EuroKids, a leading playschool chain and part of KKR-backed Lighthouse Learning, plans to double its network to 3,000 preschools across India over the next three years, according to a senior company official.
“We currently operate 1,600 preschools across 400 cities and aim to expand this to 3,000 in the next three years,” said KVS Seshasai, CEO of the Pre-K Division (EuroKids) at Lighthouse Learning.
Seshasai on Thursday launched the eighth edition of EuroKids’s curriculum, ‘Heureka.’
Speaking to FE, Seshasai said the expansion will be driven entirely through the franchise model. He added that women entrepreneurs currently make up 60-80% of the company’s franchise partners.
“At this point, we don’t intend to open our own preschools because the franchise model helps us unlock the entrepreneurial spirit of our franchise partners and also leverage their deep local knowledge of the micro markets,” he said.
Founded in 2001 with just two preschools, EuroKids has trained over 700,000 preschoolers in the last 23 years. Backed by US private equity giant KKR, EuroKids’ parent company, Lighthouse Learning Group, operates a range of education brands including Kangaroo Kids International Preschool, EuroSchool, Billabong High International and Centre Point Group of Schools, offering early childhood to K-12 education.
Seshasai stated that EuroKids updates its curriculum every three years, following consultations with parents and franchise partners, while integrating the latest advancements in global early childhood education.
The ‘Heureka’ curriculum draws inspiration from Harvard University’s Project Zero, which has documented over 200 effective teaching routines worldwide. “Our team has incorporated 20 structured Harvard-inspired Thinking Routines that spark curiosity, foster imagination, and cultivate critical thinking in young minds,” he said.
Seshasai said that interest in preschool education has surged post-Covid, with parents eager to reintegrate their children into social environments after two years of pandemic restrictions.
“We noticed children with behavioural issues. Some were extremely passive and didn’t know how to interact with peers, while others became hyper-aggressive or had anger issues. But things have started to settle down,” he added.
He added that the new curriculum focuses on five core areas—emotional, physical, intellectual, creative, and spiritual quotients—which will help address these behavioral challenges.