When you set up a preschool that is not just “good enough,” but truly modern — one grounded in a global, play-based philosophy — teachers become the most critical lever of success. Why? Because the shift from a traditional rote-based curriculum to a playful, inquiry-led model isn’t simply about different activity templates. It’s fundamentally a change in mindset, relationships, and purpose.

New competencies, teaching/learning methods, learning materials and tools are all required to make the change possible and sustainable.

The Challenge: Why It Is Hard to Build That Kind of Teacher Professionalism

In traditional rote-based preschools (and sadly, still common in many places), learning is driven by repetition, memorization, and worksheets. The teacher’s role is often that of an instructor who imparts facts; children are seen as recipients. This model is efficient at delivering knowledge but limited in building skills such as creativity, critical thinking, self-regulation, and social-emotional competence.

By contrast, a modern, international, playful curriculum encourages children to explore, experiment, and co-construct knowledge. The teacher’s role shifts to facilitation: guiding, observing, scaffolding, and reflecting. This approach aligns with new education policies such as India’s NEP 2020 and the NCF-FS 2022, which explicitly advocate for play-based, experiential learning.

In such an environment:

Part 7 of 7

If you have followed our six-part blog series on "How to Set Up a Preschool" with Senior Preschool Consultant Ranjan Goyal, you now know what it takes to get started — from infrastructure and staffing to licensing and admissions. But once your preschool is up and running, the next big question arises:

How do you ensure your preschool stands out — offering visible quality that parents trust, teachers enjoy, and that keeps your classrooms full?

That’s where a Curriculum Partnership comes in.

The curriculum is not just a set of books — it’s the heart of your brand, your learning experience, and your parent-engagement strategy. For a challenger preschool with ambitions to grow, choosing the right curriculum partner can be one of the most critical business decisions you make.

This article will show you why, and — most importantly — how to select the best one for your school.

Why a Curriculum Partner Matters

Most mid-income city preschools today face three ongoing challenges:

1. Teachers struggle to plan, document, and assess learning consistently.
   Without structured lesson plans and modern tools, teachers spend hours preparing activities, leaving less time for interaction with children.
2. Parents demand visible learning results.
   Families want to see their child’s progress, not just receive verbal updates. They expect stories, photos, and learning portfolios that demonstrate their child is making progress.
3. Competition keeps growing.
   New preschools open every term, all promising “international” or “activity-based” learning. It’s hard to differentiate unless you have a recognised framework behind you.

A strong curriculum partner solves all three — offering:

As a preschool owner or manager, your mission is to provide a nurturing and high-quality educational environment that fosters the holistic development of every child while growing admissions and parent satisfaction.

But there might be a mismatch between parents’ expectations and pedagogical principles.

While new education policies explicitly promote play-based, child-centered learning, many parents remain more comfortable with traditional models emphasizing structured instruction and measurable progress.

How can these goals be effectively combined in practice?

Kindiedays Blended Curriculum: Where Experiential and Academic Learning Come Together

In our previous blog post, we explored how teachers can overcome this by blending experiential and academic activities into the daily activities with the children. 

• Playful Lesson Plans from Kindiedays nurture creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration, reflecting Finland’s holistic and child-centred pedagogy.
• Coursebooks and workbooks strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy skills.

Now we will take a look at how to engage parents and show evidence of children’s learning.

The Importance of Parental Involvement

As preschools begin planning for the upcoming academic year, one question stands out:

How can we make our preschool stand out by providing truly high-quality education that parents value and trust?

Forward-looking preschool owners are realising that transforming their centres into joyful, child-centred learning environments is not just a trend — it’s the future. And transformation starts with empowering teachers.

The Shift Towards Quality Early Education

Parents today are more informed and discerning. They look for preschools that offer:

• Meaningful learning experiences
• Personal attention for every child
• Evidence of holistic development

But many schools struggle to move beyond routine teaching methods or administrative challenges. Change requires vision, structure, and the right tools — and this is where Kindiedays Academy comes in.

A Boost for Your Planning and Teacher Development

We are excited to announce that Kindiedays will participate in Didac India 2025, the largest education exhibition and conference in Asia, taking place from November 18–20 in New Delhi.

As part of the official Education Finland delegation, Kindiedays will join other leading Finnish education innovators to share how Finland’s world-renowned early education can empower preschools in India and across Asia to provide joyful, high-quality learning for young children.

Discover the Finnish way to nurture joyful learning

Early childhood education is evolving rapidly across India and Southeast Asia. Schools are seeking ways to balance academic learning with play, creativity, and emotional growth — areas where Finland has set the global benchmark.

At Didac India, we will present the Kindiedays Curriculum Partnership, a complete solution that brings the best of Finnish pedagogy to your preschool. The program combines: