo Kids, The Tree House and Kidzee chains have three, four, three and one franchisee preschools ranked in the league table, while the Delhi-based Little Millennium has one.
Topping the league table of Kolkata’s premier franchised preschools is EuroKids, BB Block (EKBB), Salt Lake ranked #3 last year in the undivided league table. It is followed by Kangaroo Kids, New Alipore at #2 (#6 in 2014) and the previously unranked EuroKids, BJ Block, Salt Lake #3, Tree House, Ballygunge at #4 and Kangaroo Kids, Bangur Avenue ranked #5.
“It makes good sense to rank franchised schools separately from others because we follow internationally approved curriculums and newest pedagogies prescribed by our franchisors. For your information, EKBB also won the all-India Best Franchisee Manager and Hall of Fame awards conferred by EuroKids International this year. Encouraged by our franchisor, we have introduced several path-breaking teaching-learning innovations such as Motion Based Learning; the SPEAK (Speech, Pronunciation, Expression, Application and Knowledge) programme; a toy library, and a wellness programme to ensure children are healthy and active. Our teachers are well-trained according to international norms and our curriculum is based on research done at Howard University, Washington,” says Soma Chandra, an alumna of Kanpur University and head of EKBB which has 105 children mentored by eight teachers.
Further down Kolkata’s franchised pre-primaries league table, Kangaroo Kids, Salt Lake and Kidzee Tulips, Dover Lane have risen three places under the new taxonomy to be ranked #6 and #7 respectively in 2015. On the other hand, The Tree House, New Alipore has slipped to #8 (#5 in 2014). The previously unranked Kangaroo Kids, Survey Park, ranked #9 and EuroKids, Lake Town, at #10 (#14 in 2014) complete the Top 10 league table.
Comments Ranjana Arora, head of Kidzee Tulips, Dover Lane, a franchisee of the 1,500-strong Mumbai-based Kidzee group of preschools: “We are pleased, proud and appreciative of the new classification system which has given us our due and encouraged us all. The EducationWorld rankings are a great boost for preschool managements and keep us on our toes to ensure standards are not only maintained, but also improved every year.”
Pre-primaries of composite schools
The 665 sample respondents polled by C fore field researchers in Kolkata have voted the pre-primaries of The Heritage School #1, La Martiniere for Girls #2 and La Martiniere for Boys #3. These three K-12 schools are also ranked #1 in West Bengal in the co-ed day, girls and boys day schools league tables of the EW India School Rankings 2015.
Sited on 9.5 acres, the CISCE-affiliated The Heritage School (estb.2002) offers its 460 pre-primary children state-of-the-art facilities including classrooms equipped with colourful soft boards, low height scribble boards, activity hall, dance and music rooms, rock climbing wall, covered play area with padded flooring, library, sand pit, garden, swimming pool and ramps. Unsurprisingly, the school’s pre-primary is rated #1 on the parameters of infrastructure and safety and hygiene, and #2 for special needs education.
“It’s fitting that pre-primaries of composite schools have been ranked separately this year as all K-12 school managements accord high priority to foundational learning. In The Heritage, provision of high-quality early childhood care and education is a special focus area with all facilities provided to enable activity-based learning in a clean, safe and joyful environment. Moreover, as our top-rating for special needs facilities indicates, we are pioneers of ECCE in this field. Our 12 special needs teachers help to mainstream special needs children right from nursery so that they can smoothly transit into inclusive primary schools,” says Meenakshi Atal, an alumna of Loreto College, Lucknow, former junior school principal at St. James, Kolkata, and currently principal of the junior school and head of the special needs department of The Heritage School.
The Top 11 league table of Kolkata’s most respected pre-primaries of composite schools is completed by The Future Foundation School (#4), Loreto House, Middleton (5), Calcutta International School (6), Don Bosco, Park Circus (7), Modern High School for Girls (8), Lakshmipat Singhania Academy (9), Garden High School (10) and Akshar School (11).
Comments Pratima Nayar, an education postgraduate of Calcutta University and former teacher at the Julien Day School and J.D. Birla Institute of Home Science who was appointed junior school principal of the CIE (UK) and IBO (Geneva)-affiliated Calcutta International School in 2007: “Our #6 ranking is very encouraging and will prompt us to ensure that our 112 pre-primary children are given the best start in early childhood learning. We will intensify our teacher training and development to rise higher in the league table next year. We will also review and improve our safety and hygiene and innovative teaching which as this year’s league table indicates, are already our focus areas.”
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