How to start a home based preschool in India

Preschool is an early childhood program in which children incorporate learning with playing in a curriculum run by professionally trained adults. Children are most often enrolled in preschool between the ages of three and five, although some schools can be attended by as young as two. Preschools vary from conventional daycare in that they focus on learning and growth rather than allowing parents to work or undertake other activities.

Which kind of preschool is available in India?

The preschool industry is currently working in three sectors. The unorganized sector, consisting of local home-grown preschools account for around 70-80 percent of the industry. Organized preschools, operating on a franchisee model, are comparatively smaller in size. The third model is a kindergarten feeder model with some mainstream K-12 kindergarten launching their nursery to reach the early toddler market as well.

How do you operate a home-based preschool?

A large part of the unorganized preschool market is made up of home-based preschoolers. Anybody who wishes to start a home-based preschool first ensures that the home is healthy for children and can be used as a preschool.

Growing your preschool enrolment begins by partnering with a brand (with visual identity and clear messaging) and setting yourself apart from the competition. Speak to relatives, families, and civic groups about your preschool. Consider it a habit to hand out your business card and start taking part in local activities that draw families.

Create your profile online to reach out to parents who are actively searching for childcare. The website, social media, and Google My Business account are a good start! Keep these sites up to date with posts and updates to help parents get a feel for your preschool.

As your business grows, encourage current families to recommend your center in person (with a referral bonus) and online through Google or FaceBook Reviews (ask in your email newsletter or in-person).

Write a business plan

You'll need to build a business plan for your home-based preschool. A business plan is a structured document setting out the business goals and tactics that you plan to use to achieve them. For starters, you'll want to answer the following questions in your business plan, among others: who's your target audience, and what's the competition like?

What's the financial outlook for your business?

Who's going to be part of your team?

So much are you going to bill for your school fees?

What are your costs, including wages, supplies, licensing fees, and rentals or mortgages?

Don't worry, you don't need to write a very long plan. It is for your reference purposes. However, the more detailed and thought-out your strategy is, the more useful it will be for you to start your preschool business.

Choose a suitable preschool philosophy and program

You may already have an idea of the type of early care and educational approach you want to use in your preschool. The following are some specific styles that we see:

1. play-based
2. Montessori
3. Reggio Emilia
4. Waldorf Forest School

Many administrators prefer to mix various philosophies or elements of a few to create a unique program. Deciding on your preschool philosophy and curriculum will help you with the next few steps of creating a learning environment and writing a handbook.

Plan your learning environment Now is the time to visualize what your learning environment would look like. You're going to need to turn your living room into an enriching learning room. Although the specifics of your learning space reflect the philosophy and curriculum of your program, there are four 'interest areas' that should include whatever philosophy you want.

Are you going to share online in the FaceBook or Mom Groups? Put the flyers up in your neighborhood? Will you get word-of-mouth referrals? Do you need a website and some nice photos? What kind of open houses or tours are you going to host? There are just a few things you need to think about when it comes to selling your curriculum to get in the first students.

Home-based Preschool Start-up Benefits:

1. Running a home preschool gives you more control because you're your boss, you set the rules, build a school vision, make business decisions, and keep your families happy – no one else.

You've even built your timetable and school hours, allowing you more control over your time in general. Even on the longest, most difficult days, there's a feeling of pride that comes with working for you.

2.Smaller class sizes avoid teacher burnout Big classrooms, little interaction with parents, little control over the workings of the classroom — these are only a few of the reasons why educators chose to escape the challenging world of teaching in the centers.

It's frustrating when you're stretched so thin and feel like you can't have a great learning environment for all students, but that's always the case in the middle.

Smaller class size not only has a positive effect on children's ability to learn but reduces the likelihood of injuries caused by overstimulation of too many children in the same room. It is easier to interact one-on-one with smaller groups of children, to bring them into the routine of the day, and to meet their learning and social/emotional needs

3. You can charge the same rate of schooling as the centers in your city, but since there are much fewer overhead costs for your house, you can pay yourself – as well as your assistants – a higher salary.

That's not to suggest that someone working in family child care is making more money than they would do in the middle, but there is a greater opportunity to raise your earnings, depending on how successful you are in your business.

4. You can spend more time with your own family when you work from home Wake up before dawn, travel by train/bus/subway to work, get home long past dinner time – that's a routine for so many teachers.

While working from home, you will run on a regular schedule, but do not waste hours every day on your way to and from work. And, if your children participate in the program, you would have the additional benefit of spending time with them during the day. You have greater prospects for leadership

5. You have more leadership opportunities Many of the best early childhood educators hit the height of their careers very soon, and there are not always leadership opportunities open to their new employer.

Yet when you're your own boss, the sky is the limit.

6. Family child care allows you the flexibility to design your program.

Being a home-based pre-school teacher, you have a lot more versatility and innovation in your approach than those who must stick to a strict curriculum. The Emergent Curriculum is a great choice because it allows you to change activities based on what they think children are interested in.

This technique involves close evaluation, imagination, and versatility on the part of the teacher; thus, it is not always possible in a center environment where there is a higher student-to-teacher ratio.

As the director of your classroom, you can create day-to-day learning experiences that are compatible with the children's needs of your program.

7. You will make the school your own. One of the best aspects of working for yourself is that you get the final say on the schoolcurriculum, communications, and purpose.

Have you always dreamed of leading a bilingual learning space? Enjoy the Montessori Method? Need an outdoor-themed school that integrates the play of nature? You can now! It's your education, so you set the philosophy of learning, the principles of the school, and the environment.

How lucrative is it to run a home-based preschool?

Home-based preschool is highly competitive because the overhead cost is very low. If you own your home and the necessary conditions and facilities to set up a preschool is a highly profitable business, you'll be earning more than just your work. Your energy is being used. The Risk Factor is zero since the overhead cost is small.

Teeny Beans is a remarkably fresh solution for entrepreneurs looking to set up a new early learning center and for existing edupreneurs to upgrade an existing preschool.