Becoming a new parent is hard. You’re expected to jump right back into work, full of its strict schedules and dedicated lunchtimes. Getting out of the office early can be near impossible, and finding the right place to care for your child while you’re busy can be nerve wracking.
Before you start making your rounds to see what works for you and the little VIP in your life, we thought we’d help by rounding up some daycare and crèche services to help you make your choice.
A model of ‘parents as partners’ for learning and sharing tips, they operate on the assumption that both parents and teachers simply want what’s best for the child. The daycare schedule is shared online here, and end-of-day notes are shared daily with parents.
Send your own snacks, but know that the teachers are Whatsapp-friendly and happy to chat about what’s going on with your kid{s} through the day.
A tried and tested teaching system, passed down over a hundred years and now handled by franchise partners.
A system of education where curiosity is a good thing, and is used as a trigger for learning cognitive and motor skills. It follows an international school model, with an emphasis on open, green spaces.
Where: Orchid Petals, Sector 49, Sohna Road. Find out about the other locations here.
Contact: +91 9650566556
Admission Age: One year onwards
Timings: 8.30am – 6pm, all working days
Find out more here
With a new location in DLF Phase IV, Footprints is spreading across Gurgaon and Noida. They offer a variety of services including daycare, pre-school and after school care.
A small but good set-up that also acts as a kindergarten. The basics are done right and the staff is like family.
Air-conditioned facilities, including transport, home-made fresh meals and baby feed options. They are also associated with an after-school activity centre from 2pm – 8pm, where kids can be engaged {or distracted} with a range of activities.
Where: C-2 Block, Palam Vihar
Contact: 0124 4238423, +91 8802173370
Admission Age: 18 months onwards
Timings: 8am – 8pm
Find out more here
Run by two ladies, this creche provides home-cooked meals, and a ‘meet me’ programme for parents who may get anxious during the day. A unique settling-in programme called ‘under the wings’ means they only take in one new child in any given week, so that the staff can focus on the needs of the newest kid on the block.
Rather than a cluttered schedule or an overly rigid structure, they want children to flourish, without pushing them into anything. They provide meals, but parents will need to provide formula and diapers. Includes pre-school and after school programmes.
A holistic system of learning, started by an international corporate professional who was unhappy with the quality of care and education his kids had access to when they were younger, you can expect every step of your child’s day to be constructed thoughtfully.
A nationwide chain, they have a proprietary program called iLLUME, which is India’s only university-verified pre-school curriculum.
A good mix of traditional and modern methods of learning. The Cradle facility has a 1:1 ratio of children to adults, and recognises unique patterns of eating, sleeping and playing. They also provide the option of nanny services on off days.
Admission Age: Cradle & Tots programmws, three months – 2.5 years; programmes vary for kids up to 10 years
Based on the principles of the Theory of Multiple Intelligence, they recognise that each child is good at his/her own thing, so milestones remain flexible. School runs till 12 noon, and is followed by varying activities for children of all ages.
Admission Age: Six months onwards
Timings: Vary from centre to centre
With a good understanding of the pressures that nuclear working families go through, they even provide an emergency back up hourly/weekly arrangement for unavoidable work pressure commitments, and plenty of reasons to learn/celebrate during the week.
Admission Age: 12 months onwards
A well-maintained home-like environment, run by a team that believes children should not be shuffled from one activity to the other. It is influenced by the teaching principles of Shri Aurobindo, and they put care before education. The programme for six months to 1 year old children maintains a 1:1 ratio of kids to mentors.
Admission Age: 4 – 6 months onwards
Timings: 8am – 8pm; you can also discuss timings that suit you
