“Teach the children so it will not be necessary to teach the adults” – Abraham Lincoln
When you’re holding your tiny little bundle of happiness in your arms, you can only think about one thing – how much you love her. As the months pass, you revel in your new role as a parent, and learn more about your baby and about yourself. But it’s not just you; your little one is also learning, a little bit every single day. That’s how kids are – they are naturally predisposed to learning about the world around them, and not by poring over thick books!
Children are born curious, something you can notice in the way an infant’s eyes move about the room and the way she reaches out for a toy. They ask questions and want to know how things work. Encouraging this questioning spirit and helping them find answers in a wholesome environment is critical during a child’s early years, since this forms the foundation of how she approaches learning throughout the rest of her life.
Why Early Learning is so Important
During a child’s early years, nearly 700 new neural connections are formed every single second. 90% of a child’s brain development is complete in the first 2000 days after birth. This is the age when the brain is the most ‘flexible’, being able to absorb a wide range of experiences. This means that it’s much easier to alter the design of a baby’s brain than of an adult.
While exposing babies and young children to a variety of experiences, it is also important to ensure that these are all positive. Negative stress can adversely affect the architecture of the brain. On the other hand, good human interaction, a happy environment and pleasant stimulation can encourage better cognitive and socio-emotional development.
We can think of one place that provides all these – good interaction, a happy atmosphere and lots of learning possibilities – a playschool! And while there are many playschools sprouting up overnight, not all of them are fine tuned to the exact needs of a child of this age and stage. An ideal playschool is one that has trained and qualified staff that can make the most of this magical stage in a child’s life, and we think Oi Playschools fits the bill perfectly!
Oi Playschools – Let your Child Experience Real Learning
Oi Playschools is a chain of playschools launched in December 2010, as part of the group of Oakridge International Schools. While initially, they had just one school in Hyderabad, today Oi Playschools are present at multiple locations, winning itself the title of being the ‘Fastest Growing Playschool Chain in India’.
Oi Playschools are based on the philosophy that ‘brains are built, not born’. They believe that the brain’s wiring formed during the early years sets the stage for a strong or weak foundation for future learning. This is why Oi Playschools caters to the needs of kids at the most critical age of their lives, from 6 months to 12 years. They offer different programs that are specific to each age group:
- Baby bloom (6 – 18 months)
- Toddler (1.5 – 2.5 yrs)
- Nursery (2.5 – 3.5 yrs)
- PP1 (3.5 – 4.5 yrs)
- PP2 & (4.5 – 5.5 yrs)
- Beyond The Bell (2 – 12 yrs)
The Sparkz Curriculum
At the heart of Oi Playschools’ learning philosophy is Sparkz, a curriculum that’s internally developed by their expert team. The curriculum focuses on experiential learning where children partake in activities rather than merely reading about them. So when learning about farm animals, they don’t just teach the names of different animals; they have a farm party! The intention is to create a love for learning in the child’s mind, so she always thinks of learning in a positive light, like something to be enjoyed.
Oi ensures to strengthen skills like learning, understanding, writing, problem solving, reasoning, communicating and other life skills. The SPARKZ curriculum can be visualized as the center where the child is standing. The eight spokes of the inner wheel are the learning outcomes and the 4 spokes in the outer ring are the facilitators – Infrastructure, Technology, Teachers and Parent Partnership. Together, these contribute to the 8 major learning outcomes; Musical perception, Earth Science, Visual Arts, Life Skills, Numeracy Skills, Literacy Skills, Assessment and Value Education.
And it’s not just the kids whose learning is focused upon, the teachers have an education system too! At Oi Playschools, teachers are required to stay up to date on current trends, for which they are provided with appropriate training programs and workshops.
The Best Facilities
Of course, when we are sending infants and young children to playschool, health and safety are considerations that are of the utmost priority. All centers are equipped with CCTV surveillance 24×7 and security guards during the day and night. No outsiders are allowed in and children aren’t permitted out without their parents. They also have a fire management system and all staff members are trained in first aid. All play areas are child proofed, with safety gates and caps on electrical outlets.
The kids’ hands are sanitized every morning before class, and are continuously monitored for any sign of illness. All toys and materials are sanitized and disinfected regularly, even the sand in the play area!All helpers are asked to wash their hands before dealing with the children.
A healthy 1:8 adult to child ratio ensures that each child is well looked after. The children are always supervised, especially in the outside play areas which are locked with secure gates. All the playground equipment is age appropriate, high quality and kid-tested.
Loved by Parents and Children Alike
Oi Playschools started out in Hyderabad and are now available in Bangalore as well, where all centers offer the same quality of education and standard of facilities. At every center, they encourage constant communication with all parents, so they are at ease when their precious little treasures are at school. The parents’ testimonials reflect the trust they have in Oi Playschools as they notice their children blossoming.
Oi Playschools doesn’t believe in resting on their laurels. They continuously innovate and develop new programs to make learning more fun. Even with regards to safety and hygiene, they are always are one step ahead to set new standards. So if you’re looking for the ideal playschool for the apple of your eye, you know where to head!