Lil Bo Peep - Finnish Early Years Program

We help kids get naughtier!

Early childhood education in India has long been constrained by rigid, prescriptive systems that stifle creativity for both children and educators. We've boldly reimagined this approach by completely eliminating textbooks and embracing 100% activity-based learning. This innovative shift empowers educators to take on role of mentors, guiding children as they explore, experiment, and make mistakes.

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Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Web presence

2021

Established

1.5K

Children

1

Countries

Target group

Students early

Updated

October 2024

We envision a future where every child in India has the opportunity to play, learn, and grow in a nurturing environment. Our system is designed to foster curiosity, emotional resilience, and a strong foundation for lifelong learning. We believe that early childhood education should be about exploration and discovery, free from the pressures of testing, parental expectations and rote learning.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

The traditional schooling system relies on outdated curriculum and textbooks.Expectations from children was to compete and score marks in exams.Children were not involved in the process or joy of learning.Teachers were not updated on the relevant pedagogies or innovating.Teaching was restricted inside a classroom and outdoors was not used.We work on child development through experiential learning.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

We have 30 partner schools,who we support with consultation on Finnish Pedagogy. Our innovative approach to education is built on four pillars: a thoughtfully designed learning environment,a comprehensive, activity based curriculum, ongoing teacher training, and meticulous student observation and assessment. Our Finnish-inspired architecture,developed in collaboration with experts,fosters a stimulating learning atmosphere.Our curriculum,a blend of Finnish ECEC,Montessori,and Reggio Emilia principles,aligns perfectly with India's NEP 2020. Through our teacher training programs,we equip educators with innovative pedagogies and empower them to personalize learning for each child. Our emphasis on detailed documentation for every student enables early identification of learning gaps and fosters strong partnerships with parents. We have a community of our partner schools which interacts periodically to exchange ideas.The handholding and support provided by our team is valued by our partners.

How has it been spreading?

Since our first preschool project in January 2022, we've partnered with 30 schools across India, establishing ourselves as a leading provider of international early childhood education. Our flexible licensing model has enabled us to reach schools in both Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, where we've seen particularly enthusiastic responses from teachers and students who often lack access to quality professional development and international curricula. As the next step in our growth, we've expanded our offerings to include Grades 1 and 2, aligning with the NEP 2020 framework.We have impacted over a hundred teachers and more than 1000 students in this span.Our teacher community meets regularly to showcase successful implementations and discuss the positive changes post implementing Lil Bo Peep.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Before partnering with us, schools must review our partner information document, which outlines essential guidelines for implementing our system. While we have certain non-negotiable requirements, such as space, teacher-student ratios, and teacher qualifications, we offer flexibility in other areas. We encourage interested schools/investors to contact our sales team for an introductory meeting.

Media

https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/is-the-finnish-school-model-gaining-traction-in-india-101653390489576.html

https://indianexpress.com/article/education/is-finnish-teacher-training-model-better-than-indian-system-aap-kejriwal-8436709/

https://expertsearch.businessfinland.fi/#/profile/Ul71GitF?companyName=finland%20education%20hub

https://indianexpress.com/article/education/learning-by-experience-finnish-model-of-education-is-growing-in-india-cbse-icse-ib-7935106/

Finland Education Hub (2022 Winner: CEO of the Year Awards) - APAC Insider

What is the Finnish School System and Why is the AAP Advocating for it?

Is the Finnish school model gaining traction in India? – DW – 05/23/2022

Finland’s big new export to India: Education

Implementation steps

Feasibility Evaluation (Supported or Self evaluated)

We facilitate a 2-day feasibility workshop and visit the school site to review and approve premises/location. As an outcome we will provide client with a written report along with implementation plan, recommended scope of pre-opening services and finalized cost proposal (within the max quoted in the preliminary proposal), and roles and responsibilities of LBP and client.

Academic and Business Planning for New Set Up

We have deep expertise in supporting transformative education initiatives for schools in India. We go beyond traditional educational approach to help schools build capacity and provide opportunities for lifelong learning so that people can gain the skills and capabilities that future workforces will require: Feasibility Assessment
Business Planning (10-year plans)
New School Policy Documentation
Brand & Marketing Support
Recruitment Support (School Leadership & Educators)
Implementation

Architectural Guidance

According to the FNCC for ECEC, “learning environments refer to the facilities, locations, communities, practices, and equipment which support children’s growth, learning and interaction”. Well-functioning and varied learning environments promote interaction, participation and expansion of knowledge. We help you set up a multi-faceted, aesthetic, stimulating but not overtly, safe and functional learning environment.

Support for Marketing & Communications

We support the marketing efforts of the client by co-creating a marketing strategy. Our guidelines will help the school to communicate their offering and its benefits to the target audience, clearly and effectively. We help them create their own branding that is clear, trustworthy and attractive to parents. We support and equip the partner's marketing team from the stage of the school launch until admissions and post opening by providing content, participating in events, webinars and more.

Hiring Support (For School leadership and Main Teachers)

The school culture and well-being lies in the hands of the teachers and the school leadership. We at FEH get deeply involved in the hiring process by providing JD's, filtering resumes, providing interview questions and qualitative and quantitative rubrics, taking interviews and conducting orientation for the entire academic staff. The teachers are facilitators in our system and hence need to come with experience and yet an attitude to unlearn and adapt to the ever changing needs of the child.

Implementation of School Policies, Org Structure and Leadership Training

We provide advice and project management support on:
1) Organizing teaching and learning according to school mission and vision and quality expectations
2) Organizing school operations and administration
3) Recruitment of school leadership and teachers
4) implementing localized aspects with our LBP curriculum
5) setting up the curriculum technology and other tools
6) liaising with architects, construction/renovation companies
7) marketing and parent community

Professional Development

Our PD program spans over an entire year starting with an extensive induction training at the beginning of the academic year, with a dive deep into understanding the essentials of Finnish pedagogy and child development theories and how LBP incorporates the same in the classroom. Learning journals, assignments and review forms are collected to check for understanding and provide feedback. Periodic support calls and a mid year visit irons out creases and provides conceptual clarity at their pace.

Planning for School Launch

Every partner school launch is supported through a strategy, physical visit to support with admissions, provision of marketing collaterals and parent orientation. School launch is an important step that must demonstrate the vision in practice school has for community.

Parental Engagement

The active involvement of parents in the educational process is of significant importance in a child’s overall development. Though a variety of methods used, core focus will be on obtaining parent views and feedback for improvement involving parents in the students’ progress and development in school. Communication and reporting will be handled in person and through our technology.

Hand-holding & Support (10-12 months) (3 Years)

We believe this is our USP, most Indian schools to implement a system like ours require not just extensive training and a year long support and hand-holding that we don't shy away from. Rather, we work closely with all our partner schools post opening to build capacity and ensure they are confident to run the system well by themselves over a period of 2 academic cycles. We focus on continuous improvement in teaching methods and tools, resulting in higher academic standards and results.