Organised preschool is limited to metros and select tier-2 cities, says Pallavi Rao Chaturvedi, Founder of Brainy Bear Pre-School & Activity Club and Director, AISECT. In an interaction with ENN, she says they aim to reach to the districts and small towns of India and provide quality interactive early education to children
Why has AISECT Group ventured into the preschool and activity club segment? AISECT is a reputed educational organisation working in the area of education for the last 30 years. Until now, we have been working on vocational, secondary and higher education. We are now actively getting into the preschool and activity club segment after recognising the high quality education and early childhood education requirements of children in the tier 2 & 3 cities. I firmly believe that the formative years of a child are very critical for developing love for life-long learning. Through this venture, we will be offering high quality, innovative and affordable preschool and after-school pedagogy to children in metro cities and tier 2 & 3 cities of India.
What was the need of targeting tier 2 and 3 cities?
Though organised preschool is one of the fastest growing verticals in the education industry, it is presently limited to the metros and select tier-2 cities. Through this venture, our aim is to reach to the districts and small towns of India and provide quality interactive early education to children. We are also trying to strengthen the after-school learning with a strong emphasis on experimentation and exploration.
How different would this preschool be from rest of their counterparts?
Unlike our counterparts, Brainy Bear Preschool and Activity Club targets not just on the metros but the tier-2 and 3 cities as well. We have a promising curriculum structure adapted from the Multiple Intelligence Theory of Dr. Howard Gardner, which values the various facets of intelligence in the student. Moreover, our strong pedagogy focusses on five essential skills necessary for the children in their formative years, which include cognitive abilities, language and communication, motor skills, imagination and creativity, social and emotional development. Our curriculum is strongly integrated with these skills.
How lucrative is the preschool business in India? What is the investment required for starting a Brainy Bear preschool?
Education is a long term business. First of all, the focus is on providing the best inputs, the best faculty and best infrastructure possible to the students. This is not a sector for somebody who wants to be in for short-term gains or with small investments. It’s a lifelong source of income where returns start coming along once the school has built a reputation. It shouldn’t be viewed as an avenue to invest money for quick returns. However, once the school is reputed and the initial batches come in following word of mouth, this can become an extremely lucrative business. Investments in this sector depend on the area and geography for the preschool to be set up in. Investments can vary but will typically range between Rs 5 lakh to 10 lakh.
What are your expansion plans and how are you planning to increase your brand’s presence across the country?
We have just launched our 2 flagship centres in Bhopal and aim for Brainy Bear Preschool & Activity Club’s penetration across all major cities and districts in the country with about 100 centres operational by 2018. The brand’s expansion will be through company-owned centres as well as carefully chosen franchise centres in two formats – an urban centric model where the centre would be technology driven with a lot of focus on English language content and a less technology driven model for district level places where the centres would offer the same quality of learning techniques as the urban centric model but with an increased use of Hindi language content.
What are the criteria for selecting teachers in your school?
We are and will be very particular in selecting our teachers. They should carry an experience of 3-5 years, must be qualified in the early childhood learning techniques by completing programmes related to the field. Above all, the person should be passionate about children, enthusiastic about learning new techniques of teaching and is able to bond with the children.
Profile Format
Genesis of the company
School’s Philosophy:
Early years are critical in the entire developmental process of the child and selection of the right pre school is very important in every aspect. Kids are different and need more interactive learning tools that are engaging and at the same time helps them in developing key skills. Though organised preschool is one of the fastest growing verticals in the education industry, it is presently limited to the metros and only a select few tier-2 cities. Through this venture, the brand’s aim is to reach to the districts and tier 2 & 3 cities of India and provide affordable and quality interactive early education as well as a range of fun and knowledge based activities to children.
Year of Inception- 2014
Founder- Pallavi Rao Chaturvedi
Age- 31 years
Educational and professional background- Holds a Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering from MSRIT, Bangalore and an MBA in Marketing and Operations from the prestigious S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai. Prior to joining AISECT in 2009, she worked for about five years in some of India’s best FMCG companies in the areas of brand management, sales force management, marketing strategy, consumer activation, advertising and PR. She has a keen interest in early childhood education and has a knack of engaging meaningfully with kids.
Head office- Bhopal
Address – SCOPE Campus. NH-12, Bhaironpur, Near Misrod, Hoshangabad Road, Bhopal-462026. India
USP:
1) First-of-its-kind affordable pre-school & activity hub chain for kids in metro cities, tier 2 &3 as well as district level areas
2) Complete staff on the premises will be female to ensure mental comfort of the parents
3) A Mother-Toddler programme for children between 1 and 2 years has also been launched for the first time in Bhopal as part of Brainy Bear
4) Brainy Bear Activity Club has been introduced as Bhopal’s first-of-its-kind activity club for children in the age group of 3-12 years
Funding source- Self funded and actively considering funding
How many centres are there?
The flagship 2 centres (an urban centric model and a district centric model) of the brand has been launched in Bhopal
Expansion programme- Brainy Bear Pre-School & Activity Club aims to penetrate across all major cities and districts in the country with about 100 centres operational by 2018
Requirements for taking up franchisee with your group:
Area- 2000 sq ft to 2500 sq. ft. of floor space (preferably independent bungalow) with Open area of 800 Sq .Ft
Investment requirement- Rs 4 to 10 lakh depending on the area and geography.
Deliverables for the Franchisee owner:
? Advisory Services –
? School Management Technology and Processes:
? Centralized Marketing and Branding Support:
? Standardized Curriculum and Teaching Methodologies
? Access to Vendors and Partners
? HR Management Support
Backgroup of the Group
