The 10 Best Preschools in Dubai 2019

July 2019 | Vol.7 | Issue 1

The 10 Best Preschools in Dubai 2019

Canadian Oaks Kindergarten Fostering Timeless Tradition of Holistic Education

From the

EDITOR The Sooner, the Better “The first five years have so much to do with how the next eighty turn out!”-Bill Gates

T

he world lives on knowledge and hence, an investment in education will always be fruitful.

In regard to it, there might be many assumptions on what is the right age to attain education. As a matter of fact, there is no particular age of attaining knowledge as one can enroll into colleges, online courses or any educational platform at any point of the time. However, if had to be chosen wisely, the love towards learning has to instilled within human right from their infant days.

Just like how kids are enlightened about humanitarian values, qualities, social behavior and other life lessons, the love towards learning can only be attained if the roots are strong and well watered.

Day care centers, preschools, or kindergarten call it by name, any child begins his or her educational expedition at these institutions. As surprising as it is to read, studies have shown that the experiences that children have

during their early years play a major role in their school life and beyond. Any child who lags in their childhood days, the chances of them never catching up is very high.

Again, going against the tide and claiming this acquisition wrong is welcomed by many.

To conclude, we can say, that enrolling kids to preschools or kindergarten shouldn’t just be for the purpose of nurturing their academic skills, instead strive them to learn more. High quality programs focused on improving learning skills has powerful long-term impacts on children. Love towards learning, is one such characteristic feature that never leaves a human, and always strive individuals to be a better version of themselves. Achieving this does not happen overnight, kids have to trained, taught and let alone, allowed to discover the pervasive power of knowledge.

The vision of a better world that has been imprinted into your kid’s mind by everyone around them, includes the initial step that should be taken by ‘you’. T R

nt CU Cresce Crescent CU

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Senior Editor Anish Miller Managing Editor Crescent CU

Executive Editor Stella Andrew Contributing Editors Ryan Visualiser David King Art & Design Head Amol Kamble Art & Design Assistant Priyanka Rajage Co-designer Paul Belin Art & Picture Editor Shweta Ambilwade Business Development Manager Phill Miller Marketing Manager Marry D’Souza Business Development Executive Amanda Sales Executives Amy, Frank, John, Helen, Steve, Kevin Technical Head Assistant Technical Head Technical Consultants Digital Marketing Manager Assistant Digital Marketing Manager

Jacob Smile Amar Sawant Pratiksha, David, Robert Alina Sege Prashant Chevale

SME-SMO Executives Uma, Gemson, Manoj Research Analyst Eric Smith Circulation Manager Tanaji sales@insightssuccess.com

July, 2019

Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100,Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone - (614)-602-1754

Off. No. 22 & 510, Rainbow Plaza, Shivar Chowk, Pimple Saudagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411017 Phone - India: +91 7410079881/ 82/ 83/ 84/ 85 Email: info@insightssuccess.in For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.in

Copyright Š 2019 Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd., All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from Insights success. Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. The Knowledge Review is powered by Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd.

COVER STORY

08

Canadian Oaks Kindergarten FOSTERING TIMELESS TRADITION OF HOLISTIC EDUCATION

Article

26

First Step The Perks of Early Childhood Education

First Step Nursery Montessori A Hub for Determined One’s

18

CONTENTS Kids Kare Nursery-Preschool A Happy, Safe, and Inclusive Environment where Children Explore their Potential

30

22

Kids Spot Nursery Redeď€ ning Nursery Experience with utmost Dedication and Innovation

Learning Tree Nursery Expanding the Roots of Contemporary Education

42

36

Mosaic Nursery Enlightening Children With a Holistic Approach

Swiss International Scientiď€ c School in Dubai Personalised learning with a focus on bilingualism and 21st century skills

48

What do Kids Learn in Preschools?

W

hile choosing a preschool for a child, parents are in constant turmoil. Apart from looking for a ‘home-like’ environment, parents seek out preschools that would focus their proper academic growth. Preschools lay the foundation stone for a child’s educational expedition. Preschools are about discovery. Starting from how letters sound to counting until 10, the students are exposed to a new world, unknown to them until now. Writing, sorting objects, shapes, months dates and calendar, are the other key areas that preschools focuses on. However, a preschool education is not limited with just excelling children academically, the faculties at preschools work to nurture the children into an individual who are future -ready. So, these children are also personally trained in areas such as cutting, drawing, sharing, corporation, taking turns, transitions from one activity. Running, jumping, and other physical activities.

