by Sonali Rai
Published On : 7 Dec | 6 min Read
In India, the current literacy rate is 77.7% for the age above 15 years, according to a report published by the National Statistical Commission of India. And to take it to 95% and above, we all need to come together and join hands to make education accessible for everyone. That starts with early childhood education.
If you ask, Is preschool business profitable in India, the answer would be a resounding “Yes”! There are an estimated 25,300 preschools in India for about 82 million children who are eligible for preschool education.
The importance of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for a child cannot be overstated, and there is a potential market gap that can be filled by setting up a preschool.
There are numerous benefits of starting a non-franchise preschool in India. However, the process to start a preschool, be it a non-franchise or franchise is not easy. There are several avenues that you need to keep an eye out for.
several aspects need to be kept in mind. Here are the step-by-step guides:
To start a preschool like any other business in the world, you need to have a monetary budget. This budget determines the quality of your early childhood centre and how long your preschool can sustain itself if it is going through a rough phase. Also, with money in the bank, you can decide whether to opt for a franchise preschool or a non-franchise preschool.
Once you have the budget set, you need to allocate the budget for different aspects that would be required to start a preschool. You need to have a dedicated budget for your preschool marketing. You need to keep some money aside for the personnel fees, then you maintain a budget to operate your preschool. Without proper allocation of your budget, you cannot sustainably operate your preschool.
If you are a business owner who has big plans for your business then you need to calculate the profit your education business is making. To start a preschool business is tiresome and you need to aside some money for rainy days. If all the profits are exhausted in useless things then when the time comes for your business’ upliftment, you wouldn’t have any money left.
The first and foremost thing is to decide on a location if you are looking to start a preschool. If you have your place, it is the best thing, and if not, you can opt for a rented place. The factors that you should keep in mind if you are considering choosing a location for your preschool are convenience, safety and closeness to your target audience. Convenience is to ensure that your preschool is easy to commute to or reach. Safety is important because the children who would be enrolling in your preschool should feel safe to be in that location, and closeness is important because the customers or the families that you might be targeting should be close enough to their preschool's location.
The space of classrooms is to be considered if you are planning to start a preschool. A preschool class should accommodate 10 kids, at a minimum, to ensure profit margins. To keep it big enough for the 10 students and the staff, it is better if the classrooms are spacious, well lit and properly ventilated.
The classrooms should have all the necessary furniture and equipment to accommodate the children and the teachers. You also need to keep this in mind when you are all set to start a preschool. However, the furniture of your preschool depends on the philosophy of teaching followed by the preschool, the list of equipment can also vary.
This is another crucial aspect that you need to keep in focus when you are about to start a preschool. Because you need to ensure that your whole preschool is childproof. In other words, it is a safe and secure place for children so that they don’t get hurt. The whole premise of the preschool should be secured and monitored through constant surveillance. Alongside that, your preschool should be equipped to tackle any sort of hazard to keep everyone safe.
When you are about to start a preschool, you also need to decide on the teaching philosophy that your preschool will embody. The very essence of preschool is dependent on the teaching philosophy of your preschool. The teaching philosophies vary from one another. Based on the teaching philosophy, the school’s curriculum and everything else would be determined. There are plenty of teaching philosophies to choose from, so the trick is to choose the one that aligns with your values and ideals.
As you are deciding on the teaching philosophy to start a preschool, you need to decide on the target age groups of the children that you will be catering to. It could either be toddlers or preschoolers or both. According to your target groups, you need to organize the classes as different age groups will require different sets of furniture and equipment.
Deciding on the education philosophy is not the last part of the job. To start a preschool that leaves an everlasting impact, you need to choose a curriculum that aligns with your preschool’s teaching philosophy, or you can always develop one, keeping in mind that the curriculum is age-appropriate, stimulating and impactful.
Not just to start a preschool but also to run it successfully, the hiring of right teachers is very important. The teachers who would be hired by the preschool should be Montessori trained or equivalent, because the right training changes the way a classroom of children develops.
