Together in class, normal and special: New Town preschool for kids of all abilities
Telegraph | 22 March 2025
There are schools, and then there are schools for special children. But since the special children are also a part of society, should they not go to the same school as others?
This is the thought behind Newtown Daycare, an inclusive preschool-cum-daycare centre in CE Block. It caters to children with special needs as well as the neurotypical. The latter describes individuals whose neurological development and functioning align with societal norms and expectations. It is what laymen call “normal” children.
“I have 32 years of experience as a teacher, and could spot the gap in the facilities for special needs kids. Many schools won’t admit kids with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or chronic epilepsy, and their parents worry that it’s the end of the road for their kids at the very beginning of their lives,” said Sharmili Shah, one of the trustees of the centre. “So in 2023, we began this school in an inclusive pattern.”
The centre has over 100 students, 70 per cent of whom have special needs such as autism, Down syndrome, low social quotient and intellectual disability. The pre-school takes in kids from 1.5years, and from six months for the daycare. Their oldest student is a 13-year-old. “We get calls from as far as Burdwan and Malda. Parents are ready to live in rented flats in New Town so their wards can get some exposure,” said another trustee, Sudip Kundu. “Mothers of special kids are often forced to quit working as hired nannies cannot be trusted with them. But we have CCTV surveillance so parents can watch the kids over the phone any time.”
The third trustee of the centre is Birojit Paul, who is also the chairman and managing trustee of Soulful Steps, a Salt Lake BD Block NGO that works for special needs residents.
Daycare facilities include eating food cooked at the centre, napping, productive activities like dance and music, and various therapies for those who need them. “We have specialists for speech therapy, occupational therapy, and behavioural issues. That way, the kids don’t have to be ferried to yet another location after class,” Shah said. “And there has been great improvement in them. Some kids who would crawl to school initially now walk to their car.”
Besides customised curricula for students, the centre has psychologists who provide parental counselling. “Parents of special children need tremendous patience and cannot lose hope as their vibe rubs off on the child. When I get midnight calls from parents saying their child is tearing and throwing books all over, my first instruction is for the parents to calm down,” said Nivedita Das, head, special education.
Das praises the school’s inclusivity as special children need, not isolation but, socialisation.
Parents are grateful for the facility too. “My five-year-old son Nayan is autistic and we were very disappointed with the playschool we had enrolled him in before. But here he has started making eye contact, writing and we can see growth milestones every day,” said Garima Poddar of Elita Garden Vista. “My advice to other parents is to accept their child’s condition and be positive about it. It’s only then that one can seek solution and treatment.”
Parents who have both neurotypical and special children find it convenient to drop off both their kids at this school together. Das admits that some parents fear their neurotypical children would say, start shouting upon seeing such behaviour in autistic classmates, “but that isn’t necessarily the case. Children are simple at heart and accept everyone for who they are,” she says.
Rumia Mukherjee’s child is neurotypical and she chose this school as she liked its facilities. “I want him to respect peers of all abilities from a young age,” she said.