Dubai: 20,000 children enrolled in 226 early childhood centres

Dubai has more than 20,000 children of 58 different nationalities enrolled in 226 early childhood centres (ECCs) across the city.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority’s (KHDA) Milestones report released on Friday offers in-depth statistics and detailed attributes of Dubai’s private, early childhood education and care sector for the first time. The report said that the pre-schoolers, aged between 45 days and six years, are supported and nurtured by more than 1,300 teachers and 1,900 teaching assistants at ECCs in Dubai.

Parents of young children can choose from 13 different early childhood curricula currently offered by Dubai’s ECCs. Most ECCs offer the Early Years Foundation Stages curriculum, while other options include Montessori, IPC, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and several other curricula. Parents can search for early childhood centres on the KHDA’s digital directory, available through the education regulator’s website and app.

Dr Abdulla Al Karam, director-general of KHDA, said: “Dubai is a future-focused city, and its future lies in cultivating our children’s wellbeing, their sense of wonder and their love of learning. Everyone benefits when every parent of a young child in Dubai has access to high-quality education for their children.

“ECCs benefit from enrolment growth; parents benefit from the peace of mind that their children are being cared for and nurtured; and children benefit from learning and playing in a positive and supportive environment.”

Dr Al Karam added: “We want to build a quality-driven and diverse early childhood education and care sector to encourage even more parents to give their children a happy and beneficial learning experience. We are committed to working with ECCs to grow a world-class sector that will fulfil the hopes of our children, our city, and our nation.”

Numbers speak

Data showed that 70 per cent of children enrolled in Dubai’s private early childhood centres were in the 2-4 age group. It also showed that the emirate’s Jumeirah district had the most ECCs (78), followed by Hadaeq Mohammed Bin Rashid (38) and Deira (25).