We know how complex choosing a right pre-school environment can be and we are here to assist you as you consider your options. We’ve compiled a list of questions we regularly receive about the admissions process in general. Please explore the FAQ’s below and get in touch with us for any further elucidations.
FAQ’s by Parents
Find out more about Discover First Step
DFS OPERATIONS
| Program Name | Days | Timings |
| Pre-School & Kindergarten | Monday to Friday | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| Day Care Activity | Monday to Friday | 8:30 am to 6:30 pm |
| After School Activities | Monday to Friday Saturday |
1:00 pm to 6:30 pm 9:00 am to 6:30 pm |
We offer early starts and late closing times to facilitate the flexible working pattern of mums and dads so this shouldn’t really be a problem.
We do request that parents collect their children on time but we do understand that there are rare occasions when you may be running late.
We ask that parents contact the center directly and advise them so that we can ensure that your child will not be upset.
DFS caters to children aged between 6 months to 10 years.
As per the guidelines of CBSE birth date cutoff is 31st March for Nursery and KG respectively. That means students must be the age of their grade/age group by 31st March of the year they begin the program. Nursery students must turn 3 by 31st March; KG students must turn 4 by 31st March.
All parents are given daily feedback on their child’s day at crèche. We keep a diary & mobile updates for every child, what your child has eaten, how much they have slept and what activities they were engaged in are recorded daily.
We believe that the outdoor play area is a valuable learning environment for children and children go outside every day whatever the weather.
It is important for children’s health and well-being to enjoy outdoor play so we plan lots of sports and activities to develop children’s gross motor skill and hand eye co-ordination. We also plant lots of vegetables and herbs and the children love to watch them grow and then taste them!
Transportation is available at all the DFS centers, Please connect with center head for more details.
There is no mandatory homework assigned, but yes we do give homework as a part of parent child connect.
As per the guidelines of the Department of Education, no preschool can have a tie up with any formal school. In the history of DFS it has not happened yet that our children have not got selected anywhere. (add a link to Exmissions page)
All bedding is changed weekly and we will always ensure that your child’s linen is clean and fresh.
If your child has a temperature or becomes unwell at crèche, the center manager will call you and request that you either pick up your child or we will administer medication if parental permission has been given.
We will then complete regular observations, take your child’s temperature and will ensure that your child has plenty of fluids.
Tuition varies by center, program and schedule. To find more information about tuition, please walk in to our center and contact the center head.
Yes, DFS has an open door policy. You are encouraged to visit your child anytime, but only outside the classrooms to avoid disturbing other children. Further, a settlement period of 1 week is provided wherein parents can see through the activities of their children in the classrooms for 2 days.
At DFS we work together with parents over a settling in period of a few days to ensure that your child is happy and comfortable in their new surroundings.
During this period, as your child settles in and establishes a bond with us and gains confidence, we learn about your child’s daily routine, their mealtimes, sleeping patterns and all the other little things special to your child.
In our experience, it takes about 3-5 days to settle your child but every child is different so we always work with you to make this as smooth as possible for both you and your child. As per studies it takes 45 working days to settle a child in complete routine.
Yes, we provide nutritious meals each day. However it is optional and the parents can opt to send food. All meals are freshly prepared on the premises in our professional kitchens and our menus have been carefully devised by our associate dieticians.
We cater for vegetarian diets and any dietary or specific allergy requirements your child may have and all our dishes have a low salt and low sugar content. We use only fresh fruits and vegetables in all our dishes and we do not add any artificial flavourings or colouring to the food. (Add Food Link)
For babies and younger children, we provide separate meals in purée or chopped form and we work closely with parents when your child is weaning to provide a range of suitable foods.
To facilitate individual preferences and requirements, parents provide all their child’s bottles, ready made up.
Bottles are clearly labelled with your child’s name and stored in fridges until used.
We are open all year round. The only days in which we close are statutory holidays and Public Closures. Local authority Government directives are also taken into consideration. (Add holiday calendar Link)
Our oral therapy activities (Show & Tell) mentioned in planners from the beginning enhance the language skills and confidence levels of each and every child. Not only this, our planners are designed especially which focuses on dialects and include speech therapies.
