Sanfort Group of Schools: Where Growth is inevitable Date:   Wednesday , September 02, 2015 In 1999 when Kavita Rathor, Founder-Director of Sanfort Group of Schools, started her preschool in Noida with 17 kids, the concept of preschools was largely unheard of. Despite the initial response, Kavita toiled towards her goal for over 10 years and launched the brand SANFORT in December, 2009 based on the U. K. Concept of preschool education. Sanfort Group currently has over 82 branches across the country where over 7000 children are studying collectively and the group has begun taking strides towards starting K-12 schools. The story of Sanfort began with a small batch of 17 students but the brand thrived on its philosophy of providing quality services. \"The company\'s philosophy is not to run after the numbers but to establish a network of profitable branches to achieve sustainable growth and make SANFORT the most preferred school brand in the country,\" says S. K. Rathor, Managing Director & Co-founder, SANFORT Group of Schools. The husband-wife duo created a learning ground for tiny tots based on the \'play-way\' methodology or \'learning by doing\'. The group integrates technological advancements of the current generation and allows kids to learn how to use them through games and other contact based activities. Tools such as touch pads, touch screens and interactive boards are employed in their schools to allow children to get a feel of using technology at an early age. \"We are the only preschool brand in the country with \"True Smart Learning System\" with \"Touch N Learn\" technology,\" says Kavita with pride. The integration of technology though an integral aspect of the curriculum at Sanfort Preschools, doesn\'t define it. Development of a Wholesome Curriculum In close association with the Chairman of Sanfort Preschools, Dr. Anil Kumar, Kavita and S. K. Rathor, integrated the pedagogy used in the UK system of Preschools. The result was a unique system that focused on a six point curriculum called, Core Value Circle. The core value circle intends to provide a holistic development to the children of Sanfort – Refinement of sense, Gross motor development, Creative development, Social development, Psychological development and care for self and environment. Though this appears to be a heavily loaded curriculum for kids aged two, Kavita explains that the curriculum is seamless and there is no pressure on the kids to perform or compete. The children are prepared to adapt the Core Value Circle through a series of specially designed activities, role play models and learning material. The Sanfort model of education is designed to offer quality education to children to help them grow in a harmonious environment resulting in their all round development. The children of the current generation are expected to perform better than the previous generations. To compliment this progressive mode of learning education at Sanfort achieves more than knowledge transfer, children are encouraged to do significant things through fun-filled activities, teaching aids and technology. The preschool provides a carefully planned and structured - curriculum, environment and pedagogy that help children grow and learn in a natural way. The curriculum is set in place to ensure that the children progress in the right direction and acquire key skills that set them on the path of the next stage of their growth. The Group of Schools is accredited by \"British Association of Early Childhood Education\" – U.K. and is also a member of \"Preschool Learning Alliance\" – U. K. which enables it to be constantly updated with the latest changes and developments in the field of education. To supplement the growth of these children, the preschool employs a group of talented individuals who are trained in providing the Core Value Circle of education. \"To become a teacher at Sanfort a candidate requires extraordinary levels of patience, enthusiasm, and above all, a love for early childhood education,\" says Kavita. The teachers at Sanford are trained to develop learned effective skills for working with young children and for communicating with them at their level. The teachers at the preschool are the bridge that connects the understanding of the needs of both the children and their parents. They are trained to provide individual attention to each child depending on the child\'s learning speed and style. This encourages a sense of development of every child by providing security and warmth emphasizing self-discipline. The trainers are chosen based on their quality to facilitate learning by providing a developmentally appropriate environment, give children adequate time to explore, interact and make the learning easy and fun filled for the kids. This provides an enjoyable environment for the kids where they can learn without any stress or set goals on performance, all the while keeping the focus on the sensory-motor development, the social development of the child and holistic development. Sanfort\'s Philosophy of Growth and Partnership The preschool chain based on the UK concept of preschools is the only preschool in the country that has smart classes. The simple concept started in 1999, of providing holistic education, has evolved into a thriving franchise that intends to initiate 125 preschools by the end of FY 2015-16. \"Sanfort provides individuals with the lifetime business opportunity to our franchisees, where unlike other brands they don\'t need to pay the franchise renewal fees after every certain interval,\" says S.K. Rathor. The Managing Director claims that the support system offered by his group is one of the best in the country. He reveals, \"We have a team of highly qualified & experienced professionals who are responsible to extend all kinds of support required by the franchisee, closely monitoring of functioning of the branch and to ensure the success of the branch with high returns.\" He explains that break-even of his schools comes within 12 to 18 months, as the investment required to start a preschool is very low and the operational expenses are limited and combined with a high ROI. He goes on to explain that K-12 requires a bigger investment but also gives bigger returns and with his team of experts and structured process, the returns come swiftly. \"With the Sanfort way the path is structured, all variables tracked and growth is inevitable,\" concludes S.K. Rathor. Armed with a progressive curriculum, expert trainers and constant upgrades in their methodologies, Sanfort intends to start 200 branches, enroll 20000 students and employ over 2500 staff in next 3 years. Assessing the strength of their fundamentals and their understanding of the industry, Sanfort is cruising towards their next milestone to become the leading provider of Preschool education.