Children discover and learn about things around them, they are able do describe and differentiate colors, recite poems. With all that in place, preschools make it a point to give equal importance to play, through which the child develops humanitarian values and qualities.

In this issue ‘The 10 Best Preschools in Dubai 2019’, we bring forth few such preschools that along with offering an exclusive academic experience, nurture students with humanitarian values and propel their growth as the righteous individuals.

Featured on the cover of the issue we have, Canadian Oaks Kindergarten which focuses on developing the personality of its pupils while giving significant importance to their academic performance. The other cherry-picked preschools, serving the serving the same purpose are, Kids spot Nursery, Learning Tree Nursery, Kids Kare Nursery – Dubai, Swiss International School Dubai., First Steps Nursery Montessori, Mosaic Nursery, Dovecote Nurseries, JUMEIRAH, The Aquila School, and Nord Anglia International School Dubai. As you flip the pages you will also come across articles written by our in-house editors which will gain give you insights into the life, education and academic of a preschooler.

Hope that this edition of ours will help educator, teachers and parents to further augment early education for kids. T R

COVER STORY

commitment that spans over five generations.

Established in 2013, it is a fully inclusive preschool. It offers International Montessori-inspired early learning curriculum, for children aged 1.5 (Toddlers) to 6 (KG 2) years while providing additional therapy and full inclusion to children in need of special cognitive support.

S

tudies have shown that children’s brain is almost fully developed (90%) by the time they reach five years of age. Hence, it is crucial that we ensure that the child’s holistic development is directed through the right path. Preschools are the foundational platforms that give young children the right exposure.

It ensures that their pupils’ educational and personality development is anchored in core pillars of leadership, honour, excellence, integrity, compassion, and stewardship. Preschools have a fiduciary responsibility to provide guidance and nurture and hone life skills in young children. Canadian Oaks Kindergarten, a preschool of Dubai, is one such institution that focuses on developing the personality of its pupils while giving significant importance to their academic performance focused on learning outcomes. At Canadian Oaks Kindergarten, the child develops not only academic skills but gains a positive attitude toward learning.

A Tradition of Excellence Canadian Oaks Kindergarten, a part of Silver Oaks International Education Services (SOIES) Group, brings with it a century-old tradition of education and

At its heart lies its belief of offering world-class education and developing its students to the highest potential. When asked about its mission, Hassan Sattar, Group Managing Director & CEO comments, “Educating and developing as our own with a focus on quality! quality! quality!” Quality is never an accident.

In light of this mission, Canadian Oaks maintains consistency in maximizing quality of the foundation of an Oakian learner. This reputation earned by Canadian Oaks Kindergarten is the result of its Focused Intent; Evolving Eclectic Teaching Methodology; Sincere Efforts; Skillful Execution; & Targeted Oversight. Ÿ A school must be a place which educates and develops

the whole child and provides the skills necessary for upward social mobility; Ÿ Academic rigor focusing on: learning outcomes, inculcating the habit of hard work and consistency in the effort, and absorption-focused management Ÿ Holistic child development through: Oratory Skills, Structured personality development program, and Responsible global citizenship awareness.

The aforesaid are the corner-stones of educational philosophy followed by Canadian Oaks Kindergarten.

Guided by the developmental principles of Dr. Maria Montessori, this preschool focuses on the cognitive, social, emotional and physical needs of the child.

Located at a prime site for local community as well as commuting pupils, the campus is wonderfully appealing and conducive for young children and is home to pupils from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds. Aiming for inclusive development of all its pupils, at Canadian Oaks Kindergarten, every pupil gets an equal opportunity to learn and grow at his/her own comfort.

