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If you want to turn to entrepreneurship, love children, and make a difference in their lives, setting up a preschool should be at the top of your list. After all, there is no better way of marrying passion with purpose. A good educator can make a difference in a child’s life. Research shows that 90% of the child’s brain develops by the time he or she is five years old. That makes the role of an early educator even more crucial.

Setting up a preschool business, however, involves more than just teaching children. The answer to how to start a preschool lies in the many steps below.

Stand-alone school or an established brand- The first decision that you need to make is whether you want to set up a play school by yourself or go with an established brand. The many advantages of being a franchise of a well-established playschool begin with the brand equity that the playschool has. It is important to remember that the preschool market is crowded, and being a part of a brand that has already made its mark with parents can go a long way toward ensuring you have a head start. Going with an established brand will also ensure that you have the right mentorship and support, from helping you choose the location of the play school to offering you support concerning training your staff, assisting with marketing efforts, and giving you operational and technical support. Handling all of this with a single-person operation can be extremely overwhelming and will not leave you with much time or energy to focus on running the operations smoothly. Pro tip- In choosing the preschool brand, do ensure that you undertake a lot of research related to:

• Who are the founders, and what kind of background and commitment do they have to the cause of education?
• Does the school have multiple city operations?
• How are the other franchisees faring?
• What are the commercials involved?
• Does the school offer a minimum guarantee in terms of admissions, making your venture virtually risk-free?
• Is there a buy-back guarantee?

The above decision will affect many of the other steps involved in setting up a play school, so you need to make this decision carefully.

If you choose to go ahead with an established, professional preschool, many of the other aspects we list below will become seamless.

Preschool Business Plan

A robust long-term business plan is a prerequisite for starting preschool, just like any other business. In creating a business plan, ensure that you factor in all costs carefully so there are no surprises. In terms of potential revenue, also you need to be realistic. A significant advantage of opting for a franchise is that they will not only help you build a robust business plan, but they will also have options such as a minimum admission guarantee to help your plan look that much healthier.

Location

Needless to say, the location of a play school has a strong role to play in its success. A preschool that is established in a strong catchment area can go a long way in garnering a lot of interest. Physically visiting the locations to look for aspects such as accessibility, safety, long-term lease, and more are key. If you are going to an established pre school, they will play a strong role in guiding you with the location.

Designing a Curriculum

A scientifically designed curriculum that helps in the holistic development of children is a very important prerequisite of preschool. Designing a curriculum that supports early learners as they make decisions, build academic skills, and develop socially and emotionally is no mean task. It takes years of research to create a well-rounded curriculum. Again, this is one area where an established play school can come to your advantage. A scientifically developed curriculum not only helps children develop pre-academic skills, but it also helps them be:

• Better prepared for school
• Display self-regulation
• Have higher graduation rates
• Find stable employment
• Create stable home environments
• Be well-adjusted & engaged civically

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Building Infrastructure

An important aspect of establishing a play school is building the right infrastructure that is child-friendly. Besides ensuring that the school has all the infrastructure that meets compliance requirements, it is also important to ensure that the rooms are child-proof. Other security measures such as gates, CCTV cameras, and security guards should all be factored into the plan.

Recruiting & Training staff

Once again, this is a crucial requirement since the right staff can deliver the right experience. When recruiting staff, it is important to take all safety measures and ensure that all background checks are conducted. Periodic staff training is also an essential requirement.

Automation Tools & Technology

Automation tools and technology are important to ensure efficacy. For parents, mobile apps are a strong requirement since they help keep them updated about their child’s progress. Parents also benefit from being able to access live CCTV feeds, offering them complete peace of mind.

Registration

The answer to how to start a pre school in India also lies in completing all the necessary registration formalities as per government guidelines.

Branding and Marketing

Last but certainly not least, you need to make sure that you undertake the right marketing activities so that all your effort reaches the right target audience.

To Sum Up

Each of the above steps is crucial to the success of a preschool. As a new entrepreneur, you may feel overwhelmed by the above steps. By choosing the right preschool as a franchise, you can rest assured that you will be guided through these steps as you focus on your passion—creating learners for life. The preschool will also guide you through how to open a daycare as an added stream of revenue.

At Footprints, a well-established pre school chain run by an IIT-IIM alumnus who has emerged as a preferred parenting partner, we ensure that we handhold our preschool franchises through the entire process. If you have any queries, get in touch with us, and we will be happy to help.