Finally! Dubai Nurseries Begin to Reopen
After a seven month wait, nurseries in Dubai have begun to reopen. Rather than a blanket start date nurseries are receiving permission to reopen one by one, based upon a successful Ministry of Education inspection. We will continue to update this feature as we reach new milestones on the slow return to normalcy in the early years education sector.
Finally! Dubai Nurseries Begin to Reopen
By Jenny Mollon
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LET'S GO
Nurseries in Dubai are once again busy with the sounds of happy children as they begin to receive their permissions to reopen. This long-awaited moment hasn’t been one single event as nurseries are subject to a final, one by one inspection before being given their individual permission to reopen.
At Future International Nursery in Al Warqa, which reopened this week, Director Hala Adel told our team that she “almost can’t describe” the feeling of children being back in her nursery. Mrs Adel went on to say that,
“After weeks of preparation, we are delighted to be welcoming children back and we are very excited that our classrooms are beaming with life and laughter once again. We have waited so long to welcome our children, this moment is a very special one”.
One of the first nurseries to reopen was Creative Nest Nursery in Al Mizhar, where Principal Zeena Assam praised the nursery community for making the first day a great success…
“It was a fabulous first day! Parents were cooperative, children were excited, drop off and pick up was smooth, and everyone adapted to our safe operating procedures. Staff and families have a shared responsibility to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of the community by adhering to the protocols, and it was a great start!” Zeena Assam, Creative Nest Nursery
Nurseries are, of course, subject to stringent health and safety requirements, one of these being that they are only permitted to open to 50% capacity. For Monica Valrani, CEO of Ladybird Nursery and Early Learning Centre, none of the restrictions could diminish they joy of her and her team to be back with their children.
“Seeing the children walk through the doors after 7 months brought tears to our eyes. It was one of the most special moments in my 20+ years of being an educator. Being in one of the largest early years settings in the world allowed us to bring in social distancing measures like none other and providing our parents with the comfort in bringing their children back to a safe and secure environment."
At Children’s Oasis Nursery in Umm Suqeim, the nursery gates swung open on Tuesday 13th October. Nursery Director Susan Roberts said that the passion and commitment of her team would help them all to adapt to the new ways of working.
“Today has been the most exciting day for us at Children's Oasis Nursery. We feel overwhelmed by the support and positive feedback from our parents and incredibly proud of the fantastic children here and our wonderful team. We have had to make some adjustments to our routines and practices to meet the new guidelines but already we realise that the heart and passion that makes our team so special shines through our face masks and is clear for everybody to see”.
At nearby Home Grown Nursery, Director Lucy Bruce was equally excited to have one of her two nurseries back in action.
"This week, at long last, we opened the door of our Sanbook street branch to our little ones. The whole team was full of mixed emotions; excitement, joy and elation on one hand, but the anticipation of the unknown on the other.
While we had one nursery open, our second, in Safa, was still awaiting the final MOE inspection. Everyone was rooting for our Sanbook team! Despite our frustrations of only being able to open one branch, we have learnt an enormous amount. Our Safa branch thankfully got our NOC soon after, so will be opening very soon.
"I think the general feeling among nurseries across the UAE is optimistic, however we are all well aware of the challenges we may continue to face along the way. For now, we are back doing what we love, even if it does look a bit different. Having our children back with us had made the past seven and a half months all worth it".
Has your child returned to nursery? We would love to hear how they are getting on! Email [email protected] to share your thoughts.
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