A Well-designed Curriculum “If a child grew up according to the early indications, we should have nothing but geniuses” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Propelling this thought, SOIES Group offers a very challenging academic program. It operates 25 Pre-K to K-12 British & Montessori Curriculum schools in Pakistan & UAE, educating close to 7000 pupils, with focus on delivering high-quality affordable education. In order to achieve this goal, Canadian Oaks Kindergarten

follows the below-mentioned strategies: Committed to following the Montessori-inspired curriculum & teacher training based on extensive research; Ÿ Combining the best international & tested practices for global citizenship skill development; Ÿ Consistently delivering against a highly distinguishable USP - providing high-qualitylearning-focused-affordable cost- education for lifelong wellbeing. Ÿ

The tailor-made curriculum of the kindergarten integrates knowledge with hands-on skill development.

Standing apart from other preschools, the Montessoriinspired program of this kindergarten focuses on the real needs of children-emotional, intellectual, social, and incorporates a culturally relevant ethos. Montessori method, that has stood the test of time and has existed for over a 100 years, promotes respect for children - a belief that learning is innate and natural and those children are creative, curious and made whole.

Speaking about this education group’s overall mission, its drivers and motivation, MD, SOIES Group adds, “Our intent recognizes that children are the future’s

e t a tor r o ca p r du o C E l a ed b o rn l G A er tu d a Le

The Group Managing Director & CEO of Canadian Oaks Kindergarten, Mr. Hassan Sattar, comes armed with industry experience from working across three industries - Oil & Gas (Royal Dutch Shell Group); Banking (Standard Chartered Bank & Barclays Bank PLC) & Education Entrepreneur, Speaker and Author (MD & CEO SOIES Group) with over 23 years of resident & project assignments in 14 countries across Europe (UK, Holland); Africa (Morocco); Middle East (UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Lebanon), Far East (Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore) and South Asia (Pakistan, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh). Backing his vast and wide ranging experience are his educational qualications that include a 1st degree in Commerce from Pakistan; a 2nd Joint-Honors Degree in Accounting, Finance & Economics from University of Essex, UK as a Britannia Chevening Scholar following by Graduate Study & Research in Development Economics at the University of Oxford, UK. Following his last “corporate” role as Head of Barclays Bank - Abu Dhabi, he entered the eld of education at the end of 2010 to join the cause of “making a difference by developing enlightened leadership of tomorrow” with two immediate targets: • Developing a curriculum for “practical life and global citizenship effectiveness” • Building and implementing best practices in “edu-preneurship”.

He also speaks at international education conferences, sits of the Global Education Conference (USA) Advisory Board, and has been published and recognized as an author, contributing strongly to new research in education development. His works include the following: • Preschool Education: Foundation for Life Long Wellbeing (Encyclopaedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals – Quality Education Entry Paper – USA, 2018 in print by Springer) • Education for Sustainable Development & Critical Thinking Competency (Encyclopaedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals – Quality Education Entry Paper – USA, 2018 in print by Springer) • Getting Smart: Need To Focus On Creating An Enabling Environment Structured Around The Objective Of Realizing The True Potential Of Our Next Generations (Journal on Systematics, Cybernetics and Informatics: JSCI, Volume 14, Number 7 – USA 2016) • Educational Crisis in Pakistan: Clear & Present Danger (“International Literacy Day, Finance to Educate More, Session 1: Quantity Vs Quality, Oxfam Pakistan – 2015) • Analysing Impact off Formally Taught Life Skills’ Curriculum on Self Esteem and Thinking Skills of Early School Children (The Sixth Asian Conference on Education, Japan – ACE 2014)

greatest resource & we believe that our most valuable contribution to the community and our world is through developing an enlightened future generation. The safety, care and education of young children mold their selfesteem and equip them with the ability to find love, happiness and success that last forever. During these formative years, the social, physical, and intellectual functioning of the child is unified. The most important function of our educational & developmental program must be to provide children with strong fundamentals and strong values – Integrity, Courage, Respect, Optimism & Creativity. The foundation we develop must enable children to acquire more specialized knowledge and skills through becoming life-long learners.

We allow these truths & values of this Oakian family to guide every detail in the origination and continuous operation of our institution. Our approach creates happy, learning children who get on-going opportunities for developing social skills, building character, making friends and becoming an enlightened generation of tomorrow.