To start a preschool is only a quarter of the job. Everything else has to add up as well. In preschools, the class size is always smaller, as it ensures maximum care and attention for each student. There should be enough staff to cater to all the preschoolers.
If you are to start a preschool, you also need to ensure that there is proper training in place. After the teachers and staff are recruited, they might need hands-on training before they actually start teaching the children. Early Childhood Care and Education is not easy and both the teachers and staff need to have proper training.
You also need to have a marketing strategy in place if you are willing to start a preschool. This is the part that will take a lot of brainstorming and effort. The marketing strategy that you will adopt for your preschool will be crucial because that will determine how your school is perceived by potential parents. Creating a 360-degree marketing strategy will help your school in not only getting admissions but also in establishing your preschool as a brand.
The marketing strategy that you will come up with to start a preschool is also crucial for the admission process. You also need to work on the admissions process of your preschool so that it is easy to process and finalise. You also need to decide on the fees and other regulations and procedures of your preschool.
The journey to start a preschool in India, has been simplified by Teeny Beans. If you have no idea from where to start then all you need is to set a budget for preschool business and seek out Teeny Beans.
Teeny Beans is a one stop solution for all your preschool needs and requirements. Once you have set the budget, Teeny Beans will provide you support and guidance in choosing the right location for your preschool. To start a preschool and to run it properly, Teeny Beans is there to support you with the equipment that you would need to operate your preschool in India.
Your preschool’s education philosophy can also be assisted with Teeny Beans’ preschool solutions. You can choose the teaching philosophy of your preschool and in accordance with that, you will be provided with all the preschool curriculums and learning materials.
Not only that, Teeny Beans can also assist you with the recruitment and staffing process of your preschool. Teeny Beans has a sister venture that helps students all over the world to be Montessori trained, which is recognised and has international validation.
Once all the in-house requirements are fulfilled and dealt with, Teeny Beans, with the support of another sister concern, Buzzapp, will help with the entire preschool marketing and branding needs.
If all of these excites you then there is one final thing Teeny Beans can help you with. By helping you set-up a non-franchise preschool in India. A franchise preschool has so many obligations for the franchisee but with a non-franchise preschool, these obligations no longer exist. Your preschool can also garner more profits in a non-franchise model than it will ever do with a franchise preschool in India.
Take the first step today — share your details and get complete guidance to launch your independent preschool in India.
1. What are the Preschool license requirements in India?
Preschool license requirements in India include a trade license, business registration, fire safety clearance, and building NOC. Some states, like Karnataka, may have extra requirements like complying with educational department regulations .
2. Is preschool business profitable in India ?
Yes, due to the rising demand for early education for children and relatively low operating costs of preschools, especially with non-franchise models, preschool can surely be called a profitable business.
3. How do I set a budget to start a preschool in India ?
A budget of ₹3–₹12 lakhs can start a good preschool which is profitable in India (especially with TeenyBeans), including setup and curriculum.
4. What is the ideal location for opening a preschool?
Choose a safe, accessible residential area with accessible roads. Ensure it meets Preschool license requirements and safety norms.
5. What are the space and facility requirements for a preschool?
You need 800–1200 sq ft to start a preschool business which is profitable in India. Having child-safe furniture, clean restrooms, fire safety tools, and proper ventilation creates a proper facility.
6. What are the preschool staffing and teacher qualifications needed?
Hire trained teachers with proper teaching certification. Maintain a 1:10 teacher-child ratio for quality care.
7. How do I market my preschool to get admissions ?
To market your preschool, you can use local ads, open houses, and parenting groups. But nothing beats a strong web presence with a GMB page and strong social media marketing. Strong branding and word-of-mouth work best.
8. How does the admissions process work for preschools?
Parents can visit the school or their website where they can fill out a form, interact with the coordinator and teachers, understand the curriculum and confirm the fees. Keep it simple and organised.
