Temple Tree Preschool and Kindergarten - Chennai

While we were on a lookout for a playschool for my daughter, we simply entered temple tree without having heard any review about it. We liked the school ambience and approach very much in the first visit itself.

Our daughter has been in temple tree from July 2012, when she was 20 months old. In a span of five months she has found a place for herself in the school and is quite independent now. she is excited by all the activities in school

The best part about this school is that they let the kids to explore and learn. a)When its story time, they let the kids flip through the pages of the book and allow them to interpret it their own way.
b)They take them out to nature walks, aquarium, home garden. During Navratri they also went for a "golu" visit. Learning comes naturally which is so beautiful.
c)They celebrate all festivals at school and kids carry the festive mood home. They made small ganpathis for vinayak chathurthi, diyas for diwali etc.

Reports at the end of each term are so specific and clear. Its helpful for the parents to identify the areas of improvement for the kid.

We are really glad that our kid is a part of temple tree family.

My daughter has been going to Temple Tree for 6 months now and it is her home away from home!
When you experience Temple Tree, as a parent, you realize a couple of things
(a) this is not a commercial or a money-making initiative (b) you feel 100% safe and secure when your child goes to this school (c) you wish you could re-create the TT atmosphere at home for your child (d) the teachers are all professionals and know what they are talking about (e) Whatever else you are doing as a parent, right or wrong , you have picked a GREAT school.
The timings are excellent for a pre-schooler (and moms); 9 to 12; a wonderful three hours of learning. The school serves a wholesome snack around 11 which is more like a nutritious meal in itself. Hear the menu and you'll wish they send some food back for you!

Children are encouraged to say ‘grace’ before their meal-time, serve each other and are given homely food without processed ingredients or sugar. Little things like the school insisting that we send home-made sweets as opposed to candy on their birthdays impressed me. They encourage outdoor play including the sandpit. So far my daughter has been on several nature walks including a trip to the aquarium and even an organic home terrace.
Her school environment has played a large role in encouraging her to eat by herself and stop using diapers. She has learnt a lot of new songs, both in Tamil and English and has celebrated every festival as the school encourages a very secular atmosphere!
She is genuinely fond of her teachers and I can see that they genuinely look out for their kids too.
The small student teacher ratio ensures that every child gets individualized attention. The feedback and reviews shared with parents are well-observed and presented. They wrote a lovely report on my daughter after her first term, the presentation of which was unique. My mother-in-law who has been in the field of education for 30+ years often comments on what a good choice we have made for our child.
From what I have observed, all the children in this school come from well educated but down-to-earth families. Everything the school does has a touch of class!
I highly recommend this school and think the world of Nandini and her team. It is no surprise that the school has 100% positive reviews because honestly, I can't really think of anything the folks at Temple Tree do wrong.
Honestly, this review has been difficult for me to write because my husband and I are moving abroad soon and our daughter has only one more term in this wonderful school. As excited as I am about moving, I feel very sad at taking her away from her lovely school family.
I only pray and hope that when we return, Nandini would have extended her preschool and kindergarten to higher classes and my daughter will go back where she belongs 

I had put my son here very young(2 years) and feel very convinced and secured to have put him here.Naindhnee who runs the school is very approachable ,efficient and caring . I am very happy with this school and I can see great changes in my Son .He is able to eat independently without any mess , and morover he voices his thoughts very clear which I attribute to Temple tree for all the grooming.

While I was searching for school for my 2.5 year old kid, I happen to see the review and fixed an appointment with Nandhini.. In my first meeting with Nandhini, I got a strong feeling that my child will be in safe hands. Very approachable and knowledgable.

Temple tree stands apart in multiple aspects
1. They value each child
2. Lowest student-teacher ratio, they dont run the school as a business.
3. Staff quite approachable
4. Lot of care in preparing food for the child, was really amazed when Nandhini said that they use palm sugar to prepare food instead of white sugar.
5. They are not in a hurry to dump things into the child's brain.
5. Seeking feedback from parents frequently on child's behaviour at home.
6. Explaning the philosophy behind their curricullum to parents

Our child wants to go to school even when he is sick, that explains the experience he has at school, its more like a second home for him.

