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There is no great success without great commitment. This stands true for the Arora family who were determined to be the leaders in the preschool education. From one preschool in Ashok Vihar to 67 successfully running SHEMROCK Preschools in Delhi-NCR, Aroras now own a franchise base of 330+ preschools across India & Abroad. Today, with more than 3, 00,000 children already having received the foundation for success, SHEMROCK is the leader in preschool education and is a brand to reckon with.
The legacy of glorious 25 years started with the launch of the first SHEMROCK Preschool in 1989, when the Arora family realized the dearth of preschools in the city. A proper preschool structure did not exist in the country and most of the preschools were like day-care centers with no structured or research-based learning. "They were just extensions of formal schools, with crowded classrooms and teaching methods that weren't engaging," recalls Mr. Amol Arora, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, SHEMROCK & SHEMFORD Group of Schools.A model was then created in the country at that time - with child friendly interiors, colourful classrooms and activity-based learning. The philosophy that 'if children enjoy learning then learning is natural and stress free' was the essence of the model. "We envisioned a preschool where children look forward to come daily. The concept took off immediately and the preschool soon filled to its capacity. Since the children were travelling long distances to attend SHEMROCK (some of them travelling 1.5 hours to attend the 3 hour preschool), a second branch was opened in the city. That too filled to capacity in a couple of months. The success of SHEMROCK took shape over time. For the first ten years, the preschool expanded its presence in Delhi and NCR region. Gradually, the demand from smaller towns and cities began to come in and it was then that SHEMROCK got the ISO 9001:2000 certification," recalls Mr. Amol Arora. This allowed them to keep their systems in place. It was only in the late 90's that the group started venturing outside the capital territory. SHEMROCK became popular in other cities as well and started growing at a manageable rate. |
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Prime Focus
As 70 percent of the brain development takes place from 2 to 5 years of age, it is critical that the schools focus on the all-round development of the child.Mrs. Meenal Arora, Director, SHEMROCK & SHEMFORD Group of Schools makes sure that, at SHEMROCK, the focus is on the all-round development of the child and not just reading & writing. She emphasizes on providing the right preschool environment where the child is given immense happiness, complete freedom and the required guidance to grow and blossom. Mrs. Meenal Arora informs "the curriculum at SHEMROCK is designed & developed to fit the requirements, interests, abilities & learning styles of the child rather than the vice-versa. As a result, our SHEMROCKites are the center of our educational process & system. The entire school programme is designed to enhance the social, emotional, spiritual, physical, motor and cognitive development of each child". Further taking into consideration the age-appropriate behaviour and the overall development of the children, Mr. Amol Arora suggests, "the parents need to check whether the child is socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively ready to step out of the house into a semi-formal preschool environment" as he did not want SHEMROCK to be one of the preschools which tend to admit children of any age and end up playing the role of a day-care than a playschool. A Child's Dreamland
SHEMROCK provides a carefully planned and structured environment in which the child grows and learns in a natural way. Following the child-centered approach, the programme of the preschool is planned in such a way that it not only clarifies concepts, but also meets the various needs of the child. With the colourful, attractive and well-designed surroundings, SHEMROCK is really a child's dreamland. The Activity Centre provides specially-designed rich learning material and scope for creative activities such as Reading, Painting, Story Telling, Dressing-Up, Make-Believe Games, Scribbling Boards, Jigsaws, Building Blocks, Finger Painting, Clay Modeling, Paper Tearing, Folding and Pasting etc.. The Outdoor Play-Pen includes swings, slides, jungle gym, sand pit, water pool, tunnels, giant bouncy, mini train, merry-go-round and many other types of equipment. Through the use of appropriate apparatus, children develop their co-ordination skills required to play more organized games when they grow older. Further, the occasional elephant/horse rides, magic shows, bear shows, monkey shows, puppet shows and intimacy with animals & birds, provides the children with an opportunity to develop their confidence.
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The facilities at SHEMROCK are designed in a way that provides for safety, personal attention and care of the child. Parents feel relaxed as their children are nurtured in a conducive environment that is quite safe, under the supervision of experienced teachers. SHEMROCK, with vibrant, attractive and specially designed surroundings, really makes the 'safe haven' for the child which helps them reduce the anxiety of separation from the parents.
Quest for Quality
Mr. Amol Arora believes that"quality is the best business plan" and explains "we constantly update and improve our system with the best available International concepts and have fine-tuned tools that are needed to ensure the success of our franchisees. There is a single point of contact for all the set-up needs of our franchisees. A standard is maintained right from the start, by making the right choice of partners for franchising, the staff members and the School Heads". He adds "we regularly conduct trainings and train them on various aspects so that they can manage our schools without compromising the quality that we aim for. The training programme also gives themthe complete insight into our comprehensive, child-friendly, progressive and unique ShemEduMAX™ System & Curriculum, so that they can incorporate the same curriculum in their schools exactly the way how it is designed& developed at our Head Office. Also, we provide them complete operational support so that minimal planning is left on the branch's end and the same standards are applied across all our branches.
Extending its brand wagon
Not just preschools, Mr. Amol Arora ventured into K-12 segment in the year 2009. Within a span of just 5 years, SHEMFORD has over 95+ branches in 17 States and Union Territories in India, thereby becoming one of the fastest growing school chains in the country.Further, SHEMFORD Futuristic Schools have made a remarkable entry into the Limca Book of Records 2013 for the fastest growing school chain in the shortest time. SHEMROCK & SHEMFORD Group has set the norm for the rest of the schools in the country to follow. They have truly set the benchmark for excellence in the arena of preschools and senior schools. The present strength of SHEMROCK& SHEMFORD Group of Schools is 40,000 children and they are expecting an addition of 600 preschools & senior schools in the next 3 years which will make the group a noted name in the field of education. |
