Insights from a conversation between Nils Lagerström (Executive Chairman, Kindiedays) and Ranjan Goyal (Senior Preschool Consultant)

Introduction: A New Era for Early Childhood Education

In today’s rapidly evolving education landscape, private preschools face a critical challenge: how to meet the rising expectations of modern parents while building a profitable, high-quality education business.

In a recent global webinar, Nils Lagerström, Executive Chairman of Kindiedays, sat down with Ranjan Goyal, a Senior Preschool Consultant with extensive experience in Indian and Southeast Asian markets. Their discussion offered deep insights into how preschools in developing countries can navigate this transformation by adopting proven practices from Finland, which is recognized globally as a pioneer in early childhood education.

What Are Today’s Parents Really Looking For?

Parents today are far more informed, ambitious, and discerning about their child’s early education than they were just five years ago.

They want:

• More than just day care—they expect real learning.
• Clear visibility into their child’s development and achievements.
• Engaging learning environments that nurture creativity, confidence, and communication.
• Schools that balance academic readiness with social and emotional development.

Yet, many preschools still rely on outdated, manual methods and rigid curriculum models that do not reflect what we now know about how young children learn best.

Ranjan’s Ground-Level View: The Gap Between Vision and Practice

Ranjan shared his observations from working directly with preschools in India and Southeast Asia:

“Many preschool owners truly care about delivering quality education. But they often lack the tools, training, or framework to translate that vision into daily practice.”

He explained that while schools may adopt popular terms like “play-based” or “child-centric,” these concepts often remain superficial without structured guidance, clear lesson planning, and teacher support.

How Finland’s Early Education Model Provides a Solution

Kindiedays brings to preschools a powerful yet simple solution: a Finnish-inspired digital learning environment designed for developing countries.

Nils emphasized:

“Finland’s early education is globally admired—not because it’s expensive, but because it focuses on the whole child and gives teachers the tools to personalize learning. We bring those principles to preschools in India and Southeast Asia in a way that’s affordable, practical, and scalable.”

Kindiedays helps preschools implement three key pillars of modern early education:

1. Learning-Focused Daily Practices
   Teachers can access ready-made, play-based lesson plans aligned with local and global learning goals. These plans make it easy to ensure children's progress in essential areas like language, motor skills, numeracy, and socio-emotional development.
2. Digital Tools to Document and Show Progress
   With the Kindiedays mobile app, teachers can instantly capture and share learning moments. These moments are linked to learning goals, so parents see evidence of growth as well as photos.
3. Teacher Empowerment through Training
   Through Kindiedays Academy, educators join live online workshops to deepen their pedagogical skills. These practical sessions help teachers feel more confident, supported, and motivated.

Why Preschool Owners Should Care

Private preschool owners must strike a delicate balance between satisfying parents, supporting teachers, and running a profitable business. Kindiedays addresses all three.

“When you implement Kindiedays,” Ranjan noted, “you differentiate your preschool. You have a clear answer when parents ask, ‘How will my child learn here?’ And you show that answer with proof, not just promises.”

The results?

• Increased parent satisfaction and word-of-mouth referrals.
• Reduced teacher turnover and burnout.
• A more organized, future-ready preschool business.

Is It Expensive? Surprisingly, No.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that adopting international best practices is costly. Nils clarified:

“Kindiedays is designed to be affordable. You don’t need expensive hardware or major infrastructure. A smartphone and an internet connection are enough to get started.”

The subscription model is flexible, with packages tailored to each preschool's size and needs. The return on investment is tangible, from increased admissions to smoother operations.

From Vision to Action: What Can You Do Today?

The webinar closed with a clear message: preschool transformation doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

Start with one step:

• Introduce digital documentation to connect better with parents.
• Use Kindiedays’ ready-made lesson plans to support your teachers.
• Join a Kindiedays Academy workshop to raise the quality of your teaching team.

“We are here to walk with you,” Nils said. “Our goal is not just to sell a product—it’s to help you grow your preschool into a modern, respected learning center.”