In short I would say kids having temple tree as their first Preschool will have a great feeling about "school" in future

During my search for a suitable school for my daughter, i happened to visit temple tree and Nandini.

There are many reasons why we liked the school and the staffs.

1. a very genuine thought behind the school. when our kids get the opportunity to mingle with such staffs with attitude, it becomes a blessing.
2. they are very Responsible when they accept they will admit a child.
3. they are not in a hurry to accommodate many kids.
4. they talk to the parents to know what is our need. they see if our needs will fit into their methodology. which can never be expected from any big school.
5. the aroma of the food, is the best of my experience when i was in the school. no child will deny to eat with such an offering.
6. gentle service staffs who clean the equipments daily to ensure every child receives it clean each day.
7. they have the methodolgy of montessori and waldorf which i liked.
8. most importantly a safe, spacious, hygenic and pressure free place.
9. its a must for me to mention that Nandini is very approachable, knowledgeable and her experience with KFI is clearly seen.

I would definitely recommend temple tree for like minded parents. while education in chennai seems to me business minded, such genuine schools have to be supported.


Visalakshi.

Well i was looking for a good pre-school in the neighborhood and Temple Tree for me was an amazing find. Me and and my husband were very impressed when we visited the school. The environment is neat, they provide children with healthy food and snacks, children help each other without any probe from the teacher and most of all limited number of kids so that there's good amount of attention given to each child.

We've put our son there and are very happy to see the way he's shaping up.. It's more like a second home to him than a school.

Our daughter goes to Temple Tree. We feel privileged that such a school exists in our city. The first school of a child is so very important - we believe these early years lay the foundation for a child's personality, attitude, confidence..

My wife and myself checked out various schools in the city but we couldn't find a single one which could be a match to the KFI educational system which we so strongly value. Finally we found Temple Tree and we saw it fitted the bill perfectly.

The best part is that in the last few months our daughter has developed phenomenally as a person, and we give credit in a large part to Temple Tree for that!

Milind Jadhav

My daughter and son go to Temple Tree and my husband and I are convinced that it is the best decision we took. My daughter previously went to Nandini's home school and we were thrilled when she decided to set up a school.
What we appreciate about Temple Tree is
1. Its home-school feel with few students.
2. The fresh nutritious food -- soup and sandwich, raagi kanji, khichdi -- that children learn to appreciate and enjoy during snack time.
3. The emphasis on nature trips.
4. The openness to embrace the best practices of various schools of thoughts (Montessori and Steiner)
I do wholeheartedly recommend the school to prospective parents.
Anu

My daughter goes to temple tree and she is happy there from day one. No hang ups at all. Everyone is very caring there and wish more and more kids benefit by these sort of environments.

As someone who was involved in organizing help with some content for the earlier school run by Nandini, the promoter of Temple Tree Pre-school, I know that this is a vastly different pre-school from any other in Chennai. Most important, the staff members don't think they have figured out solutions for all the issues concerning pre-school education. They are open-minded, curious and learning. Highly recommended.

My child went to Temple Tree's prequel homeschool in the last academic year. My experience was very positive.

In my view, a toddler school should necessarily provide the parent with the confidence that
(i) the child is safe and secure in the school's hands,
(ii) the child's mind / brain is allowed to evolve at the child's own preferred speed,
(iii) the child is exposed to a variety of activities,
(iv) the child is not couped-up in a small space with several fellow children to deal with,
(v) the child is periodically exposed to outdoor / nature activities,
(vi) the child gets simple, nutritious food and learns to eat by himself / herself, and
(vii) last but not the least, there is goodness in the school's staff.
I was lucky to have all of these for my child.

As a parent, I am very glad that a regular school with such features is now available to Chennaites. With KFI having closed down its kindergarten, Temple Tree is perhaps the best holistic toddler school option in Chennai.

Vaideesh