Preparing children for school

A relatively new service in the field of education is preparing children for entering and studying at school.

Most parents of older preschool children work from morning to evening, so they can pay attention to their children only on weekends (although often they don’t even have the strength, time and desire for this). Meanwhile, the modern education system places high demands on the knowledge of preschoolers.

When a child enters school, a psychologist talks to him. According to the results of this conversation and tests, children are distributed into classes with a different school curricula. Particularly gifted preschoolers end up in classes where education takes place according to a developmental and even advanced program. Others study according to the traditional system. Still others fall into the “weak” class, from which it is rather difficult to transfer in the future.

In accordance with the minimum requirements of the modern school curriculum, first graders are required to be able to read, count, think logically and analyze, as well as have a good general preparation when they enter school. Classes in kindergarten, as a rule, are not enough to give the child the knowledge and skills necessary for studying at school.

The only option for working parents who care about their children is to turn to the services of tutors and special preparatory centers. Moreover, the latter option seems to be more convenient: it is more comfortable for preschoolers to study in a group with peers (which is again closer to school learning conditions), experienced teachers, together with psychologists, can draw up an optimal training program and control the process, correcting it if necessary. It is not always possible for one tutor to do this.

In addition, a psychologist working in a center for preparing children for entering school can conduct preliminary tests in order to determine the abilities and capabilities of the child, identify his strengths and weaknesses, draw up detailed recommendations for parents and prepare the baby for passing similar testing and for a conversation. with the school psychologist.

So, if you are an experienced teacher or psychologist (or, ideally, both), if you are thinking about an idea for your own business, if you love children and consider teaching to be your vocation, you should think about creating your own center for preparing children for admission and studying at school. Of course, numerous child development centers provide similar services. However, as in the case of tutors, they are not able to pay as much attention to individual work with each child, unlike the staff of the center with a narrower, and not just a “developmental” specialty.

To open your own center, first of all, you need to find a suitable room. Its area depends on the planned number of children in the class. The best option is 6-8 people. The minimum area of ​​one study room is 20 sq. m. Rent will be from 25-30 thousand rubles / per month, depending on the location, conditions, condition of the premises, etc. Think in advance of the training programs that will be used in your school. There should be several of them – for children of different levels of training.

Perhaps the most difficult thing is to find good teachers. They should be able not only to conduct classes within the framework of the chosen program, but also to captivate the child, find an approach to him and, most importantly, arouse his interest in new knowledge. Do not forget about a psychologist who will determine the skills and abilities of the child at the first lesson, make recommendations for teachers on working with him, track his successes and failures, and, if necessary, make changes to the training program.

Consider the schedule of work at the stage of drawing up a business plan. Chances are you don’t need to hire full-time employees. Classes are usually held in the first and second shifts (for children who stay at home and those who go to kindergarten) for 3-4 lessons of 25-30 minutes each. At the same time, classes that require the child to work at a desk must necessarily be replaced by outdoor lessons (dance, rhythm, physical education, active games). Even older preschoolers are not able to sit through two lessons in a row in one place.

At the opening stage of the center, place ads in local publications, on radio, on city forums and information portals, print flyers and distribute them in mailboxes in nearby houses.

If your teachers are really one of the best, if you care about the quality of the services you provide, improve the skills of your employees and try to find an individual approach to each client, then in a year your advertising costs will be minimal. You can be sure that the number of customers who will come to you on the recommendations of friends and acquaintances will far exceed the number of those who will turn to advertisements.

Tip: Be sure to consult with a lawyer before opening your own preschool center. Even if you do not register your company as an educational institution (which is quite expensive, difficult and not always justified), you can sign service contracts with your clients. This will be a certain guarantee for both parents and yourself. The contract specifies the rights and obligations of both parties, so when providing services in the field of education, such a document will be useful.

Such centers offer, as a rule, two main payment schemes: hourly and monthly. The first option is a little more expensive, but it allows parents to take a few trial lessons to see if this learning option and this particular teacher is right for their children or not. Some centers initially refuse to pay by the lesson, offering clients to pay for the entire month of classes at once.

However, not everyone will dare to give such an amount of money even with the possibility of a partial refund, if, for example, the child does not want to continue his education. Classes twice a week for four lessons of 25 minutes each will cost from 4-5 thousand rubles (one lesson – 500-700 rubles and more, depending on the region). Usually several classes are formed based on the number and age of children: three years of education for children 4-5, 5-6 and 6-7 years old, respectively, or several classes according to the level of preparation of children of senior school age (6-7 years).

The opening of a center for preparing children for school will require at least 500 thousand rubles. This amount includes the registration of a legal entity, the cost of renting a room (the first 2-3 months), the purchase of furniture, teaching materials, staff salaries for the first three months of work (based on 3-4 teachers, a part-time psychologist, an administrator) , minimal advertising costs.

The optimal time for the opening of the center is the beginning of autumn and, oddly enough, May and all the summer months. In summer, it is advisable to offer parents whose children, for some reason, did not attend preparatory classes at school, an express school preparation course that includes the necessary minimum for admission (for example, reading, writing, counting, working with a psychologist).

In winter, there is usually some decline: children miss classes due to illness or because of weather conditions, parents have other expenses, New Year holidays and vacations also do not contribute to the growth in attendance.

If you open your center in April-May (especially if you plan to teach classes on your own and will manage without additional help during the summer) or in September (with a preliminary advertising campaign), by winter you will be able to earn enough money to survive the seasonal downturn. no loss.