The void
When my children were growing up, I realized the need and importance of an activity centre to cater to all their necessities. Having no option, I was compelled to go from one centre to the other, in a bid to fulfill my needs. Besides, there was no counselling sessions to make me understand what my child liked and what she was interested in. So it was a call I had to take simply based on my intuitions and careful observation of my child.
But obviously, I was not a trained counsellor at that time. The lack of a formal child counsellor who would advise me about the child’s abilities as well as the classes that were required for her actually inspired me to open an institute, through which I would offer the parent a counselling session, a biometric test to understand the learning styles of each child, and the pros and cons of the different areas of child development. For example, if the child is prone to throwing temper tantrums, a class to cool down his temperament is suggested, such as a yoga class. If the child is hyperactive, an attention-spanner class is the need of the hour. So child counselling entails these fundamental elements, which I sadly didn’t receive when my children were at that stage.
Bridging the gap
As a parent, I also felt a huge need of a multi-activity centre like Wings to offer all pre-school services under one roof. Well maintained and safe, it also boasts of a day-care facility where the busy parents can keep their child in case they have some urgent work. We provide healthy food and milk too to make sure the child is comfortable and happy in the span of time they spend with us.
Every day, after work I would have to sit with my child with their homework. There was no institute to take care of this as well as ensure holistic development. This was under reason that prompted me to give light to Wings, as a one-stop solution for every parent. In addition to the basic pre-school needs, we also offer niche services like speech therapy, nutritionist and physiotherapy. Our centre also caters to the needs of special children. The whole idea is to give any parent the best-possible services under one umbrella as well as focus on the holistic development of all the children.
Strong collaborations
When my children were growing up, another challenge I faced was not finding good institutions offering pertinent tie-ups and collaborations, to facilitate their well-rounded development. So, as part of Wings, I wanted to provide the youngsters with the advantages of these affiliations.
As a credible institution, Wings is affiliated to some of the top institutes in Kolkata. Some of the world-class, and sometimes, even international collaborations we offer include theatre classes with Helen O’Grady, learning chess with the best teachers and even skating lessons. In fact, we have collaborated with the West Bengal Association for skating, chess and taekwondo – we provide not only learning from the best but also recognized certificates for the children. These go a long way in strengthening the CV of the little ones.
The importance of communication
Another major challenge I faced as a parent was that, as children my daughters studied in all-girls schools. I always felt there was a need for social communication with the opposite gender, especially in the learning system. Before Wings, there were very few options of co-education schools in the city.
We promote healthy interactions in our classes, for all children, irrespective of their gender. This co-education is a vital aspect of character-building while emphasizing on the importance of respecting and listening to members of the opposite sex.
Neeta Kanoria
Founder and Principal of Wings