Yes, DFS offers an extended day program until 6:30 pm, Monday-Friday. We also have a robust offering of after school activity classes and summer camps. (Events)
There is no demo procedure in DFS schools. As it takes lot of efforts for school teachers & staff to welcome a new child in to the family. It’s a complete 45 day cycle time to settle them.
ABOUT DFS CURRICULUM
Accreditation
Discover First Step runs in association with a registered trust; ANURA CHILD CARE FOUNDATION.
We prepare our children for life by imparting not only age-appropriate knowledge but also enhancing their talents and empowering them with life skills to ensure holistic development of the child. The below are the unique services that we provide to promote quality and reliable childcare, and to stand apart from other players.
- Live CCTV Streaming: CCTV access is provided to registered parents anytime via an online account. This ensures that only family members can watch the children in the facilities anytime and from any part of the world.
- Best Adult Child Ratio: DFS puts a lot of emphasis on the adult child ratio. We believe that appropriate attention and care must be given to children with respect to their ages. Smaller group sizes and lower staff/child ratios have been found to be strong predictors of compliance with indicators of quality such as positive interactions among staff and children and developmentally appropriate curriculum.
- Certified & Trained Staff: The teachers that we recruit are qualified with degrees and trained before embarking on the child care role.
- Dynamically Balanced Curriculum
Academic Mastery + Self & Social Intelligence + Creative Thinking - World Class Infrastructure:
2000 sq ft – 5000 sq ft area + Green Play Area + Olympics Arena
Gross Motor Infrastructure: Tree House + Trampoline Area + Occupational Therapy Area + Wall Climbing + Ninja Pit
The rooms are bright and airy with independent air conditioning units - Parent Support & Counselling Link
Our teaching and learning philosophy is based on Brain Development where the child learns through experiences in and around one’s learning space.
Children at DFS are groomed under the Quality Education System designed by the school’s Research & Development department. The team of professionals plans a scientific curriculum, design innovative, effective teaching methods, and explore and create new and better teaching aids. Committee of experts analyses and monitors each child’s individual learning and performance pattern.
Our curriculum is based on three major components:
LEFT BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
RIGHT BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
MOVEMENT ACTIVITY
We believe praise is the magic wand, which can do wonders to a child’s personality. Each child at DFS is encouraged and applauded by awarding appreciation certificates every month for a various skills like leadership, confidence, communication ability or talents like singing, dancing, creativity and for exhibiting attributes like love, care, obedience and so on.
Key Development areas DFS focuses on:
- Cognitive
- Fine Motor
- Gross Motor
- Sensory
- Communication
- Imagination
- Creative Arts
Yes, Mrs. Nalini Raghuvanshi and her team in-charge in HO centrally manage all the branches. Each branch has a representative Branch Head who is responsible for complete execution of lesson plans & activities.
Research shows that up to 50% of a child’s ability to learn develops by the age of 5. Proper preschool education ensures an environment for this growth to take place. According to the US Department of Education, preschool plays a large role in later academic success. Children in high quality preschools display better language, cognitive, and social skills than children who attended low quality programs. They have longer attention spans, stronger social abilities, and better language and math skills well into their elementary school careers, and are better performers in college as well as life.
Most experts call the child’s 2nd year the miracle year. He/she can demonstrate amazing physical skills, think logically, manage simple tasks independently, speak few words or short sentences & happily stay apart from you for longer periods, etc. It is NOW that he/she gets the right stimulations and starts responding. The RIGHT ENVIRONMENT helps in developing the child’s ability to learn, communicate, trust, love, and instills confidence and a positive self-esteem.
We believe in enabling our little First Steppers ‘Think Big’. Hence, each event of life is celebrated with magnificence so as to provide opportunities to the young children to perform before large audiences and give you moments of pride as parents. Our country is popular for its rich tradition and culture! The children who have their roots in such traditions are more grounded and have strong sense of family values. At DFS, we have a day specially set aside for grandparents. It’s the day for grandparents to dance, play games, have fun and relive their childhood. As a mark of respect and as a token of our love, each grandparent is given a special gift.
No. We have diaper changing facilities in every classroom and do not expect all children to be completely toilet trained. We are more than willing to work with the children (and parents) during this process. The school imparts toilet training by following a routine wherein a child is taken to the washroom when he reaches the school, before mealtime, after mealtime and when he is leaving in afternoon. Slowly and gradually the child falls into this pattern and starts informing the teachers and maids as and when he feels the urge.
