Our Journey from 1 preschool to 5 branches – Kids Academy

Starting a preschool and taking on a responsibility to shape young minds is a challenge that yields fulfilling results. And Mr Manish Raj and his wife Kavita Chauhan decided to take on this challenge when they started Kids Academy, in the city of Mysore, in Karnataka.

Mr Manish Raj hails from the beautiful, historical city, Mysore, Karnataka. He, along with his wife, Mrs Kavita Chauhan, decided to open a preschool in Mysore.

They have been running multiple centres across Mysore. When asked about their background, Mr Manish Raj explained, “We started our preschool 15 years back in the name of Kids Academy. We have five centres across Mysore now.”

He credits his wife for taking the initiative to begin a preschool.

“When we started the preschool, my wife had a passion for doing a preschool because we had clear experience in running a preschool in the other city where I was born and brought up. From there, we transferred to Mysore. I was working for a company when my wife started up the preschool, and I was supporting her.”

When they first moved to Mysore, Mr Raj worked in a company while supporting his wife in the preschool endeavour. But even then, he saw the high demand for preschools and decided to bring their aesthetic to their school.

While talking about their journey, Mr Raj recalled the initial stage when they first set up Kids Academy.

“Preschools were there, but not the way they are now. It was a new thing for people.”

“It was really pretty, and people started loving it.”

He went on to explain the reason their preschool was so successful. He discussed how being different from the pre-existing preschools worked in their favour, and they gained popularity in the city.

“The ambience, the way we teach, everything was different and colourful. This was very attractive, and people started loving it.”

But with progress comes competition, and Mr Raj talked about the emerging preschools in their area as well. And eventually, big names like Euro kids started popping up in their area. But despite the competition, Mr Raj did not back down and seeing the potential in the relatively small city of Mysore, he decided to open more branches.

“Later, we thought Mysore was not a very big area. So, we thought we would set up more branches.”

They expanded their preschool from the 6th year onwards, and now they boast five branches across Mysore.

Opening a preschool can be challenging, and when one decides to expand, there are several doubts in their minds. Mr Manish Raj suggests giving attention to the team and core functioning of the primary school before expanding.

He further explains, “Run school in full capacity and only then start a new branch, have a strong team with an academic counsellor and head coordinator in all the branches, so everything is monitored timely.”

“If the workforce is weak, it is not possible to run even a single school.”

Mr Manish Raj discussed why second branches don’t work out, he says, “what people do is they discard the first school and the concentration is more on the second school. They leave this first school. And the graph gradually comes down for the first school.”

Their path to establishing a well-reputed preschool chain that holds credibility in society was possible due to their teamwork and trust.

Mr Raj attributes the smooth running of their preschool branches to his wife’s experience and dedication, as well as his devoted team.

“We find out what is happening in the market. What new equipment is there, what new things are coming, what new technologies are in the market.”

Mr Raj realises that they are an independent brand. They are facing big names like Euro Kids, Kidzee, Kangaroo Kids. He explains,

“I don’t have a brand like Euro kids or Kangaroo kids. It is my brand, called Kids Academy.”

He further adds, “We are different. We accept a lot of things that are new in the market, unlike the franchises.”

Mr Raj recognises the need to stand out, and he explains the ways Kids Academy has maintained its authenticity.

“We find out what is happening in the market. What new equipments are there, what new things are coming, what new technologies are in the market. Not only in India in other countries as well.”

Being an independent brand has worked wonders for Kids Academy. Kids Academy has utilised its freedom and has explored the market with ease for new opportunities and options. Mr Raj explains, “these things are easy to adopt because they are not defined, as it’s our own.”

Mr Raj also discussed how Kids Academy is different from big franchises, “Franchisees need to follow whatever is given to them in a curriculum.”

 “We try to do things differently.”

Mr Raj recognises the benefits of their unique approach. He talks about forming ties with GoAlpha, along with other institutions, to enhance their curriculum.

“To bring all of these things in one place, we try to do things differently as we have tied up with different people. We have tied up with Go Alpha for sports. We have a dance Academy, where our kids and the teachers dance differently with the curriculum, this type of thing, someone new and all these things are in profit in a single school.”

Their ability to accommodate the changing needs and curriculum makes them unique. They maintain a flexible approach towards education, which has only added to their success as an independent preschool brand.

A strong team guarantees a successful venture, and for Mr Manish Raj and Mrs Kavita Chauhan, being authentic and dedicated to their passion yielded successful results. They plan to open more locations in the future and given their commitment. Their project will continue to be as beautiful as their vision.

Written by Stuti