What’s best for my child? School or Nursery?

Sponsored: Over the years, countless parents have asked me about the difference between a young child going to school early or staying on at nursery. Having worked in both school early years departments and nursery settings, I can say with confidence that it really does depend on the approaches favoured and whether the environment is one that is enabling.

Some of the benefits of young children staying on at nursery include:

• A smaller environment – this often means that all the staff know your child and are more familiar with your child’s needs. The space often feels more like home and is less overwhelming for your little one.
• A team of qualified Early Years Educators – in the UAE, nursery teachers are required to hold early years specific professional qualifications that cover both early childhood education and care. This means they understand child development in the 0-5 age range and are also familiar with balancing education and care routines for a holistic approach to learning and development. Even Teaching Assistants in nurseries must be degree holders or have significant experience working with young learners.

• A personalised approach – the curriculum, events and approaches can often be amended or adapted to meet the emerging needs of children quickly and in line with the best interests of young children. This makes soft starts and settling in sessions easy to accommodate.
• Stringent health, safety and hygiene protocols – the requirements for Early Childhood Centres in the UAE are particularly stringent and nurseries are inspected on a very regular basis by the KHDA and other regulatory bodies without warning or notice. This means that nurseries must also ensure compliance to maintain positive inspection reports.

• Purpose designed to meet care needs – this includes separate facilities for sleep times, nappy changing units and designated food preparation areas. Furthermore, CCTV is a requirement throughout nursery buildings.
• Low adult to child ratios – In Pre-Kindergarten/Foundation Stage 1 the ratio of adults to children is 1:8 to ensure that young children get the care and attention they need to thrive at nursery.

Jade Peter-Swain- Group Director

Visit the website to learn more: www.stepbystepnursery.ae