Having a Teaching Qualification is definitely a great start to opening a Pre-School. It gives a person an idea of how to go ahead inside the classroom. However, opening up a pre-school has a lot to do with other major areas outside the classroom. There are major concerns to be dealt with which starts with first having a solid BUSINESS PLAN. Some points to consider here are :-
- How many children will the school cater to?
- Business Mode: Daycare, preschool, playschool with afterschool activities, crèche etc
- How many teaching, Admin and Support staff needs to be hired?
- Funds required for renting, leasing, vehicles, salaries, equipment etc.
- Location and space
- Infrastructure
- The indoor and outdoor area
- If the business will be full time or part-time
While opening up a Pre-School, one needs to know and understand the State Laws governing the same and the REGISTRATION AND LICENSES required. Therefore, prior to starting a preschool or school, it is important for the Promoters to know about the State Education Act and what kind of registration would be required.
Arranging for FUNDS to open the pre-school is crucial. Getting loans from the Bank is the most obvious choice. One can approach the Bank for funds for the school building, furniture, equipment etc. but Banks cannot fund operational expenditure such as staff salary, maintenance, rental, utility bill, etc. Therefore it is important that these expense for which the Bank would not grant any loans, be calculated and kept aside for one whole year. The Loan return period also needs to be taken into account and also if the Bank requires any collateral against the loan given. These considerations are extremely vital in your business plan.
LOCATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE is something which needs to be given a lot of time and attention – which would be the best location for your pre-school? what kind of infrastructure are you planning? When it comes to infrastructure, it is important to keep in mind that what kind of pre-school are you thinking of – Montessori Method, Waldorf, Kindergarten or just a Nursery? Each of these methodologies requires different classroom setup and equipment. Also if the infrastructure is a rental one then how long should be the contract.
HIRING AND RECRUITMENT OF STAFF is a careful consideration – neither should the school be overburdened, nor should it be understaffed. What kind of qualifications are you looking at for in teachers and if there are any plans for keeping part timers apart from full time teachers. Salary of the staff would be based on their qualification and experience. Recruitment has to be divided into teaching staff, admin and support staff.
Apart from all the major concerns covered above, there are further factors that need to be considered:-
- Content and Curriculum
- Facilitators (Teachers) Training & Orientation
- Teaching Aids
- Competitors Analysis & Data
- Commercial Training & Counselling Tips
- Branding & Positioning
- Providing Operational Inputs & Product Up-gradation
- ERP for managing day to day operations of the school
- Guidelines -Traffic Building, Marketing and Promotional Material
- Required guidelines & assistance in maintaining Hygiene & Safety
- Nutritional Inputs
- Continuous Value Addition
