Milkyway Preschool

Kids Age proudly announces

MILKYWAY PRESCHOOL

as the winner of the

TOP 100 PRESCHOOL AWARDS 2022-23 – STATE & NATIONAL

best practices and maintaining the highest standards while imparting knowledge.

Milkyway Preschool is a dream come true. It is the result of a decade of research and hard work. The idea for a place that can provide preschoolers with holistic development was perhaps sown silently perhaps in the 1990s when I was a teacher in one of the schools in the lap of the majestic Himalayas.

You can have an idea of that journey at https://medium.com/@indraniadhikary14/the-guiding-lighta-journey-of-transformation-and-hope-f592c932a6ec.

Challenges:
The idea finally took root in 2004, when my daughter faced some challenges in writing in preschool. When the school authority called me to say that my 2-year-old child is not writing as expected, I was bewildered. I realized that maybe I was not even going to school at that age and here I am expecting the child to write without knowing whether she is ready for it. I started looking for materials and books on child psychology to understand the development of children at different ages. I went back to the preschool and asked them not to make her write until I ask them to. I told them that I will prepare her for writing in my own way. The teachers were shocked but complied with my demands. I understood that a single teacher handling around 25 children must be exhausted and having to worry about one less must be a welcome break. This incident seriously got me thinking about the traditional method of education. I realized that the current method of education was flawed on many levels.

The approach:
I started researching the various modes and approaches of teaching a child. Though she was enrolled in the preschool, but I started using these approaches while I was with her. Soon I saw a marked development in her. Learning was not happening at a specified hour but it became a continuous process. Trying to count the no. of red cars in the parking lot of a shopping complex to allow her to choose the shoes according to her comfort and liking, all turned out to be valuable experiences that she retained almost naturally.

The Effect:
As my daughter grew, she became capable of taking responsibility for her own work whether at school or other. When my son was born, I was quite experienced and got him enrolled in preschool for making friends and developing social skills. For other domains, I followed what I had done previously. I didn’t worry about his performance at school. I didn’t have to, as with my daughter, he also became responsible and much loved by the teachers of his school.

The journey Begins:
This gave me the idea of starting a preschool where the children can laugh, play and grow, where learning is not a burden but an adventure, an exploration, and an experience. I along with my husband searched for learning materials and took Montessori material from India’s leading Montessori manufacturing company. 

They also trained us on how to use the materials. But we did not simply follow the Montessori method. We developed our own curriculum, which will not only give priority to individual development but also allow the child to interact with each other and work in a team. We made sure that the development occurred in 5 domains such as cognitive, creative, physical, social, and language. Each domain is given equal priority. We also have a regular awareness program for parents so that the task of parenting can be a little more relaxing. We make the parents understand that each child is unique and should not be compared to others.

The Incubator of innovative minds:
Our children and parents both have benefitted highly from this approach to teaching-learning. We do not have teachers but rather trained facilitators who facilitate the children in their exploration journey. We have created a controlled environment in the so-called classroom that is child friendly with ageappropriate apparatus kept in full view of the child. There is no duplicate for any material. This allows the child a choice to select the apparatus which they want to work with and as well wait till the other child finishes working with the apparatus before s/he can use it. This helps the children to learn to take decisions as well as to respect the other child’s space. The child learns to wait for a turn. The children learn to cooperate within themselves and at some time we find them collaborating with each other and using the materials in a very innovative way. After school hours, it becomes difficult for the parents to take their children as the children refuse to go home. They enjoy being on campus. It is wonderful to see the children laugh, play and learn in a collaborative way. I consider Milkyway Preschool as just the beginning of the journey. I still have lots of plans and a long way to go. It is a joy
to be with these innocent children for whom anything is possible. They do not yet have a restrained mind and are not afraid to challenge themselves. They know that if they fail there are facilitators to hold their hands. They have taught me to accept problems and solve them, as nothing is impossible. Milkyway Preschool is not just another preschool but it is an incubator of inquisitive and innovative minds.

The Recognitions:
We have already received many awards and accolades at the national and international levels. Our teaching method has been considered as one of the best and most innovative methods. We have received the following awards:
◆ Aks Education Awards 2017 – Top 100 Preschools In India
◆ International School Awards, Dubai, 2018 – Best Preschool of The Year
◆ National Education Leadership Awards, 2018 – Best innovative Preschool In India
◆ National Education Achievement Awards, 2021 – Best Preschool In Eastern India

We are really proud that our teaching method has been recognized over and over again. But as I have already mentioned this is just the beginning of the journey and we still have a long way to go.

Ms Indrani Adhikary – Principal

Milkyway Preschool