From Stethoscopes to Storybooks

Dr. Alefia Poonawala traded medicine for little minds — and built a 17-year-old preschool along the way.

She wanted to be a doctor since the 8th grade. She became one. She loved medicine. And then, after years of studying and hard work, she chose to walk away from it.

Not because she had stopped loving medicine.

But because motherhood made her discover another calling.

Meet Dr. Alefia Poonawala, the woman behind Creative Kids, a preschool that has now been nurturing young minds for 17 years. For Alefia, the story began when she had her own child. She wanted to be around him more, spend time with him and be actively involved in his growth and development. Somewhere along the way, that personal desire evolved into a professional calling. And Creative Kids was born. It wasn't an overnight success.

In fact, Alefia's journey of Creative Kids started 26 years ago, long before Creative Kids became the preschool it is today. She initially began by conducting evening extracurricular classes from her home. She also organised numerous field trips because she strongly believed that real-life learning was far more beneficial for children — and that experiences stayed with them much longer than lessons confined to a classroom.

From those humble beginnings, the journey gradually grew. Alefia then moved into a space at Akshara Library in Colaba, where she continued developing her approach to learning and working with children. Eventually, Creative Kids evolved into the school it is today.

People around her couldn't quite understand the decision. After all, she had studied medicine, completed her MBBS and invested years of effort into becoming a doctor. Why would someone make such a dramatic career switch?

Alefia, however, didn't see it as a dramatic switch.

She simply found something she loved.

“I enjoy teaching so much and spending time with kids,” she says. And when you genuinely enjoy what you do, perhaps the difficult days don't feel quite as difficult.

Today, she describes Creative Kids as “my own baby.”

And much like raising a child, building the preschool required patience, constant learning and the willingness to adapt.

Alefia didn't simply decide to become a teacher and start teaching.

She went back to learning.

Along with her MBBS, she completed a Diploma in Early Childhood Education (ECE) and went on to pursue a wide range of courses and programmes, including Handwriting Without Tears, School Is Cool, Make My Connection, Jolly Phonics, Hands on Babies, Hands of Discovery and the Mother Goose programme, among others.

She also explored fitness programmes and several international early-childhood education programmes.

And then came the most important classroom of all — real life.

With approximately 26 years of experience around babies and young children, Alefia believes that observing children, understanding them and learning what works is as valuable as any textbook.

Every entrepreneur has someone who believes in them before everyone else does.

For Alefia, that person was her husband.

He encouraged her to take risks, supported her decisions and helped make things possible when opportunities came along. His support gave her the confidence to keep moving forward, even when stepping outside her comfort zone wasn't easy.

Because Alefia openly admits that she likes being comfortable.

But comfort and growth, she discovered, don't always go hand in hand.

“To grow, you have to get uncomfortable, take challenges and do things differently.”

That perhaps sums up her entrepreneurial journey better than anything else.

Ask Alefia what makes teaching young children special and her answer isn't about curriculum, qualifications or career opportunities.

It's about the children.

“Every day is super fun. Kids are so loving, you forget everything when you are with them.”

And that joy is perhaps what has kept her going for nearly two decades.

Alefia also believes that teaching is one of those professions that will always have a place in society. With international schools continuing to grow, she sees increasing opportunities for trained teachers and educators.

For those starting a family, she also believes education can offer a relatively manageable career path, with shorter working hours and school holidays.

But there is one important qualification that no institution can hand you:

You have to genuinely love children.

For anyone considering a career in early childhood education, Alefia's advice is to get professionally trained.

She recommends exploring courses in Early Childhood Education and Montessori, either online or in person. Some of the institutions and programmes she recommends aspiring educators explore include Mumbai Teachers' Training College, Colaba; Shiksha by Gilda Mathews; Montessori courses at RTI; New Zealand Tertiary College; and the DSB Teachers Training Course.

And these are just a starting point. According to Alefia, there are many new programmes and specialised courses available today for those who want to build a career in teaching and early childhood education.

But qualifications alone won't make someone a great teacher.

Passion will.

“It's a very, very good profession if you love kids,” Alefia says.

Her own journey is proof.

She started with a medical degree, became a mother, followed an unexpected instinct, started with evening classes from her home, gradually moved into a space at Akshara Library in Colaba, and eventually built a school that has now been nurturing children for years

Today, after Creative Kids first began, it is not just a preschool.

It's the result of one woman's willingness to ask herself a difficult question:

What if my real calling isn't the one I planned for?

And perhaps that's the most valuable lesson Dr. Alefia Poonawala has for the next generation — don't be afraid to change direction. Learn continuously. Take chances. Get uncomfortable. Find what you love, and then have the patience to build it, one step at a time.

Because sometimes the most successful career isn't the one you planned at 18.

It's the one you have the courage to create.