Have you ever wanted to become an edupreneur?
Is it your dream to provide high-quality early education to children?
Do you wish to start your very own preschool, but don’t know where to begin?
Then look no further!
Because we’ve got the perfect checklist which will take you one step towards starting your very own successful preschool!
It covers everything — from creating a business plan and completing the legalities of starting a preschool business in India, to picking the right preschool name.
RELATED: How To Make A Preschool Business Plan >>
The preschool industry is a booming one with a promising investment opportunity — if done right.
And with roughly 16% of the total Indian population consisting of children between the ages 0-6, there is a rising demand and importance of education for children who belong to this age group.
But, the pressing question remains.
How do you actually start one?
In fact, where do you even begin?
Let’s head straight to it!

Here are the steps on how to start a preschool business in India:

1. BUSINESS PLAN:

For setting up a playschool, first and foremost, a business plan must be prepared to take into consideration all important issues and challenges.
This will serve as a blueprint for guiding a further course of action required to start your own playschool in India.

Here’s what you need to cover:

• Why do you want to start your own playschool?
• What is your mission statement?
• What is your vision statement?
• What will be your setup costs?
• Your marketing plans, organisational plans, staffing, operations, and budgets.
• What your capital investment should be.
• How much will you need for renting, leasing, vehicles, and salaries?
• Are you using your own money or will you seek out for a small business loan?
• Whether it is full-time or part-time?
• How many children with the facility cater?
• What will be registration process?
• How many admins, teaching staff and support staff, will you need?
• The location and space infrastructure details.

Once you are clear with this, you will have a clearer picture of what to focus on.

2. NAME YOUR PRESCHOOL:

Naming your preschool is the next step you’ll have to take.
The name of your playschool holds a lot of significance. It must depict the purpose of beginning this preschool.
And don’t forget – the name has to be original. Copying others’ names is unethical and illegal.

3. ENTITY FORMATION:

You have to now decide the type of organisation your entity/preschool will be.

• You can choose to be a franchise institution wherein the organisation has to enter into a contract with the main or parent organisation and has to follow the terms and conditions of the parent organisation.
• Otherwise, you can choose to set up your own institution, wherein you can set it up as a partnership or a company.
  
  And if you decide to run the preschool using a residential space (yes, it’s possible to set up your own playschool at home) then the permission has to be taken from the cooperative housing society.
• Or, you can choose to be profit organisation. So, if the playschool is a profit-making organisation, it is more suitable to incorporate it into a private limited company or L.L.P (limited liability partnership).

Or you can also decide to run the playschool as a non-profit organisation. If the playschool is a non-profit organisation then it can be Company or a trust registered under The Companies Act 2013 Sec. 8.

4. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS:

Prior to starting a preschool, it is important to know about the State Education Act to obtain relevant registrations. There is no specific legislation or certification for setting up a preschool In India.
However, laws like the Private School Education Act enacted by the State Government need to be considered.
Moreover, to set up a playschool in an independent premise, the formalities related the Municipal Corporation and education department of the city where the playschool is being set up needs to be completed. And not to forget, the respective application and registration fee has to be paid.
A few other areas where you will have to look into with regard to the legal aspect of forming a playschool are:

• Complying labour laws – That is if the employees are more than 20 then provident fund payments are to be done. Minimum wages as per the state has to be paid. If you have more than 20 employees then 1-month bonus has to be paid as per Payment of Bonus Act 1965.

• Service tax applicability – Playschool is included in the negative list as per Sec. 66D of Finance Act, 1994. So it is not applicable on preschool to register under the Service Tax Registration in India.

5. FIX A LOCATION:

The next step to starting your own school is to find a suitable location to set up the preschool business. Here are some points to keep in mind:

• It should be located in a child-friendly area.
• The location chosen should have adequate space to set up the preschool in an orderly manner.
• The location chosen should be well-maintained and not possess any health risks.
• The land should be registered, either rented or it can be your own property.
• It is necessary to check out the city’s zoning laws and preschool licensing guidelines when you’re choosing your location to make sure that your location is compliant to said rules and regulations to avoid any problems in the future.

The location must be calm, full of greens, away from the hustle and bustle of commercial areas.

6. PREPARE YOUR FACILITY:

Once the location is ready you can start working on the infrastructure. Turn it into a safe clean, comfortable and inviting place for both parents and children.
A preschool should consist of well-ventilated classrooms, library, playground, furniture, teacher supplies, and safety equipment like a fire extinguisher, disaster supplies, smoke detectors, locked medicine cabinets, etc.
The furniture you choose must be child-size tables and chairs which don’t have sharp edges and are child-friendly.
In fact, everything in that facility should be child-friendly and must not cause harm to the child in any manner.

RELATED: How to childproof your preschool classroom >

7. HIRE STAFF:

The next step after your facility is ready, is to hire members of staff. A preschool or playschool is only as good as its teachers, so it very important to hire staff members very carefully.
Firstly, you will have to figure out how many members of staff you’ll need. Seeking staff members who understand your program’s philosophy, mission and vision are important.
Consider hiring staff that surpasses the minimum qualifications or are willing to undergo further training and earns the credential required.
Secondly, you will have to verify the licensing requirements for staff ratios and teacher’s educational backgrounds.
Verify your teachers’ educational backgrounds and references. Conduct criminal background checks because preschool staff members are subject to criminal background checks and fingerprinting.
In addition to hiring teachers, you might also consider hiring staff to help with everything from administration and housekeeping to cooking and transportation.

Make sure that the Board of Directors and the administrative staff consist of well-qualified professionals who have an aptitude to work for small children. Teachers that you hire should have the zeal to work for the noble profession of teaching.

8. PREPARE YOUR CURRICULUM:

As the adage goes ‘quality sells itself’.

A well-prepared curriculum is a crucial part of starting a qualitative preschool. Whether you adopt an existing pedagogy or create your own written framework, provide a learning environment that starts children down a road toward academic success and enhances their skills and knowledge.
The government of India is also coming up with curricular laws, making it mandatory for preschools to have a proper and good curriculum.

PRO TIP: If you want a complete preschool solution for all your preschool needs, take a look at FlintoClass. FlintoClass is a preschool system that takes care of everything you need to run a profitable and world-class preschool. From an award-winning curriculum and daily lesson plans to high-quality teacher training resources, FlintoClass is a one-stop solution. For more information on FlintoClass, click here >

Conclusion:

Now, you know everything needed to start your own preschool in India. You can use these steps as a basic guideline and build the preschool of your dreams. So, get started!

Missed a point? Just drop a comment below and let us know what you feel is the #1 task before starting a preschool!