Amol Arora,
MD, Shemrock Group of Schools
Pre-schools: from being a centre for rote learning to being a place for a child to be happy
Shemrock Pre-schools have been around for 23 years and have seen 2 lakh children graduate. Good playschools play the important role of shaping the today’s children into good adult citizens of tomorrow.
When the first Shemrock preschool was opened, the classroom concept was swapped with open areas for different play activities and storytelling. The children were free to explore and learn with colourful interiors and rote learning was abjured. The formal school admissions have gone through a paradigm shift in 20 years and no written test is now taken which helps the child to be free from the clutches of written work at such a tender age. Colourful interiors and hassle free learning has helped children be happy and burden free.
The perceptions of parents have also gone through a change and pre schools are now considered necessary for providing the child with a happy environment for his holistic development. Pre-schools also help the child in social development and peer learning. Language skills are picked up from peers at a faster rate in schools.
With increasing awareness among parents and availability of better technologies, the infrastructure of Pre-schools has seen a positive shift. Better teaching aids, interactive white boards and child centric approach has revolutionised the concept of pre schools. The smaller towns are now ready for new concept in playschools, so now is the time to revise the core curriculum.
With more quality Pre-schools opening their doors to children, the role of a preschool will change. It will turn into a place that is more social and community centric as opposed to a knowledge provider.
