Remember the olden days?
The good old days when kids had their grandparents to tell them stories, rhymes and keep them occupied while the moms managed the kitchen and other household chores. They also had the company of their cousins.
It may sound funny, but it was almost like they ran a pre-school/day care!
But now we don’t have that luxury. Most of us stay as nuclear families away from our parents. That and the fact that the kids of today are smarter makes it tough for parents to keep them entertained.
A lot of parents give up and entrust their kids to the most common/notorious baby-sitter of today’s times- The television/tablet.
But smart parents know that, if they are unable to spend time with their kids due to their job or any other reason, they need to choose a good pre-school or day care will help you do that.
What makes a pre-school/day care good?
A lot of us had nightmares about going to school. It could be the routine, the uniforms, the homework or the fact that you couldn’t do as you wished. Now imagine subjecting your little one to a routine like that? Pre-school going kiddos wouldn’t be too pleased if their pre-school is just like a school. In fact, they would hate the thought of going!
Tiny tots need a fun place where experienced teachers make learning fun. If they are allowed to learn through self-exploration, the knowledge they gain will stay with them forever.
If your child is not old enough for pre-school, a day care is a much better option than leaving your child with the nanny, because the staff at a good day-care will be able to keep them occupied with activities suitable for their ages.
About Footprints Childcare
Our search for a good day care/ pre-school led us to Footprints Childcare. It is a Day Care located in Delhi-NCR that offers Play School, Pre-school, Day Care and After School programs.
It is run and managed by IIT-IIM alumni who understand that our kids deserve custom made programs that will suit your child.
I am sure that a tag that says, managed by IIT-IIM alumni has piqued your interest! In fact, you may think that why do children need programs designed by them? With number of day care centres mushrooming in every corner, what makes Footprints different?
For that let us look at each of the programs offered there.
Play school
A day starts here with the teachers interacting with the parents and the child individually when they come in to drop the kids off. So they start looking at their teachers as someone they can trust.
Apart from that, the activities give a lot of importance to group and outside playtime. That’s not all, meal times, nap times and toilet times are also taken care of here. The little ones also have some time set apart where they can indulge in their favorite activity!
The assessment of their development is not through standard tests, which is a relief! The teachers monitor each child’s learning graph and update their parents about their development.
Day care
Just like the play school, the school also follows a similar pattern. The teachers and staff encourage the little ones to express themselves and have a variety of activities to keep them busy.
After school
This is a program suitable for older kids too! After school is over most of the kids love to spend time with their gadgets, but here, they help them play and prepare for the next day. So that once they are back at home, they can spend all the time with their parents.
What makes Footprints Childcare a good choice for your little one?
Activities:
They offer a variety of activities for each of their programs that help the kids stretch their imagination. They also learn basic concepts through fun activities that provide ample scope for self-exploration.
Some of the activities offered are storytelling, dance, music, art, play time at the park, Taekwondo, Yoga, activities involving numbers, letters, fruits, vegetables etc.
Adult to child ratio:
The folks at Footprints Childcare know that kids need supervision, so they have ensured that they offer world class adult to child ratio.
Let us take a look:
- 1:5 for 9-18 months
- 1:6 for 19-30 months
- 1:8 for 31-42 months
- 1:10 for 43-54 months
- 1:10 for 54+ months
This will ensure that each child gets proper care and attention. In fact, almost like your own home.
Nutritious food:
Moms fuss over their children’s food habits. They strive their best to ensure that they eat healthy. Fortunately the good folks at Footprints know that too.
Apart from providing food for the brain, they also offer healthy food. The meal times comprise of seasonal fruits, veggies, nuts, dry fruits, pulses and grains. And parents rejoice! They have a zero tolerance policy for junk food.
Live feed and mobile updates for parents:
How do know what your child is up to and how he/she is coping? Is he sad? Is he mingling well with other kids? Don’t let these questions worry you.
You can watch your child to keep an eye on their progress and know what they are learning.
There is a mobile app too, to keep you updated about your child’s progress.
Cleanliness:
All this sounds great, but what about cleanliness?
All the toys are cleaned and disinfected daily and a thorough cleaning is done every Saturday. So don’t worry about cooties. (Btw, they have a strict sick policy too!)
When you send your little one off to play-school, it shouldn’t be because, somebody said so. You should and take a look around, with your little one. It should be a home away from home, in the care of trained staff and teachers.
A place where he or she can spread their wings of imagination and learn through fun. A place where they give importance to their little schedules, likes and not impose anything.
Footprints, gets it right. But if you don’t stay in the Delhi-NCR region, you know what to look for in a great playschool.
