INTRODUCTION OF PRESCHOOLS IN DELHI

The introduction of preschools in Delhi initially didn’t draw a very positive response from most families. However, with the passage of time and changing lifestyle demands, more parents are beginning to realise the many advantages of preschooling their children.

Parents have realised the fact that preschool plays a major role in formal academic progress.

Besides the young/new parents are being heavily influenced by the recommendations of their colleagues and neighbours who have made some irrefutable conclusions like:
• Children who attend good preschools have better language, vocabulary, cognitive and social skills.
• Such children show bigger attention spans and social adaptability.
• Preschoolers are better equipped for elementary school.

Introduction of preschools in Delhi has also helped the parents in many regards. Many of these advantages include,
• Faced with busy lifestyles, it is always helpful for parents that a young child spends a few hours outside the home in a safe and learning environment.
• The cost of living has increased substantially over the past few years. More and more Delhi-based families need both the parents to work, to make ends meet. In such a scenario, preschools offer a good way to provide professional and secure care for their child when the parents aren’t home.
• The presence of a good preschool ensures that the child\’s learning and development at an early age would be taken care of. Thus, the parent’s concern of providing an equally enriching environment at home is taken care of.
• Pre-schooling eventually translates into the child being better prepared for formal education in elementary/senior secondary schools. Thus, the scope of separation pangs and the parental guilt related to it is decreased.
• The parents have benefited from the parent-teacher interaction that is a part of a preschool curriculum. This gives them the chance to be better parents as the school provides important inputs on issues like:

• Disciplining the child.
• Helping the child with homework.
• Developing positive behaviour at home.
• Helping children with anxiety etc.
• Identifying psychological issues being faced by the child.

However, the introduction of preschools in Delhi has also raised a few problems for the parents. Some of the commonly-encountered problems are —
• Choosing an appropriate preschool in the wake of so much competition.
• Evaluating the teachers and the preschool’s effectiveness.
• Maintaining an effective communication with the teachers of a preschool.
• Parents are faced with increased school fees among the prestigious preschools in Delhi.