Founder’s Message

I gained an insight into the Montessori teaching methodology while pursuing my teacher’s training course in 1960.  Thereafter, I was inducted as an educator at St. Xavier’s High School (Mirzapur, Ahmedabad) where I worked for over a decade.  The valuable experience that I gained there is what built my confidence and paved the foundation to go ahead and follow my dream of founding Thumbelina Nursery & K.G. School in 1974.

At Thumbelina, children have always been the primary focus. I believe that all children deserve love, attention and nurturing. To ensure parity in their ability to grasp what is taught, children are sorted according to their age and then allocated to a class. To foster age appropriate development, they are encouraged to have hands-on learning experiences. I believe that positive reinforcement is important for children to develop self-esteem. I believe happiness can be imparted only by those who are in the first place… happy themselves! Therefore, while appointing educators, I take utmost care in ensuring that they come from happy families, over and above possessing a good command over English and display lots of love & patience while handling children. All our educators are mentored in-house. To allow children to explore and grow, I believe what children need is an environment that’s safe, supports free expression and stimulates learning. Most importantly, however, I believe that children need to have fun!

Our goal at Thumbelina is not only to lay a firm academic foundation in children and prepare them to face interviews of bigger schools, but also to inculcate in them good manners, a good value system and build an awareness towards personal hygiene through telling them “moral” stories and role plays.

Thumbelina offers assistance in organising van/rickshaw pick-up & drop-off facilities for children through independent transport operators. We recognize the importance of work, and the stress and demands placed on you as parents and therefore have designed our curriculum in a manner such that your children won’t feel the need to be additionally coached at home. We strive to make it easier on parents by giving them the knowledge that their children are in good hands.

Over the years, Thumbelina has established itself as an institution respected for imparting quality education at the kindergarten level. It is a matter of great satisfaction and pride to know that children who have done their kindergarten schooling from Thumbelina are welcomed with open arms in all the well-known full-fledged schools of Ahmedabad. While being conferred with the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by Eklavya Education Foundation in 2009 reaffirms the merit of my work in the field of education, it would not have been possible without the wholehearted support of my team of teachers.

In a few more years, Thumbelina will be taking in it’s third generation of students. Come by for a tour and experience the difference we make!