Beyond the awards, Raj joined the panel ‘Goodbyes, screens and raising kids in between’, a conversation on parents drop-off guilt, screen time and the things parents don’t see, alongside Dr Meghna Singhal, clinical psychologist, and Preksha Joshi, optometrist at Titan Eye+, moderated by MomJunction’s editor. Drawing on more than a decade of watching thousands of morning goodbyes across its centres, Raj spoke about what actually happens in the ten minutes after a parent walks away, why he built the network around the gaps he saw as a parent himself, the one red flag that should make any parent walk straight out of a childcare centre, and how transparency, including live CCTV access, changes the emotional maths of leaving a child at the centre.
“Guilt at the gate is a sign of care, not evidence of harm,” said Raj Singhal, Founder and CEO, Footprints Preschool & Daycare. “What parents need is not reassurance; it is visibility: to see what is taught, how it is taught and by whom. Mom creators have become the most trusted voices in that conversation because they speak from lived experience, and I was glad to recognise Ragendu KR, Hema Gayatri, Sulata Mitra, and Nikita Gupta, four creators making education and parenting more honest and more accessible for families. That is exactly the conversation the organisation was built to have.”
The ‘Best Education Content Mom Creator’ award recognises creators making early learning and child development more accessible to parents; the ‘Best Parenting Coach’ award recognises those guiding families through the everyday realities of raising young children; the ‘Best Lifestyle Mom creator’ award recognises creators providing tips on motherhood, parenting, and family life. All the awards align with the organisation’s own emphasis on parent engagement and informed early-years choices.
The partnership continues the network’s focus on Bengaluru, where the network recently opened centres inside Bagmane Tech Park and RMZ Eco World, one of the city’s largest tech parks. Placing a preschool and childcare centre inside a campus rather than near it means a parent’s child is a short walk from their desk, visible on their phone through live CCTV, and reachable within minutes. The centre also gives companies in and around the park a ready route to childcare compliance under the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017, which requires establishments with 50 or more employees to provide childcare access, an area where the network already partners with 110+ corporates across India.
Founded by IIT-IIM alumni in 2013, Footprints is a preschool and childcare network trusted by 65,000+ parents and 110+ leading corporates, with 240+ centres across 30+ cities. It follows the HighScope curriculum and is known for its transparency-first approach, including AI-integrated live CCTV access for parents, 100% female staff and safety-by-design centres.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
First Published: Oct 05 2026 | 12:16 PM IST
