Children are the future. They need to be nurtured with the utmost of care. In today’s time where most households have working parents, young children require better facilities for their overall care and growth. She got the relevant experience and qualifications and decided to tap this potential in India.
Here’s the story of Jyoti Kumar, founder of Twinkling Star, an innovative child care centre.
How did the inspiration for this unique day care centre come about?
I spent years working in Child Care Centres in Australia. I gained valuable insight in the field, learnt about the processes and philosophies that were the basis of a successful and matured child care system in other developed countries. Due to my passion and love for children, deep understanding of a child's overall growth needs I was appreciated by the management and the parents.
A year after I returned to India I visualised and envisioned a role model child care centre in India. It was my dream to lead the way to provide high quality child care services to help working parents to attain peace of mind while their child is away from home.
Do you believe a special training / degree is required to manage children or teach children? Please elaborate.
Absolutely, yes. I myself have a Certification III in Child Care Services from Australia.
No one is allowed to work in a child care centre in Australia/ Europe unless he or she has the relevant recognised certification in Child Care Services. Child Care staff must be equipped with necessary knowledge, skills and education about children's growth cycle, child psychology, age and stage specific behaviour pattern, ways to develop different skills and taking care of self esteem of each child. It is essential to have a specialist training in child care services, preferably a one-year course leading to certification in Child Care Services. Such certification courses prepare a potential child caretaker to deliver high quality services that is required in this country.
I have a degree in nursery teaching. I have taught kindergarten and junior classes in schools in Noida till 2008. Thereafter I worked in child care centres for about 4 years in Australia, and I have an Australian Government Approved certificate III in child care services. Since the past one year I have been running my own child care centre in Noida called Twinkling Star.
What are the top three things that lack in kindergarten care and education in India today?
There are examples of some good Kindergartens and child care centres. But these are very few in number. And they are good because they are run by professionals or entrepreneurs who are matured, honest and have passion to provide quality education to the children of this country.
In general, three top things lacking in our education system are:
1) Transparency
2) Quality consciousness,
3) Shortage of quality educators. Bright and sharp people do not join schools/child care centres due to poor salary remuneration and career growth,
What advice would you give parents of children who are just about to start school?
To admit their children in schools where the school management and staff are sincere towards providing quality education and understand the needs of each child's overall growth.
What are the short term plans for Twinkling Star?
-Establish quality child care services where both, the child and the parents are happy,
-Become a role model in child care
-Have a plan ready for growth; have multiple centres in different localities so that larger cross sections of families are benefited with quality services
Words of advice for fellow SHEROES?
-Growth is life and growth is energy. Have a road map for growth.
-Focus on quality of services and be innovative.
-Sustain quality to build trust and confidence
-Continue to be brave and courageous to lead