The Evolving Landscape of Early Education

Early childhood education is evolving to focus on all aspects of a child's development—academic, emotional, and social. With trends like STEAM learning, socio-emotional growth, and tech integration, schools are adapting to meet the changing needs of young learners.

In a conversation with The Hans India, Mr. Ajay Gupta, Founder & CEO of Bachpan Play School, shares insights on how these trends are shaping the future of education and how schools are incorporating them to support holistic development in children.

1. What are some of the recent trends in early childhood education, and how is Bachpan Play School adapting to them?

In line with the NEP 2020 guidelines and other such relevant frameworks, trends such as STEAM for early years, socio-emotional learning (SEL), technology integration, a greater focus on holistic development, personalised education, and parental involvement have started to shape early childhood education (ECE) in India to facilitate children’s all-round growth for life and success.

As we have always stayed committed to staying ahead of time and keeping children’s best interests at heart, adaptability is a norm rather than an exception at Bachpan Play School. The introduction of our SPROUT Curriculum is one of the major steps in this regard. Backed by 35,000+ hours of dedicated research and development, SPROUT’s 7-layer support system integrates all these trends and much more for students.

2. What new developments are anticipated in early childhood education for 2025?

As we can see, in the coming year, early childhood education will witness a surge in technology integration, and the significance of personalised learning will increase manifold through AI-driven educational tools. However, though technology, digitalisation, and artificial intelligence define the century we live in, parents also want to instil core values such as compassion, empathy, and integrity in children. This requires inclusive learning environments where diversity is not only celebrated but even encouraged. In this respect, the concept of multiple intelligences is also crucial, which includes not only social (interpersonal) and emotional (intrapersonal) intelligence but also naturalistic intelligence.

3. How does Bachpan Play School engage with parents to keep them informed and involved in these evolving educational practices?

When it comes to parental involvement and engagement, our SPROUT Curriculum plays a prominent role. With SILK (SPROUT Integrated Learning Kit) as one of its key layers in the 7-layer support system, we offer a comprehensive suite of 20+ well-researched DIY activities at each level, which connects the classroom with home learning and encourages parents to be the driving force with meticulous instructional guides.

For a child, parents mean the world, and we at Bachpan Play School strive to do our best to offer them regular opportunities to connect with each other and strengthen their precious bond. We also host numerous workshops, seminars, events, and parent-teacher meetings (PTMs) to keep parents not only informed but also involved in evolving education practices.

4. With over 1200 branches nationwide and plans for global expansion, how has the Bachpan franchise model contributed to this rapid growth, and what criteria do you look for in potential franchisees?

Bachpan’s FOFO model has been a major component in our rapid growth and success. Since we were clear from the very beginning that we did not want to open just one school and cater to students in just one region, the FOFO model fostered our expansion as the “Education Services Provider” we endeavoured to be. Combined with our advanced approaches to quality education, it enabled us to reach lakhs of parents and students in hundreds of cities within a short period. If it hadn’t been for our dedicated franchise network that believed in our vision and mission, establishing 1200+ branches nationwide and aiming at global expansion would certainly have been a dream.

Having said that, we look for a true passion in our potential franchise partners for working with children. After we identify the ideal match, our extensive support network ensures they have all they need to succeed. From setup to recruitment, training, marketing, inauguration, and day-to-day operations, we support our franchise partners every step of the way.

5. In what ways is technology integrated into the learning process at Bachpan Play School, and how do you ensure consistency in educational quality across different franchise locations?

As mentioned earlier, adaptability is not only an exception but a norm at Bachpan Play School. Since adapting to technology is the need of the hour, every section of our team, from our tech-proficient arm Prismart to the R&D department, comes together to collaborate and create a tech-led learning ecosystem that prepares students for the future they have to navigate in this century.

Our Robotime-Kit sessions (which inculcate age-appropriate STEM skills in children through the fundamentals of Robotics), Smart Classes (which activate student engagement), Speak-O-Kit (which acts as a passive learning tool for students through Speaking Books and a Speaking Pen), and the 360° Support App (which provides students with 500+ hours of digital educational content) are the highlights of our effective collaboration.