Remember, don’t put any pressure on your child to get through toilet training faster than he or she is ready to. Let your child take their time and get used to this new process and he’ll move from one stage to the next at his own pace.
DFS will consider each situation very carefully with the most important question being: will the child flourish in our school and fit into the classroom environment?
For children in school with especial requirements, our Coordinator works with the family, the class teacher, and subject specialists to ensure your child is able to thrive.
DFS serves a broad range of students representing a variety of temperaments, skill levels and passions, whose parents understand and value DFS progressive philosophy. We meet a variety of learning styles by offering multi-modal methods of instruction and individualized expectations for each child. We are not a school that is able to accommodate all learning disabilities. Children requiring speech or physical therapy schedule their sessions outside of school hours. Our program is not designed to support children requiring a shadow teacher in the classroom. DFS does not use the Reading System programs for reading instruction.
ADMISSION
Visiting Hours
We invite all interested families to visit DFS for an admissions tour on Monday to Friday from 12:30 pm to 6:30 pm and on Saturdays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. You can also fill up the enquiry form and our admission team will get in touch with you.
For all steps of the admissions process please visit admission link. Please contact the admissions office directly at the respective center.
No, DFS does not require standardized testing. We know a single standardized test score for a young child cannot accurately reflect and assess the intellectual strengths, curiosities and habits of mind that lead to academic success.
No letters of recommendation for parents are considered in the decision process.
DFS MANPOWER
Experienced and loving teachers are our biggest strength. The quality of teachers (child development professionals) is not compromised, for the three important pillars in a young child’s life at this stage are the father, mother and the teachers. The teachers that we recruit are qualified with degrees and trained before embarking on the childcare role. DFS has a very stringent process of hiring its employees. The carefully selected staff is trained regularly about latest developments on early childhood education, child psychology, health and nutrition by a panel of experts. Besides possessing good communication skills, they are also specially trained to groom little children into leaders of tomorrow.
DFS offers this specialized training program for all teachers so they are proficient at teaching the specific programs that the curriculum team has developed for toddler’s age 6 months to 10 years.
DFS conducts a comprehensive background check on all prospective employees and frequent visitors.
Average Class size is between 25 and 30 and student teacher ratio is 15:1.
Each class has a dedicated maid to help teachers of the class. There are separate maids to assist the children with washing and cleaning.
The center manager and center head in all our crèches are supernumerary for the majority of the day (additional to the ratio) and are there to cover and help during mornings and evenings and as required.
All DFS staff are trained regularly in CPR, first aid and fire emergencies. So you can feel confident that your child is safe and receiving the best care possible at our centers.
For job listings and to complete the application process, please visit (Careers Page)
DFS FEES
The answer to this is our unparalleled quality. To ensure that every child receives holistic early education, and enjoys every bit of his/her childhood, we provide them with the facilities that no other playschool has. With so much in store for your child, a little difference in fee with other playschools is worth it.
Event celebrations, Monthly birthday celebrations, in house activities & Parties etc. *Small budgeted activities only for kids.
For questions regarding the financial aid application process please contact the center head directly.
Monthly Charge: Rs 5000- Rs 6000 (approx.) depending upon the hours (It may vary between branches). Kindly connect with respective center head.
Yes. Once we set a schedule for your child, you will be billed for those days regardless of your child’s actual attendance.
We are not the great supporter of discount policies in education. We request parents to consult the center head to discuss about benefits.
There is no fees refund policy once admission process is completed except the security fees as per process.
DFS FACILITIES
Our unique facilities include air-conditioned environment, preparation of nutritious meals, safe and comfortable transport system, settling zone, exclusive day boarding facility, ball pool, splash pool, imported round-edged equipment, and many more.
Our exclusive activities for children include skating, self-defense, dramatization and role-plays, educational trips, picnics and event celebrations, puppet show, storytelling, sand play, water play, nature walk, structured intellectual and language activities, etc.
We have trained instructors, who in the presence of teachers, look after the safety and security of each and every child. In addition to this, we have regular rounds of school by Branch Heads & Academic Heads to ensure that your child’s safety is of prime importance.
We have an in-house team of cooks who prepare vegetarian meals. The food is first tasted by Branch Head for the quality check, before it is served to children. At every branch of DFS, we have installed an RO water plant to let our children drink pure water.