Top 5 Preschools in Pune

Preschool can seem like a daunting change, for both you and your child. You’re not sure how your child may deal with separation, or how you yourself may feel once they begin their long but essential education journey. With your child taking the first steps to discovering and moulding themselves in a way that will define their life, preschool can certainly feel like, and probably is, a crucial decision you’d want to take in the best way possible. Which is why, despite the one-way trajectory we’ve seen in school fees lately, most parents continue to hunt for the absolute best preschools for their child. If you’re in Pune, these choices can be influenced by a variety of other factors as well – such as the area of the school, its distance from your home, and much more.

Which is why we’re here to help, with our curated list of the top 5 Preschools in Pune.

#1 – Vivero International Preschool (Kalyani Nagar)

Spread over a large 10,000 square feet, the Vivero International Preschool is already established in over 5 locations in Pune – such as Kalyani Nagar, Magarpatta, Aundh, Kharadi and Wakad. It’s also appropriately named – with Vivero translating to nursery in Spanish. Unlike most education setups across the country, Vivero’s framework, in its own words, “is not intended to provide strict rules about what must be taught. Rather, the framework provides guidelines for a holistic preschool education while giving educators the discretion to customise their curriculum according to the interests, needs and abilities of the children.”

Life Skills find a pleasant focus in the learning process – with activities like cooking, leadership programmes, and even civic management. Open for children between 1.5 to 6 years of age, Vivero seems to be checking a lot of boxes for parents, and the children!

USP: Vivero works on the Reggio Emilia Approach, which involves perceiving the environment as a third teacher. Thus both its indoor and outdoor spaces are designed to encourage children to learn in an optimal fashion.

#2 – Podar Jumbo Kids (Aundh)

Operated by the Podar Education Network, which boasts of a 90 year history in the education sector with over 102 schools, Podar Jumbo Kids is already a trusted name. Its extensive experience ensures that its Kondhwa branch gets the essentials right without having to experiment too much:

• The teachers are well trained in contemporary techniques
• Hygiene is a priority as well.
• With imported toys and modern teaching aids, the whole process remains safe, ensuring development on all fronts for children – physical, mental, and more.

USP: Podar Jumbo Kids focuses on a wide variety of themes for children – from carefully selected diets, physical activities, multiple styles of education, and even parachute plays and aroma fresheners in its rooms.

#3 – Leapbridge International (Kalyani Nagar and Aundh)

Education brand Navneet forayed into schooling with its initiative Leapbridge in 2009, and it’s been quite the success. Already in 4 locations across Pune – Aundh, Kalyani Nagar, Prabhat road and Pimpal Nilakh – Leapbridge branches are all company-owned and do not operate on a franchise model, which should lead to tighter quality control and consistent culture.

With a curriculum designed especially for children and high hygiene and safety standards, Leapbridge seems to have a strong focus on many important parameters for the young age group. The brand claims to have evolved its own “ Holistic Learning philosophy”  that is also displayed on its website.

USP: With an adult to child ratio of 1:7, individual attention and focus for children should be a breeze.       

#4 – Kidzee (Viman Nagar)

Established nearly a decade ago, Kidzee has over 1700+ established schools in more than 750 cities. No surprises then, that its Viman Nagar branch takes preschooling fairly seriously, using the brand’s own pedagogy called iLLUME, for its educational processes. With music, GK, and dance classes – it makes for an ideal start to what should be an all-round educational journey for children. The school also conducts regular workshops, ensuring parents are in sync with their children’s progress and development plans. The brand also boasts of multiple levels of security – an important aspect in today’s times.

USP: Developed by its own, dedicated team of ‘Child Development Experts’, Kidzee’s pedagogy – iLLUME, is the only University-verified preschool curriculum in India.

#5 – HelloKids (Hardaspur)

While HelloKids operates about 18 branches in the city of Pune, it is its Hadapsur branch that seems to regularly garner praise for its quality of education and approach.  Accepting admissions in the age group of 1.5 to 5.1 years, it features a library, sports games, regular communication with parents and hygienic campus.

USP: HelloKids combines elements from Montessori, Play way, and Gurukul concepts to deliver a unique hybrid educational approach to its children.

There’s of course, a pattern you’re likely to observe in high-quality preschools. Nearly all of them tend to have a curriculum personalised for younger children, with an increased focus on all-round development instead of just getting kids ready for the education that will follow in later stages. With preschool kids in such an early phase of their life, frequent teacher-parent interactions are ideal in gaining some useful insights.

Sure, all of this may not come cheap, with such schools often requiring large amounts in fees. EarlySalary School Fees, however, puts such schools within everyone’s reach, allowing parents to pay their children’s educational fees in EMIs instead of a lump sum payment. With education easier on your wallet, there’s no compulsion to compromise on the education of your child.