A parent opens a childcare app at 9:17 a.m.
There’s a missed notification.
A blurred photo.
A delay in response.
For most industries, this would be a mild CX irritation.
In early childhood education, it triggers fear.
Because when the “customer” is a parent, the real user is a child, and the emotional stakes are absolute.
Unlike e-commerce or fintech, education CX isn’t about convenience alone. It’s about trust under uncertainty, safety without visibility, and communication when anxiety is high. One broken moment doesn’t just impact NPS. It reshapes loyalty, word-of-mouth, and long-term brand belief.
That’s where Sonia Chugh, Founder and Director of Happy Minds International (HMI), operates.
HMI is Built on a High-trust Model
Founded in 2012 and based in Mumbai, Happy Minds International runs multiple early childhood education and full-day childcare centres. Sonia has built HMI on a high-trust CX model—where child safety, transparent parent communication, and global best-practice learning are not features, but fundamentals.
Her work sits at the intersection of Customer Experience (CX) and Employee Experience (EX)—because when educators feel supported, children feel safe, and parents feel heard.
In this CXQuest interview, Sonia unpacks how emotion-led CX design, operational trust, and human-first systems create scalable loyalty in one of the most sensitive service categories imaginable.
Most Surprising Customer Win?
Q1. What customer experience win at Happy Minds surprised you the most—and why did it matter emotionally?
SC: A parent returned almost a decade later and said they wanted admission for their second child at Happy Minds because their first child had such a strong experience. What surprised me even more was that they had chosen to move back closer to our centre because of that trust. Emotionally, it mattered because early childhood care is not a transaction. It becomes part of a family’s daily life, their peace of mind, and their child’s foundation. When someone comes back after ten years, it feels like you have earned a place in their story.
First Time Fear or Hope Parents Bring
Q2. When parents first interact with HMI, what fear or hope are they really bringing with them?
SC: Most parents walk in with one central fear. Will my child be loved and understood the way they are at home. Children are the centre of attention at home, and parents worry that a structured setting might feel cold or impersonal.
Working parents often carry guilt as well. They want to be present professionally, but they also want reassurance that they are not compromising on emotional safety. Alongside that is a clear hope. That their child will become more independent, develop routines, build social confidence, and gain age appropriate skills.
Some parents also come with specific concerns around social comfort, communication, attention, or learning readiness. Their hope is that we will support improvement gently, without pressure or comparison.
Q3. How do you define “trust” as a CX outcome in early childhood education?
SC: Trust is when parents genuinely believe that every decision we take is in the best interest of their child. You see it when the relationship shifts from constant checking to true partnership.
It also shows through the child’s behaviour. When children enter willingly, settle into their day, connect with educators, and feel emotionally secure, it is the clearest feedback we can receive in this age group. Parents often tell us their child talks about school at home or misses it on weekends, and that is a very real indicator of trust.
Highest Emotional Risk in the Parent Journey
Q4. What moments in the parent journey carry the highest emotional risk—and how do you design for them?
SC: 1. The first drop offs and the settling phase
This is one of the most emotionally loaded moments for parents. Even a little crying can feel overwhelming. We design this phase with structure, patience, and transparency. We set expectations upfront, explain the typical settling stages, and keep communication clear so parents do not feel uncertain about what their child is experiencing.
2. When a child is unwell or gets hurt
Nothing tests trust faster. We invest heavily in prevention through safety focused infrastructure and strict supervision practices. We also follow a clear sick child policy so illness is handled consistently and responsibly, protecting the unwell child and the wider group. If an incident occurs, we focus on fast action and direct communication so parents know what happened, what support was given, and what we are monitoring.
Q5. How does transparent communication change parent behavior, not just satisfaction scores?
SC: Transparent communication reduces anxiety, which changes how parents engage. When parents understand what is happening and why, they stop second guessing every small decision and start collaborating with us. It also improves continuity at home, because parents can reinforce routines and learning when they have real visibility into the child’s day.
Role of EX in Child-centric CX Delivery
Q6. What role does employee experience play in delivering consistent child-centric CX?
SC: Children respond to energy and emotional steadiness. If educators feel supported and valued, they can show up with patience, warmth, and presence every day. If a team feels stressed or unseen, consistency becomes difficult.
