REVOLUTIONISING EARLY EDUCATION

With a large population of children aged below 6 years – 16.45 crore – the preschool segment in India is growing at a high CAGR of 20%. This is further driven by rising awareness of the importance of early childhood education. It is in this space that Aptech Montana International Preschool has created a niche for itself

A pioneer with three generations of experience globally, Aptech has presence across 40+ countries and have trained 6.8 million children. The educational behemoth entered in preschool segment by acquiring Montana in 2016 to form Aptech Montana International Preschool. “The objective was to combat emerging markets’ ‘early years’ learning crisis by providing an environment which fosters all-round physical and cognitive development of a child in a safe and nurturing environment,” says Bhavika Chouhan, Business Head, Aptech Montana International Preschool.

Aptech Montana International Preschool specialises in providing a safe, caring and comfortable environment for children. In addition to preschool, the brand offers facilities including Day-Care, Toddler Time and Activity Centre.

To build parental trust, the brand has launched a smart app that keeps parents and children connected, even during school hours. In addition, the preschool employs all-women staff to ensure children have a mother figure around. The teaching faculty of its preschools is given rigorous training across all fronts of childhood development, including academics, behavioural development and specialized programs.

FRANCHISE STRATEGY

Aptech Montana International Preschool has mastered an asset light franchise model. A franchise preschool of the brand requires an investment of Rs 15 lakhs onward and a minimum area of 2,000 sq. feet, with some outdoor space. The monthly expenditure of the preschool varies from city to city as rent is the major component of operational expenses and usually works out to Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.25 lakhs. The average fee of a student lies between Rs 45,000-50,000 and it would take a franchise school just 45-50 students to achieve breakeven. The brand offers its franchisees end-to-end support starting from site allocation to training and hiring the staff and sales team. It also provides manuals, IT and administrative systems for running the preschool, and has a continuous monitoring system to ensure quality.

EXPANSION PLANS

The brand currently has 62 preschools in 30+ cities in India and has plans to add 70-80 more pre-schools in the coming year.

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