We are extremely proud & cognizant of our commitment, spanning over a hundred years across five generations, and in expanding our “sphere of enlightened influence”, Silver Oaks Group, as an institution of education, learning & development of future leadership, will continue to be guided by this simple principle of “educating & developing as our own.”

Canadian Oaks Kindergarten, as part of the SOIES Group, makes sure that children develop all the required skills for their further educational and personal journey.

They primarily focus on development areas which include Literacy; Numeracy; Arabic & Holistic Child Development. As a result, the children achieve competencies in Language; Math; Digital Literacy; Listening & Speaking; Problem Solving; Critical Thinking; Confidence; Relationship Building; Manners; and Healthy Living.

Canadian Oaks follows a unique strategy that helps it analyze the progress of its students. It uses a 4-stage Assessment Rubric for pupil feedback: (S1) Novice (I don't understand yet); (S2) Developing (Sometimes I

“Words W Words of rust rust” Trust”

“With its legitimate Montessori method of teaching, Canadian Oaks is a hidden gem among the landscape of traditional schools in Dubai. They have a holistic approach to develop the child. A comfortable ratio of kids to teacher ensures that your child’s individual progress is properly addressed and taken into account there is a strong sense of family and cooperation amongst the staff that translates into a nurturing environment for children. Their campus is set on a spacious villa that provides opportunities for play and exploration for the young ones. I couldn’t have made a better choice for my son Phoenix. It is just unfortunate that their curriculum does not go beyond KG2” -Phoenix’s Mom, Manel C. Bautista “As a parent, I know that having chosen Canadian Oaks was the best option for my children. They love their school and go every morning with their hearts excited and happy to join their friends. In this place, my children are getting not only learning but also values to grow up independent, loved and happy.

The Montessori approach makes a true difference in the learning process. I really appreciate the excellent job that the staffs are doing for my kids. Many thanks.”

-Emilio Carlos Ramirez Daza, Parent

need help); (S3) Proficient (I can do it myself); (S4) Exceeds (I can do it without mistakes and help others).

Completing the distinctive features of Canadian Oaks is its State-of-the-Art & Safe Facilities, which include Swimming Pool, Indoor Activity & Arts Room, tailored Learning Environment in each classroom, Outdoor Play Areas, and a Special therapy room.

Remarkable Achievements and Accretions Canadian Oaks Kindergarten’s uniquely focused approach towards the holistic development of a child is validated by SOIES Group’s international recognition, over the years, by a range of internationally accredited bodies. These awards include: Ÿ

“Outstanding Contribution in Education for All”, UAE Ministry of Education Sponsored Award 2016 in Dubai, by Global Education Supplies & Solutions (GESS);

Ÿ

21 British Council International School Awards - 9 in the year 2015-16 cycle & 12 in the year 2016-17 cycle;

Ÿ

Ranked as the “Best British International Impact School in the World”, it won the British International School Magazine Award (BISA), London, UK in 2018. T R

READ IT FIRST SUBSCRIBE TO SUCCESS

GLOBAL SUBSCRIPTION

Date :

Name : Address :

Telephone : Email :

City :

State :

Zip :

Country :

Check should be drawn in favor of : INSIGHTS SUCCESS MEDIA TECH LLC

CORPORATE OFFICE The Knowledge Review 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017,United States Contact No.: (614)-602-1754; (614)-472-4768 Email: info@theknowledgereview.com For Subscription: Visit www.theknowledgereview.com

First Step Nursery Montessori A Hub for Determined One’s

B

eing the oldest nursery school in Dubai established in 1994, First Step Nursery Montessori (FSNM) is a state-ofthe-art nursery school. The school follows the British National early Years guidelines which already have integrated the Montessori way of learning. The First Steps Nursery Montessori School believes that the first 5 years of a child’s life are the most significant years and pledge to profane a good foundation for a secure and successful life.

The nursery is conveniently located in the heart of Jumeirah, right opposite the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. It is easily accessible and situated in a specially designed villa which gives it a homely and comfortable feel. The schools infrastructure includes a fully equipped clinic, learning style diagnostic/assessment program, vibrant classrooms, indoor and outdoor play area with equipment, nap room for kids, sensory room, splash pool & water play, books and toys library, music & movement, professional kids gym & yoga sessions, equipped kitchen.

