(Above) Toddlers enjoy a session of nursery rhymes on a flat screen television at Euro Kids; (Below) a little one has fun with CDs at Mother’s Pride Pre-school

It was Bob Dylan, that musician-philosopher who firmly and famously declared that, “the times they are a -changing”. His words come back forcefully as you stroll through The Heritage School’s playschool Ankuran. There aren’t too many books here. Instead, a teacher who wants to explain the lifecycle of a butterfly takes a handful of children to a computer screen. Switch on the computer and the butterfly’s life unfolds on the screen.

It’s a similar children’s story at Calcutta International School Society, where computers and LCD screen televisions play an integral role in the learning process. Children learn the alphabet, numbers, shapes, colours using audio-visual aids. And, if they want to come face-to-face with a dinosaur, there’s always the Internet. The school reckons that computers must play an integral role in the learning process, because multimedia facilities tend to hold a child’s attention longer than mere playthings. “Children cannot be alienated from computers and multimedia facilities in this day and age”, says Dr Anuradha Das, principal.

Welcome to the colourful and rapidly morphing world of playschools for tiny tots. Once upon a time, these schools followed a time-honoured pattern and kept children busy for a few hours while teaching them the basics about the world around them. Today playschools are big business and are competing with each other to stay one technological step ahead of the others.

Technology has, of course, transformed our lives beyond recognition in the last decade, so it’s hardly surprising that it’s even invading the world of children. Take a look at Kid’s Republic which prides itself on its modern facilities and curriculum that includes everything from horse riding to aerobics, gardening, art, music and dance.

At one level, Kid’s Republic predictably has an audio-visual room where the kids learn nursery rhymes, concepts and colours through CDs and DVDs. At another level, it also has close-circuit cameras installed in every room that can zero in on any child.

But Vikram Khurana, director, Kid’s Republic in Delhi says that technology helps to drive messages home. “The concept or topics remain in their minds for long since these multimedia facilities help in laying a sound foundation of early childhood learning.” But Khurana is averse to the idea of introducing computers among children saying “it’s just showing off”.

But it isn’t all play and no work for the children. “In schools, multimedia should be used to teach not just entertain,” says Amit Singh, national business manager, Eurokids Egmont International School in Delhi.

In Step with Times

(Above) Teachers use various multimedia facilities as teaching aids at The Heritage School; (below) at Calcutta International School , classrooms are equipped with computers and Internet facilities to suit children’s requirements

The fact is that the world of playschools has altered beyond recognition. In earlier decades most schools for tots were homegrown affairs. “Earlier, parents usually thought playschools were an extension of their own homes where their child learnt some good habits and etiquette,” says Khurana.

They are much more organised and the bigger plan their curriculum according to modern educational theories. Add to that globalisation, multimedia and computers and playschools have undergone a complete turnaround. From being mere playhouses with no fixed curriculum, few nursery trained teachers and a handful of toys for children to play with, these schools have graduated to providing the latest in gadgets, a planned curriculum and various extra-curricular activities.

Says Sudha Gupta, chairman, Mother’s Pride: “Gone are the days of congested two-bedroom playschools. Pre-schools today are taking care to keep enough open space and technology too, which was never a part of education at this level, but is fast becoming an integral part.”

Tech Talk

Inevitably, even the youngest of the tots have to be technologically equipped for today’s world. At Mother’s Pride, which has 15 branches, there’s a computer lab in each of its schools equipped with computers and a library of CDs for concepts, general knowledge, games and creativity. “There’s a projector room where concepts are reinforced through audio visual CDs,” says Gupta.

Gupta firmly argues that children must be exposed to technology as early as possible. “The basic motive to expose children to multimedia at a young age is not to teach them computers but to make them technology-friendly. With exposure at a young age, children adapt and learn new means of technology with ease”, she says.

The Storyline

It’s fun learning with an interactive digital board at Shemrock; (below) a lesson unfolds on the screen for the tots at Kid’s Republic

Almost always, kids want to touch and feel computers and watch their favourite fairy tales unfold through audio- visual media. Obviously, the lessons that must be taught to young children haven’t changed. But the ways of getting it across can vary in the 21st century. Shemrock group of schools has about 90 branches and technology is an integral part of the learning day.

Says Bimla Arora, one of the group’s founders: “While schools may have gone hi-tech, childhood has not changed. We have toys and crayons for the children to play with just as we have hi-tech facilities through which we provide systematic exposure to our kids.”

Nevertheless, there’s no questioning that technology can offer useful teaching aids.

In most places technology is used in ways that are now familiar to all of us. At Kid’s Republic, for instance, children troop into the audio-visual room to watch educational CDs of rhymes and stories. The CDs are run on the latest flat screen televisions.

Double Role

In an era where double income families are more the norm than the exception, playschools must also double up in some cases as daycare centres. The result is that schools must serve this new double role. Ankuran’s vice principal and founder headmistress, Meenakshi Atal, feels that the concept of playschools has undergone a dramatic change over the last few years.

Atal points out that every classroom at the school is equipped with multimedia facilities. Besides that infotech labs with LAN connectivity, an audio-visual room equipped with an LCD projector and a visualiser are the other facilities on offer. However, she firmly believes that there can be no substitute for the human touch.

Everyone Counts

At Calcutta’s Oxford House, which aims to provide individual attention to each child, its touch-and-feel apparatus like building blocks and educational toys used to develop the child’s sensory and motor abilities is as much a part of the curriculum as multimedia-enhanced nursery rhymes. “Audio-visual aid and activity-based education is easier for children to retain as they enjoy the learning experience”, says Jayesh Doshi, administrator.

Setting on the New Path

The schools aren’t just doing endless re-runs of Jack and Jill DVDs. At Eurokids, for instance, LCD TVs in the common activity area beam rhymes produced in-house. Also plans are underway to introduce interactive digital boards next year. The school currently keeps in touch with parents through SMS. But it’s also planning a parent interface website.

For the kids, technology is the future. And that’s being pleasantly brought home to them at a very early age.