That is why we prioritise staff wellbeing, training, and a sense of belonging. We also give educators autonomy within clear accountability, because child centric decisions often need to be made in the moment.
Q7. How do you train educators to deliver emotional intelligence, not scripted service?
SC: We develop real capability rather than scripts. Many of our educators are parents themselves, which helps them relate deeply to both children and parents. We also have trained psychologists and senior mentors who run regular sessions on topics like separation anxiety, emotional regulation, conflict between children, and empathetic parent conversations.
The goal is simple. Educators should respond with judgment and care, not pre written lines.
How to Maintain Safety and Consistency During Scaling Up
Q8. What operational systems help you maintain safety and consistency as you scale centres?
SC: Scaling works when transparency is built into the system. We rely on clear processes, strong documentation, and technology that helps track the child’s journey, routines, communication, and progress. This makes operations easier to monitor and improve across centres, while keeping the experience consistent.
Q9. How do you balance personalization with standardization in a scalable education CX model?
SC: We standardise the non negotiables such as safety, hygiene, core routines, and learning goals. Personalisation comes in how we deliver them, based on each child’s temperament and pace. Educators have autonomy to adapt while staying transparent and accountable. That balance protects quality without losing individuality.
Q10. What CX metrics matter more than NPS when the end-user cannot speak for themselves?
SC: In early years, behaviour is the most honest metric. Does the child come in willingly. Does settling improve over time. Is the child engaged, comforted, and connected to educators. You also see it in appetite, sleep comfort, participation, and emotional regulation.
For parents, the meaningful measures are quality of communication, visible developmental progress, and signs of emotional wellbeing at home. Parents become the translators of the child’s experience, so their observations carry real weight.
How to Handle CX Failures
Q11. How do you handle CX failures when trust—not convenience—is at risk?
SC: We respond with speed, honesty, and accountability. When trust is at stake, parents want clarity, not delay. We share what happened, what action was taken immediately, and what preventive changes are being implemented. We also invite dialogue early, because rebuilding trust requires parents to feel heard and respected.
Q12. What hard CX-cost trade-offs have you made to protect long-term trust?
SC: We choose quality even when it increases cost. Maintaining strong educator to child ratios is one of the biggest examples, because it directly impacts safety, attention, and emotional security. We also invest in systems that strengthen transparency and consistency. These choices protect long term trust, which is the most valuable asset in childcare.
Q13. How do you see technology supporting—not replacing—human-led CX in education?
SC: Technology should reduce uncertainty and improve clarity. Tools like live visibility and real time updates help parents feel connected and reassured. Operationally, tech helps document care, track routines, and maintain consistency. But the heart of the experience remains human, the educator’s presence, warmth, and relationship with the child.
CX Lessons from Early Childhood Education
Q14. What CX lessons from early childhood education should other industries learn from?
SC: Trust is built through transparency and consistency, not grand promises. Patience matters because fear does not respond to speed, it responds to reassurance. An open door approach prevents small concerns from becoming big problems. When the stakes are emotional, clarity and care outperform convenience.
Q15. If you were designing Happy Minds from scratch today, what CX principle would you protect at all costs?
SC: Kids first, always. Every decision should pass one test. Is this in the best interest of the child’s safety, emotional wellbeing, and development. If you protect that principle, trust follows naturally, culture becomes stronger, and growth becomes sustainable in the right way.
Not All Customer Experiences Are Equal
This conversation with Sonia Chugh reminds us that not all customer experiences are equal.
Some CX journeys carry wallets.
Others carry hearts.
In early childhood education, trust is the product, communication is the differentiator, and employee experience is the delivery engine. Sonia’s work at Happy Minds International shows how emotion-first CX design can scale without losing soul.
For CX leaders navigating healthcare, education, BFSI, or any high-stakes service environment, the lessons are clear:
Trust compounds faster than discounts
EX is not a support function—it’s a CX multiplier
Transparency reduces anxiety before it increases loyalty
Explore more leadership insights across CXQuest hubs like CX Strategy, Employee Experience, and AI in CX, and discover how human-centered design drives durable growth.
Because in the most important journeys, experience isn’t remembered—it’s felt.