Curriculum in lieu of Aim With the aim to provide the children with environment and opportunities for their overall development, the schools focus on delivering dynamic education practices and philosophy, that will ultimately foster the natural curiosity of each child into a lifelong love for learning, independence and passion for excellence.

18

July | 2019

Flag-holder of the School Children from 1 to 2 years of age are provided with an environment that aids language acquisition, develops their understanding of self and the world around them. The main academic sessions are dedicated to reading and structured playtime with an adult carefully modeling their expected behavior. Personal development at this stage is also crucial where they need to learn to follow rules and adhere to social manners.

From 2 to 3 years of age, the structure is raised from, into learning independence, making appropriate choices, developing fine and gross age appropriate motor skills. The children are fostered with early literacy, early numeracy, creative expression and learning about the environment.

The child’s emotional well-being, personal and physical development are also focused upon along-side as the child ventures into the world of holistic education.

In the foundation years, the children are already equipped with the reading skills and identifying the belongings around them. Literacy Skills and language development, both in English and Arabic, is focused upon. There are also weekly gym and physical development programmes for the child’s health and physical well-being conducted by experts in the field.

Embraces Socio-Emotional Behavior The school main objective is to surrogate the child’s psychological and emotional intelligence with in-depth knowledge and reasoning in their foundation years. The children are taught how to take pride in their work and actions, eventually developing a positive attitude towards life and its development.

Social responsibility is also introduced during this year The school formulates to increase comfort in social situations, understanding of social rules, what is expected in certain situations, and how to communicate and connect with others. Groups employ speech interventions to encourage in practicing the skills needed to accomplish positive social exchanges that support peer relationships, family interactions, recreation, and academic achievement. These groups are exclusively planned to allow each learner to practice their social communication in an orchestrated environment while focusing on each child’s individual language challenges. These programs are essentially based on peer interaction framework that teaches perspective distinction and develops social cognition.

July | 2019

First Steps Nursery Montessori (FSNM) combines the utmost care children get from home with a well-structured learning program found in a small school in which individuality and uniqueness are embraced with respect. Monika Agrawal with a degree in MBA and a recently acquired degree in MA (Special and Additional Learning Needs), also a mother of two boys, quit her full time job to raise her two children hands-on approach. She was motivated to ll the gap of early education set-up for determined ones. Keen interest in her children’s education led her to do lots of volunteer work in their school, leading to full-time employment with the school in the SEN (Special Educational Need) department. Having all that time at hand, she researched different ways in which children learn supporting the gifted and talented segment. she took over operations of the nursery a couple of years ago even though this nursery has been operational for over 19 years, The nursery was overtaken simply because of its special needs license. As she puts it “Just to explore what it could be, we went for a visit and it was love at rst sight!”

19

Core Focus on SEN The school supports education for determined ones from financially challenged families, fulfilling their corporate social responsibility. Special needs are and will always be the core of their existence.

Then there are group interventions that are more productive for kids who are not developing age appropriate social skills. This typically includes kids with Speech Delay, Language Delays, ADHD, Autism & also children with a lot of spare energy (typically called hyper kids). It may include kids with non-verbal learning disabilities, who may have trouble picking up on social cues, like body language, tone of voice and facial expressions. It may also embrace kids with social communication challenges and other forms of learning or behavior issues. Children have a natural ability to express themselves and resolve conflict. So, these groups will incorporate spontaneous or structured play which may include role play, drawing, board games, using the play equipment.

Early detection is the key to intervention and provision, resulting in better progression. The gift of technological advancement assisting in learning for children has helped the schools to detect learning disabilities like dyslexia and

20

dyscalculia with the support of learning aids. There is a wide choice of resources to be used from, which can support children with different levels of intellectual challenges.

Knights of the Castle The school pride in having the best professionals to support Speech delays and Special Educational Needs Program (SEN). The principles and educational philosophies identified by Maria Montessori continue to underpin the methods used at First Steps Nursery Montessori to produce well-rounded individuals. The EYFS embodies these principles to support the teachers and assistant-teachers as the child’s link to the world. They ignite the curiosity while assisting in learning then step back to allow the child to work, explore, observe and create.

