Although this southern sea port city’s 361 sample respondents comprising preschool parents and teachers/principals again awarded prime position to Vael’s Billabong High-Kangaroo Kids, Neelankarai, all other seats in the Top 20 league table have been rearranged
Whereas last year the EducationWorld preschools master league table for the southern port city of Chennai (aka Madras, pop. 4.5 million) showed few changes over the previous year, in 2012 it’s another story. Although the city’s 361 sample respondents comprising parents of preschool children, teachers and education experts for the third consecutive year awarded prime position at the Top 10 table to Vael’s Billabong High-Kangaroo Kids, Neelankarai, all other seats in the Top 20 table have been rearranged.
Chennai’s second most admired preschool this year is the Bambino Kindergarten & Primary School, Raja Annamalai Puram, ranked No. 5 last year. EuroKids, Anna Nagar ranked No. 2 in 2010 and 2011 is ranked No. 5 this year. While Vruksha, Alwarpet has improved its ranking to No. 3 (4), the previously unranked new age Srishti Montessori, Nungambakkam and SEED, Adyar have been ranked fourth and sixth respectively this year.
Unsurprisingly, Arthi K. Ganesh, a computer applications and education graduate of Madras and Lucknow universities and master franchisee, Vael’s Billabong-High Kangaroo Kids, Neelankarai (KKN, estb. 2004), is delighted that KKN has been adjudged the No. 1 preschool in Chennai again. “Our entire KKN team is greatly elated that we have been ranked the premier preschool for the third year consec-utively. This is due to our dedicated teachers who excel in innovative teaching and our supportive parents’ community. As indicated in the parameter ratings, we invest heavily in teacher welfare and development and constantly upgrade our infrastructure,” says Ganesh. KKN (annual tuition fee: Rs.48,000-54,000) hosts 333 children in the age group 17 months to five-and-half years mentored by 38 teachers on its muster rolls.
Obviously the degree of elation is higher within the management and staff of the Bambino Kindergarten and Primary School, R.A. Puram, Chennai (estb. 1965) which has improved its ranking to No. 2 from fifth in 2011. “Bambino Kindergarten is a neighbour-hood school with a relatively modest fees structure (Rs.25,000 per year) providing affordable education to middle class children. Therefore it’s particularly gratifying that the discer-ning public of Chennai has promoted us to the second rank this year. I attribute this to our teachers’ focus on art, story-telling and encouragement of creative expression as also on their dedicated efforts to provide individual attention to students — as reflected in your parameter ratings — which creates happy and conducive environments in our classrooms,” says Devila Patel, an alumna of the Butler and Wisconsin universities in the US and promoter-principal of Bambino Kindergarten, which has an aggregate enrolment of 235 children instructed by 11 teachers and 15 caregivers.
That early childhood education hitherto airily dismissed as unstructured play schools or crèches, has captured the imagination of Chennai’s elite and middle class citizenry is evidenced by the large number of previously unran-ked nurseries and/or preschools which have gate-crashed into the city’s Top 20 league table. Notable among them is Srishti Montessori, Nungambakkam (estb 1995) ranked No. 4, SEED, Adyar at No. 6 and further down the table T.I.M.E. Kids, Anna Nagar at No. 11 followed ad seriatim by Little Cubs, Alwarpet (12); SEED, Anna Nagar (13); Kangaroo Kids, Velachery (14); and the Alphabet Play School, Alwarpet (15).
And still further down the Chennai league table, Enchanting Elves, Kilpauk and Amelio Play School, Shollingan-allur have squeezed into the Top 20. In the melee, several preschools listed among the port city’s Top 20 last year (Apple Kids, Royapettah; Hansel & Gretel; Bumble Bees; Learning Tree, Adyar, etc) have been elbowed out.
“The sea change in the EW preschool rankings this year indicates that more and more preschools are being prom-oted and the sector has become very competitive. Parents also have become very selective and are looking for preschools which prepare children to get the most out of primary and secondary schooling,’’ says Prema Daniel, director of the Centre for Training and Resources in Early Childhood Education, Chennai.
To read Chennai's best preschools league table click userfiles/Chennai-Master.pdf
To read Parameters of Excellence: Chenna's Top Preschools click userfiles/Chennai-Parameters.pdf