Abu Dhabi - Post Report Question and Answers
Are preschools available? Day care? Are these expensive? What has been your experience with them, if any? Do the schools provide before- and/or after-school care?
Plenty of preschools and day care available, cost is a little less than the U.S. Our neighbor's child goes to a Montessori near the embassy and they have been very happy. - Jun 2022
Lots of English-speaking preschools/nurseries in town. A quick Google search and you are overwhelmed with lots of great options. The best way to decide on one is just to tour them all. We absolutely love our boy’s nursery (Little Haven Nursery) and highly recommend it. They take babies starting at 4 months and kids until 4 years (FS1) and class sizes are very good. You can drop them off as early as 7am and pick them up as late as 6pm, which is great for working parents. Of course, you pay according to how many hours your child stays there and how many days a week. All meals are included in their fee, which is awesome. No need to pack any snacks. They also offer spring, summer, winter camps, which again is great for working parents. A school year (5 days/week, 8am-2pm) costs around $10,000. (8am-6pm) costs around $11,400, or less $ for fewer hours and/or days. They have been really great with our special needs boy, too, and can provide an excellent IEP. - Jun 2019
Yes, and very expensive but they seem to be worth the cost. I hear that parents are very happy with the preschool options. - Sep 2017
Nurseries in Abu Dhabii are plentiful and mostly good quality, though it's almost impossible to reserve a space before arrival. Most preschools require a tour before they will accept an application. The schools accept ages 0 to 4. Regular school in Abu Dhabi starts with KG1, a pre kindergarten grade. Nurseries will not accept children after they are 4 (though they won't boot them if they turn four during the academic year) and that leaves embassy parents on the hook to pay for much higher "big school" prices if they want their kids to go to school. On average, KG1 is about US$10k a year, plus bus fees. - Jun 2015
There are English medium private nurseries operating in Abu Dhabi with varying philosophies of early years educaton - Jul 2012
Preschool situation is tough. There is not a lot of availability although it's improving. If you're moving here, you need to contact preschools in advance and get on waiting lists. Most preschools are run by Western staff and you can register or make contact online. - Jul 2011
ACS has a preschool facility. There are also a number of Montessori schools that people have been pretty happy with. - Nov 2010
Pre-schools are available throughout Abu Dhabi. There are a few popular ones like Stepping Stones, Bright Beginnings and Jigsaw. Waitlists can be an issue though so plan ahead. Most preschools offer only morning to early afternoon programs. - Jan 2010
