WE NEED TO MOTIVATE AND INSPIRE EACH OTHER

By Rajesh Ghadge

S a n g i t a ' s h u s b a n d g o t transferred to Pune for official deputation and there she found a new opportunity to become self-reliant. “In Pune, I started working for the Kidzee School that had a Daycare centre. I started developing an interest in this field of work and after one year when we came back to Goa, the concept of daycare school remained interesting to me. Since I too had a toddler, working in the daycare centre in Goa meant that I could take care of my daughter along with the other kids. I joined the Nursery Teachers Training Institute and a Montessori Teacher Training Institute named Bharat Sevak Samaj in Mushtifund High School Panjim where I completed my diploma.” provide a trustworthy and safe environment to the little ones. I also juggle between my home life and career just like any other working woman The toughest challenge faced by me was dealing with the little ones and handling a group of toddlers' needs, was a lot. They really tested my patience and was a real task in the beginning, but now we are at the perfection level and can handle toddlers at ease”. Speaking about dealing with the day-to-day task Sangita said that it is not a job for her as she loves to work with children “Each child's eyes sparkle have something to say. In the same way, all my staff too are passionate and dedicated towards their work. Dealing with students a little more with love and care makes them comfortable with the environment which helps them to gel well and adapt to the school environment faster,” she added.

Sitting idly at home was not a part of Sangita's DNA and she that daycare was the best option to keep herself busy. “During those days there were no daycare units in Mapusa and Thivim area and I grabbed that opportunity and finally after a period of 3-4 months, I s t a r t e d a d a y c a r e & playschool on 29 September 2009. Initially, we had only 14 students enrolled with us and as of now, we have 80 s t u d e n t s e v e r y y e a r associated with us. I am not looking for a big number of students as I want to provide proper care and education making every child a confident and self-dependent child,” she said.

The dream venture of Sangita, Kid's Palace Preschool & Daycare Center started on 29th September 2009 with just a daycare centre that had a common class for all.

A BCom graduate, Sangita had done her diploma in the aviation industry from Frankfinn Institute of Airhostess Training with the dream of flying high in the skies but her father got her married and all those came to a halt. However, she continued to work in the travel field and was a reservation agent at Air Travel Agency. Then she became pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl and that changed her life from a working lady to a busy mom. This may sound like just another story of a woman who in the end settles down in the family giving up all her dreams, but that is not the case here and this story has much more to it so let's look at the journey of Sangita.

Sangita enjoys her work to the core. “Each day is beautiful in the company of the little ones, although I do face problems just like in any other business such as dealing with parents. As we run a daycare too, a few parents take us for granted and treat us like their servants, whereas my whole idea of starting the daycare was to

“We started with a playgroup class for toddlers aged 2 to 6 years. Now we have upgraded from daycare to Preschool and have an activity centre for students in age 2 to 10 years. Other than academics we have extra co-curricular activities available for students such as yoga, gymnastics, singing, dancing abacus, phonics etc. I have faced ups and downs, but I never gave up on anything. It is our duty to take responsibility for taking care of children, inculcating good habits in them and making them selfreliant.”

Sangita relays that many daycare centres had been closed down during Covid but her love for the little ones and p a s s i o n f o r i m p a r t i n g education kept her going during the most challenging times “We had faced a financial crisis during Covid just like any other business. But I kept going constantly working on new ideas to promote online learning and m a k e o n l i n e l e a r n i n g interesting. Students aged 3 to 6 get distracted very quickly so engaging them in an online class was a real issue for us! T h e r e a r e m a n y o t h e r preschools that had asked their staff to leave or take a b r e a k b e c a u s e o f t h e financial crisis but I never laid off a single staff member.. Despite the financial situation during covid, we managed to adjust to the scenario and manage everything the right way. I thank the almighty God a n d m y h u s b a n d f o r supporting me in the toughest times.”

Speaking on future plans, Sangita said that she wants to focus on education of young minds. “I plan to focus on my journey and help these little ones grow into smart and confident children. Looking at the competitive world we need to shape each of our students wisely and into responsible and good human beings. I have found my inner flame and power and I have no intention of letting it go out. As an early childhood educator, I am a member of a beautiful community, that constantly thinks of these young kids and their needs.”

“Looking at the present scenario where nowadays we see one in ten children who are found to be a special child or child with a disability. A special child can be more specified as a hyperactive child, an introvert, or an autistic child. Soon, I would love to work for all children with disabilities or for special children.

Children who have difficulty communicating and caring for themselves are the most likely ones to be out of school, regardless of education level. It's sad that these students are also been excluded from society in a way that no child ever should be. What I believe is exclusion or excluding students with disability is often t h e c o n s e q u e n c e o f invisibility. If we fail to count or consider and consult these children, we are failing to help them to reach their vast potential.”

G i v i n g a m e s s a g e t o e s p e c i a l l y t h e w o m e n , Sangita said, “Every woman has her own skills Every woman is good at something or the other. Women who want to stand strong in life have to mould her future by using her skills and talent. Do not let it go in vain. Make use of the same so that you will never have to look back or depend on anyone else. But while you do this also remember to be grounded and down to earth. Many parents have told me that I inspired them. I'm glad if I have done so but I'm not great. We should motivate and inspire each other to be something in life. Let's do it with a true heart- everyone has to find their own sky which has no limits. Society has set an ideal that a woman can stand on her own feet by taking care of her home and life, taking full advantage of her skills, learning, education and knowledge.”