(A leadership story by Dr. Santoshi Singh)
When I first ventured into early childhood education more than 18 years ago, I had a simple dream: to create a learning space where young children feel seen, safe, and valued — beyond worksheets or rote routines. Over time, that dream grew. It evolved from one preschool classroom into a thriving brand and then into a mission: mentoring educators nationwide. This is the story of how I, Dr. Santoshi Singh, moved from dream to impact in the field of early childhood care and education (ECCE).
The Early Spark: Why Early Childhood Care Mattered
From my days as a teacher and curriculum developer, I saw how profoundly the early years shape a child’s future. The brain is rapidly developing; the social-emotional foundations are laid; learning attitudes are formed. I believed then as I do now that high-quality early childhood care is not a luxury, but a necessity.
The first leap I made was founding a preschool brand rooted in respectful pedagogy, play-based learning and mindful teacher-child relationships. This was not simply “setting up a school” it was about embedding values, designing environments, and empowering educators to become facilitators of growth rather than mere instructors.
Founding the Preschool Brand: Vision Meets Execution
With clarity of purpose, I launched my first centre under the brand that would grow into a multi-location preschool network. We built classrooms that were bright, safe, and inviting with age-appropriate zones for play, exploration and social interaction. Our curriculum combined child-led activity, meaningful scaffolding and opportunities for emotional-wellbeing.
But vision alone wasn’t enough. Leadership meant rolling up my sleeves and addressing operational realities: recruiting the right educators, designing training modules, establishing systems for assessment and feedback, and ensuring parent partnership. Every week for the first two years, I visited classrooms, held reflective sessions with teachers, observed learning moments, and iterated the design.
Leadership in these early years taught me that “brand building” in early childhood care is less about glitzy marketing and more about consistency, authenticity and relationships. When children thrive, when teachers feel empowered and supported the brand voice emerges organically.
Scaling Up: From One Centre to a National Vision
Once the first two centres were stable and thriving, I realised we had a replicable, high-quality model one that could serve more children, engage more educators and influence the sector. That’s when I shifted from “founder of a preschool” to “edupreneur and mentor of early childhood education”.
Scaling meant new challenges: standardising quality without stifling individuality; training educators across locations; maintaining culture when centres multiplied; ensuring each child’s experience felt personal, even in a network. It meant building systems teacher-training modules, leadership pipelines, mentorship frameworks, community of practice and then stepping into the role of leader-mentor.
In this phase, I began to travel, speak at conferences, design workshops for educators, and partner with institutions across India. My mission: not just to run schools, but to mentor educators to run schools well, to raise the bar of early childhood care, and to create a ripple effect far beyond my own classrooms.
Mentoring Educators Nationwide: Impact Beyond My Own Brand
Today, mentoring has become the heart of my leadership story. I conduct workshops for early childhood teachers, school leaders and aspiring edupreneurs. I guide educators in adopting play-based, brain-aware, emotionally-rich pedagogies. I support school owners in designing nurturing environments, building empowered teams and evolving their culture.
One of the most fulfilling aspects: seeing teachers I trained become leaders themselves, launching their own learning centres, influencing children and communities. The brand I once founded remains a hub, but the influence now spreads across networks, cities and states. My story has become less about the preschool I started and more about the educators I empower.
Leadership Lessons Learned: Tips for Aspiring Edupreneurs
From my journey, here are five leadership lessons I’ve learned and now share with the educators and entrepreneurs I mentor:
- Start with the child-experience, not the brand. If classrooms are warm, relational and growth-oriented, everything else follows.
- Empower your educators. Invest in training, reflect together, encourage voice and agency because they are the change-agents.
- Build replicable systems without losing heart. As you scale, codify your pedagogy, operations and culture but maintain personal connection.
- Champion emotional and mental wellbeing. Learning isn’t just cognitive it’s emotional, relational, social. Good early childhood care addresses the whole child.
- Mentorship expands impact. When you help others lead, your influence multiplies beyond your immediate centre or brand.
From Dream to Impact: What’s Next?
What began as a single preschool has grown into a movement of mentors and educators. Going forward, I’m focusing on enabling networks of early childhood centres, creating mentor-led community platforms, and bridging research-practice gaps in early childhood care. I’m excited about collaborating with partners, training more educators, influencing policy and continuing the journey of impact.
I invite you whether you’re a teacher, a centre-owner, a parent or simply someone passionate about early childhood care to join this mission. Together, we can transform more childhoods, strengthen communities and build a future where every young learner thrives.
Conclusion
My journey from the dream of an inviting preschool classroom, to founding a brand, to mentoring an entire network of educators has taught me that real impact takes time, heart and purpose. Leadership in early childhood care is not just about running centres: it’s about nurturing people, building culture and enabling others to lead. I hope that by sharing my story, I inspire educators and edupreneurs to dream boldly, lead thoughtfully and impact deeply. If you’re ready to join this journey, explore the resources, connect with me, and let’s make a difference together.
