Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, is a group of seven islands on India's west coast. One of the most populous cities of the world, Mumbai was originally home to fishing communities. Formerly ceded to the Portuguese and then to Charles II of England when he married a Portuguese princess, the city was named Bombay by the British East India Company and renamed Mumbai in 1996.

In India, pre-primary education is not a fundamental right; thus a low percentage of children receive preschool education. Kindergartens are divided into two stages — lower (LKG for children aged 3-4) and upper (UKG for children aged 4-5). Recently playschool and nursery sections have become part of urban preprimary schools, serving children as young as two. In urban areas, where sufficient numbers of children are available within a reasonable radius, separate nursery schools may be provided. A few nursery classes are attached to junior basic or primary schools. While kindergarten in rural areas is free and paid for by the government, most schools in urban India receive no subsidy or governmental funding. Parents pay variable fees and the expense of running a preschool rests on the owner.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) provides support and technical assistance to a number of schools in India and oversees many aspects of enforcement of education policies, especially to government-run institutions. NCERT applies guidelines uniformly for all schools, including privately-owned preschools.

In 1927, Sheth Anandilal Podar, an eminent Mumbai-based businessman, with interests in cotton mills, founded the Podar Group of Schools, and Mahatma Gandhi served as the first President of the Anandilal Podar Trust. "What started as a single institution is today a multi-school, multi-city, multi-brand entity, ambitiously executing a growth strategy with an emphasis on global standards" (www.podar.org/history.html).

Podar Jumbo Kids (PJK) was launched in 2000, after trustees decided to establish a preschool, global in its format and curriculum, but local in its philosophy. At the time most preschools used formal teaching methods, although a few were making waves by using the international playway method as well as international curricula and toys.

Swati Popat Vats, a well-known educator, parenting professional, and author of several books was hired to administer the school. She coined the term Kiducation. "Kiducation is all about education where the child's all around developmental interests are kept at the forefront. In India preschools are considered nothing more than stepping stones for high school education and parental mindsets were fixed on written work and tests. We tried to create a metamorphosis in the way preschools were perceived." Podar Jumbo Kids utilizes a simultaneous, three-pronged approach of parent, child, and teacher.

The parent: Staff worked to change parental mindsets through workshops. "A session of 'Sing-Along-With-Mummy' was crafted so that parents — mostly mothers — came to have fun, interactive sessions with their child."

The child: PJK offered a child-centric curriculum that was playpositive as well as play oriented, to reduce a child's learning stress while satisfying parental academic concerns.

The teacher: A one year diploma was crafted so that teachers could take pride in their work, but also reorient themselves with a more developmental perspective. For the first time perhaps, teachers were taught to reason and question any new/old idea before applying it in the classroom.

Vats used Montessori's techniques and books but added other educational approaches:

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