HYDERABAD: Come July, parents of children aged between 3 and 6 years heave a sigh of relief, having successfully crossed the pre-primary admission interview hurdles. As the classes for the little ones proceed at a brisk pace at most pre-primary schools, a group of parents working in CA Technologies hardly seem perturbed by this thorny issue of nursery admissions. The reason is the Child Development Centre (CDC) that includes a Montessori and day care centre for the children of employees, which is located in the office premises. Recently, at the sprawling CA campus in Gachibowli, the mood is celebratory. The Centre completes two-years and Sunil Sankar VP Area HR business partner and Srinivas Vedula, Total Rewards Director are elated.
“Along with flexible timings and a trained faculty to educate the children to be self-reliant, parents also get the benefit of having their children close at hand in the campus so that they check in on them at any point of time,” points out Sunil Sankar. Srinivas Vedula shares how children at the centre are exposed to international customs and cuisine. “They get to know all cultures and learn to manage their life. They learn the basic etiquette; and how to organise the dining table or eating one’s food using a fork, spoon and knife.”
When we drop in at the centre on a breezy afternoon, we find a group of children playing in the activity zone while their friends enjoy the nap time. “Children choose their work independently,’ states Child Development Centre manager Lakhbir Kaur Deol and adds, “We focus on languages with Telugu and English and also music. Nothing feels complete without music in the environment.” With an opportunity to discover new concepts, the little ones learn to be independent and be a step ahead of their friends in regular schools.
Is there a risk that the children will spend long hours at the Centre like their parents do at office?
“The timings are flexible and the Centre hardly feels like a school. Montessori is the only programme that supports academics along with life skills. Children study only indirectly and most of the time it feels like they are having fun,” she shares. With 50 children in different age groups, the boys and girls get ample time to learn, play, discover and explore. “Montessori supports language development where English and a regional language is given importance. The concept of mathematics and numbers is not taught in a mundane way but made interesting,” Graduation certificates are also given to three-year-olds when they complete one year.
Lakhbir explains that when a child turns five, the Centre prepares them for the transition to a regular school. “When the child is six years old, it leaves the centre to join a regular school with CBSE or ICSE syllabus. A child at the centre is not used to a classroom or a teacher writing on a black board. So we prepare them so that they are not overwhelmed with the scenario outside.”
As we get ready to leave, Kirti Chadha, an employee comes to pick up his two-year-old daughter Mayra. “When I was a kid I was very choosy. My daughter wants to eat on her own and knows her food too,” he says and adds, “Sometimes she says a poem, we don’t understand but we know that she is joining new words. Her first school is fun and the best part is that the school is in office.”