Emphasis on Parents Participation The school also promotes mutual trust and respect with parents to become effective for the education of the child.

Maintaining this trust requires clear continuous communication between staff and parents. It involves parents understanding and applying the same pedagogical approach that the school uses in interactions with their child. The parents are encouraged to start treating their

July | 2019

child like mini adults, so the learning enhances instinctively. To develop a mutually supportive relationship, FSNM provides opportunities for parent participation and partnership in multiple ways.

The school also conducts free workshops and coffee mornings to educate new mothers about international expectations of developmental milestones, nutrition, and well-being. She believes that ‘educating a mother is like elevating the quality of life for the entire family’. Apart from that, the school also has an open-door policy for any family looking for suggestions/advice/information about education and well-being related questions for their child in any institution.

Ethnic Mosaic The school engages and retains students, families, teaching faculty and staff because of its commitment to diversity and development. The school admits students of any race, color, nationality, and ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. We aim to maximize every student’s learning opportunity to be able to adapt, explore on their own, create and contribute to society.

July | 2019

Philosophy of Innocent Curiosity The school believes in the philosophy of creating a strong foundation of underrated human interaction and unconditional belief rather than one way screen communication. Even though the technological advancements had made easy to teach some learning aids with the help of technology such as YouTube but had also killed the carefree childhood curiosity and independent thought process. Innocent curiosity has been given too much information to process, it has enabled for the children’s brain to respond in a different, non-independent way. Therefore, the school tries to employ the knowledge through face to face contact by the teachers with the children and family members.

Far-Seeing Plans The school believes that they have achieved their goals set in their nursery schools with an extent and with a large family of happy parents, the school is set to expand into a primary school with a holistic integrated curriculum. Its vision is to have a school with a conventional learning approach and motivated teaching staff, who will share their philosophy of providing a nurturing and safe environment that conflagrate the physical, emotional, social and academic development of each child. T R

21

Kids Kare NurseryPreschool A Happy, Safe, and Inclusive Environment where Children Explore their Potential

To learn and reects the multitude of different classes on offer, all included in the curriculum

T

ransitioning to a big school is a crucial time in any child’s life. This transition should be as smooth as possible and shall provide the child with skills, which can help them to enter school with confidence. At this early age, a child is busy exploring new friendship, learning to make decisions, and most importantly, coming up with his/her unique talents and abilities. To sum up, the nursery-preschools experience lay an important foundation for their future. However, all the modern changes around us have somehow complicated our world. There are many questions lingering such as “With the opening of many more nurseries and educational establishments to cater to the demand in pre-school education what makes a nursery stand out in this local community? What are people really

22

July | 2019

looking for in terms of education and childcare for children under five years old?” Apparently, Lynn Farrell, Knowledge and Human Development Authority Appointed (KHDA) Principal of Kids Kare Nursery-Preschool believes that she and her staff team have all the answers related to student pre-nursery education.

The school is situated in a well-established and vibrant Jumeirah Lake Towers in Dubai. It has been successfully running in the heart of JLT for over five years and is well set up within the local community. The school is a British Curriculum, Early Years Foundation Stage nursery. Ms Lynn and her staff team have developed a strong curriculum based on the Early Years Statutory Framework. This focuses on seven key areas of a child’s development. Its holistic approach to learning, treating each child as unique and supporting play-based learning, with classes are based on UK ratios and standards. Forming a strong partnership with parents and caregivers is apparent for the school and is reflected in its weekly newsletters, regular parents' meetings, a state-of-the-art application, scheduled events, and outings with families. The nursery is also open all year round and only closed on local public holidays to support JLT’s local working community.

The Right Place for Development As aforementioned, KK Nursery-Preschool lies in the heart of JLT towers. It is a very spacious facility and occupies the full of the lower level of Cluster E with views of the beautiful lakes. With lots of natural light and a feeling of open space, there are eight, modern and stimulating large classrooms, split into activity zones, equipped with sustainable wooden furniture and rubber toys. Further, there are also five main purposebuilt areas.

