Preschools That Were Active and Could Successfully Engage Children in 2020 Will Have an Exceptional Year in 2021: Preeti Tyagi

ASMA’s Education Leadership Conclave concluded on 11^th December 2020. The highlight of the 3-month long virtual series was the ‘India’s Top 20 Women Leaders in Education 2020’ event and award which was held on 27th November 2020, under the theme ‘The Trailblazing Women Leaders in Indian Education’.

The pioneering virtual event and award ceremony celebrated the success stories, contributions and achievements of women leaders in the field of education.

We speak to Preeti Tyagi, Founder & Director, WOWkids Preschool Chain, who was bestowed with the ‘Outstanding Early Childhood Education Leader 2020’ award as she tells us more about winning the award, leading her institution through the pandemic, the NEP and the future outlook of the pre-school sector.

Edited excerpts:

Congratulations on winning the ASMA ‘India’s Top 20 Women Leaders in Education 2020- Outstanding Early Childhood Education Leader 2020′ award. Could you please share your thoughts on winning the award?

I am happy and honoured to accept this on behalf of my entire team. Such acknowledgement encourages you to be consistent and innovative. Thank you to ASMA for such an amazing initiative!

How has WOWkids leveraged technology to navigate the challenges of the pandemic?

WOWkids made the most of technology to ensure children don’t miss meeting their friends and teacher every day and be physically and mentally active throughout our LIVE connect. And it worked extremely well, as today even after 7-8 months of Virtual Connect, our children look forward to meeting us each morning.

We used technology to keep the social connect alive. Our focus throughout was to keep children physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially engaged and active.

How do you think NEP 2020 will impact the Early Childhood Education sector?

The NEP 2020 seems very positive, ambitious and exciting, especially for the Early Childhood sector, since now it has been included in the Formal Early Years of School. The success of the NEP will entirely depend on a successful rollout pan-India without any change. If done, it will ensure that children in our country will become more innovative, creative thinkers, empathetic and focus on learning and not rote learning.

How have you remedied the challenge of low admission rates during the pandemic?

The pandemic has severely impacted the entire preschool industry, however, we are very proud and happy to say that the parents who were with WOWkids prior to March 2020, kept their trust in us and gave us the opportunity to go ahead with virtual learning and though the count was less than the usual, we managed well.

We suggested new parents experience the Virtual Connect for a week and then decide, and that also helped.

What do you think the outlook for pre-schools would be like in the coming year?

For preschools that were active and could successfully engage children going the extra mile, in 2020 will have an amazing successful exceptional year in 2021. Preschools that could not operate due to the financial constraints will have to work harder and if they put in that effort, they will shine in the coming years.