When childhood becomes a commodity: Why preschools must be regulated

When childhood becomes a commodity: Why preschools must be regulated Premium

In conversations about India's progress, we tend to begin at the wrong end of the story. We talk passionately about higher education, employability, innovation, and GDP. Yet our nation's future does not begin in universities or boardrooms. It starts in the small, colourful rooms where three-year-olds learn to trust the world, negotiate friendship, express fear, and discover joy.

Early childhood education is not an auxiliary service. It is the emotional, cognitive, and social foundation of a country. And in India, this foundation is under threat not because of a lack of policy, but because of the unchecked commercialisation of preschools.

India has, on paper, one of the most progressive early childhood frameworks in the world. The National Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy of 2013, the National ECCE Curriculum Framework, the National Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage (2022), and the Aadharshila curriculum (2024) together outline a clear, child-centred roadmap for ages 3–6. NEP 2020 further recognises this stage as the crucial foundation of the 5+3+3+4 structure.

But while our documents are robust, our implementation and monitoring systems remain deeply inadequate. Preschools exist in an administrative grey zone, suspended between the Women and Child Development Department and the School Education Department. No single regulatory body is empowered to oversee quality consistently. In this vacuum, private preschools and franchise models have proliferated rapidly, often without aligning to developmental principles, safety norms, or pedagogical ethics.

In many Indian cities, preschools appear on every street corner, wrapped in bright colours and persuasive marketing. Words like “International,” “Global,” and “Premium” are used liberally. But behind the polished exterior lies a troubling reality.

Franchise-driven preschool chains offer low-entry investments, quick teacher training, and packaged curricula. The narrative is about entrepreneurship, not early childhood development. Anyone with capital and space can claim the title of a preschool owner.

The consequences are predictable:

● Teachers with inadequate ECCE training

● Minimal focus on safety, hygiene, or emotional climate

● Overemphasis on premature academics

● Little understanding of child psychology

● High fees without assured quality

In many centres, learning is reduced to worksheets, English recitation, and artificial milestones. Childhood becomes a product marketed, sold, and measured rather than a delicate phase of human development that requires expertise, sensitivity, and deep respect.

Globally, nations such as Finland, Sweden, New Zealand, Singapore, and Japan invest heavily in early childhood systems. They mandate teacher qualifications, enforce strict safety norms, and prioritise play-based, emotionally secure environments.

They do this because science is unequivocal: 50% of brain development happens before the age of five. This period shapes emotional resilience, social behaviour, empathy, intellectual curiosity, and lifelong mental health.

For India, a country with one of the world's youngest populations and rising mental health concerns, the stakes are far higher. When early childhood care is compromised, we do not simply lose academic readiness. We lose emotional stability, social cohesion, and the human qualities that sustain a society.

Tamil Nadu is among the few States that attempted to regulate early childhood education through a Code of Regulations for Play Schools. It outlines space norms, staff qualifications, building safety, and registration requirements. Government-run Anganwadis also follow a structured ECCE curriculum with trained workers and thematic learning.

Yet in private preschools, compliance remains rare. Many operate in cramped rooms, basements, or converted flats with inadequate ventilation, limited access to toilets, and no outdoor play space. A single staircase often doubles as both entry and exit, posing serious risks during emergencies.

Parents, overwhelmed by branding, rarely question these gaps. But a preschool without safety, sanitation, or emotional warmth cannot be considered a learning space at all.

Perhaps the greatest casualty of India's commercialised preschool boom is the erosion of social and emotional development, the very heart of early childhood education. Children are taught to identify letters, count beads, or repeat phrases in English. But they are rarely taught

● How to share

● How to handle frustration

● How to express feelings

● How to play collaboratively

● How to trust adults

● How to feel seen, safe, and valued

More than half of a child's personality forms by the age of five. When preschools prioritise academic showmanship over emotional grounding, we set the stage for the rising anxiety, aggression, and behavioural challenges seen among older children today.

To reclaim the purpose of early childhood, I often use the framework SPICE reminder that, like the spices in our food, these elements must flavour a child's daily experience:

• S – Social

• P – Physical

• I – Intellectual

• C – Creative

• E – Emotional

These are not add-ons or optional extras; they are the core of meaningful early years education. A preschool that does not nurture SPICE, regardless of branding or décor, is simply not doing its job.

If India wishes to build a humane, emotionally stable, and intellectually curious generation, we must act urgently.

This requires:

1. Treating ECCE as a regulated public good, not a free-market commodity.

2. Strict licensing and accreditation for all preschools, franchises or standalone.

3. Mandatory ECCE qualifications and first-aid training for anyone running or teaching in a preschool.

4. Strong State-level monitoring, including in Tamil Nadu, to ensure compliance rather than mere paperwork.

5. Alignment with national frameworks not as brochures, but as daily practice.

This is not an anti-private sector argument. Many private school leaders are deeply committed to children. But early childhood cannot be entrusted to unqualified hands. It cannot be compromised through shortcuts.

In two decades of working with schools across India, the Middle East, and Africa, I have met extraordinary educators who nurture children with patience, compassion, and wisdom. But I have also seen preschools where childhood is treated as a brand, a product, even a commodity.

Commercialisation without regulation is not just poor practice, it is a national risk. The smallest, quietest children pay the price for adult ambition.

If we choose, collectively, to honour early childhood to regulate wisely, train rigorously, monitor consistently, and most importantly, protect the sanctity of childhood, we will build not just better preschools, but a better India. The foundation of a nation is only as strong as the childhood it offers its children.

(K. R. Maalathi is an Early Years Education Expert & School Advisor)

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Published - December 02, 2025 05:03 pm IST

education / preschool / children

Source: The Hindu
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