Final Thoughts

Preschool education is no longer just about care—it’s about impact. Parents want results, teachers want support, and owners want sustainability. Kindiedays offers a trusted path forward backed by global expertise that is adapted to your local context.

Choosing the right curriculum partner is a pivotal decision for any preschool owner. A well-aligned partnership can elevate your institution's educational standards, enhance teacher effectiveness, and foster stronger parent engagement. Here are seven critical factors to consider:

1. A Clear Vision for Early Childhood Education

An ideal curriculum partner should possess a well-defined philosophy that emphasizes:

• Holistic Child Development: Addressing cognitive, emotional, social, and physical growth.

• Play-Based Learning: Using play as a fundamental learning approach, as Finnish educational practices exemplify.

• Cultural Sensitivity: Respecting and integrating local cultural values and expectations.

Kindiedays embodies this vision by offering a curriculum that supports high-quality learning for children aged 1 to 6. It meets their unique needs through a holistic and playful approach inspired by the best practices from Finland.

2. Adaptation to Local Curriculum Standards

While international best practices are valuable, they must be tailored to fit local educational frameworks. A competent partner will:

• Integrate Global and Local Approaches: Merging Finnish methodologies with local curriculum frameworks.

• Align with National Standards: Ensuring lesson plans and activities meet guidelines like India's NEP 2020.

Kindiedays honors local cultures and adapts its approach to fit each preschool’s unique context, ensuring compliance and relevance.

3. Innovative and Play-Based Learning Methods

Lack of physical activity is a significant risk factor for poor health. Physical inactivity is connected to global mortality rates and overweight. Recently, the screen time on smartphones and tablets has emerged as a considerable concern in the Nordics.

In early childhood, children learn and develop rapidly. Early childhood is a period during which children form their lifestyle habits. A child's day is filled with many different types of activities, and the most important thing is that all these aspects are in balance: eating habits, physical activity, time spent sitting or restrained, screen time, rest, and sleep.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has created a guide, Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep for children under 5 years of age, that helps parents and early childhood professionals implement children's days correctly by balancing different activities. The guide is for children under 5 years of age. The guide aims to provide guidance on how many hours per day children should spend being physically active or sleeping for their health and well-being, as well as the maximum recommended time they should spend on screen-based sedentary activities or sitting.

Recommendations at a glance by WHO

Early childhood is a time of remarkable growth and the achievement of essential milestones in brain development. During this stage, children are highly influenced by the environment and the people around them. (Unesco 2020)

In early childhood, children are highly influenced by the environment and the people that surround them.

That being said, it is good to assess how the whole learning environment is set up to support children's playful learning, such as:

• The teacher's pedagogical skills and competencies when working with the children
• Curriculum and learning objectives for playful learning
• Action plans, syllabus, weekly, and daily plans
• Lesson plans and activities
• Learning materials such as toys, building blocks, painting and writing materials, etc.
• Observations, documentation, and formative assessment of learning
• The activity areas

These should encourage and support children to play, interact, and practice cognitive processes such as problem-solving and managing their emotions. Play motivates children, brings them joy, and supports their well-being. It allows them to learn new skills while enjoying the learning.

Kindiedays CEO Milla van der Burgh visiting Globetrotter Kids in Bangalore.

Physical activity areas

In the current edition, “10 Most Promising Preschools in Bangalore—2025,” Siliconindia has compiled a list of recognized leaders in the education industry who are redefining early childhood education. Globetrotters Kids, one of Kindiedays first customers in India, is one of the top featured preschools (extract from the original article in Siliconindia, April 2025).

Globetrotters Kids rides the NEP wave

Nurturing Young Minds to Develop a Passion for Learning

Education is not the filling of a pail but rather the lighting of a “fire.” Renowned author W B Yeats’ words have echoed through the decades, inspiring educational institutions worldwide to ignite curiosity among children. With the launch of NEP 2020, a transformational wave is taking over the Indian education system, with the value of holistic learning coming to the forefront. New-age educational institutions are shifting focus from traditional rote learning academically inclined curriculums to holistic frameworks where learning happens beyond books.

Sarittha Arakkal, Co-founder Globetrotters Kids

What has Globetrotters Kids done?