July | 2019

Qualified Educators Ms Lynn and her team believe in the continuous professional development of the students. Therefore, the preschool has Early Years qualied educators or certied teachers. They are also certied with added training from teaching English as a second language to pediatric rst aid training. All teaching assistants also take part in regular monthly certied training in all areas of Early Years provision to enhance the quality of care provided by Ms Lynn as well as qualied specialist outsourced providers. Added to this, the nursery supports student placements for those seeking Early Years qualications in conjunction with training providers.

Regarding the signicance of adequate educators, Ms Lynn states “This is a community-based nursery; we work with parents as well as children. We are extremely passionate about supporting the full family in their child’s learning and development.” We don’t run camps. We run an all-year-round curriculum staffed by qualied teachers”. She is condent in her staff team as both practitioners and educators and role models in the eld of Early Years provision.

23

The staff team does not believe in confining children to classrooms. Hence, there is a multigym, music and movement room, a science and languages room, activity, and messy playroom as well as two designated large sleeping areas within the nursery. All rooms are bright, spacious, and offers a lot of room to explore and play. The infrastructure supports the school’s nurseries vision and children can enjoy music and movement classes, gym and physical education classes, Arabic and French classes, a little science weekly program, and healthy living lesson.

Additionally, there are daily arts and crafts lessons, or messy play activities.

Further, access to covered underground parking at pick up and drop off time help parents with the convenience of attending the nursery as well as the convenient location of being located directly opposite JLT’s busiest metro station. They have unrestricted access and flexible pick up times along with CCTV cameras in all areas given

24

additional reassurance and peace of mind on top off this facility. Consequently, when parents visit, there are a lot of happy children alongside motivated, friendly, and compassionate staff.

The Complete Development Other than infrastructure and qualified educators, there are many areas where the school shines as an excellent preschool. KK nursery-preschool is a proud first school being selected in Dubai to work alongside Dubai Health Authority in rolling out a healthy eating curriculum to combat unhealthy eating and lifestyle from an early age. This is an interactive program working with both children and parents to educate in a fun and inclusive way.

A 22-week healthy eating curriculum for all children attending the nursery is now in place with educational materials and child-friendly healthy eating games so that toddlers can learn about healthy eating in a fun and interactive manner.

July | 2019

Children of KK take part in daily music and movement classes linked to the Early Years topics that they are studying to promote their creative learning and development. The nursery also incorporates a mindfulness program linked to relaxation and stretching in between classes. The philosophy of the staff is centered around the belief that happy minds and bodies create healthy happy children.

Further, the school has rolled out a little scientist program as part of curriculum learning since September 2016. This supports children’s creative learning and problem-solving skills by learning about the world around them in a fun way.

Children enjoy experiments centered around messy play and learning exciting new skills.

Kids Kare has also been running their little language program successfully for over two years. It consists of weekly multilingual language lessons. All programs are included free of charge July | 2019

in the curriculum to enhance multilingual learning through phonetic learning. This program is delivered through target language immersion games, teacher-child interaction, visual aids, songs, games, and storytime. This builds on more than language skills. As children handle toys and visual aids, they develop motor skills and coordination. As they participate and interact, they sing & dance, perform acts and at the same time build their social skills.

Future Lookout While talking about the future plans of KK nursery-preschool, Ms Lynn concluded with saying, “The nursery has proved so successful that we are in the process of discussing franchise opportunities with a partner company and opening up a second facility. These projects are expected to roll out over the coming year”. T R

25

The Perks of Early

Childhood Education 26

July | 2019

First Steps

T

he education sector is growing continuously with the help of technology, advance syllabus models, and the on-going momentum of eective alternations. This continuous growth is meticulously working towards making education a more feasible and friendly act.

With each passing year, the word of education is transforming and is setting benchmarks, which are helping the citizens for the longer run.

As every year, there are thousands and millions of parents who are enrolling their children in schools, but this has seen a considerable change as parents are now enrolling into early childhood education/preschool. There are one too many reasons why these parents are doing so, but so keep it on a general note, it is just a head start for their educational journey. Many times, the kids are frightened when they are going to start school, they tend to be anxious and sometimes fussy, hence early childhood education is an excellent idea to start with a routine of letting the kids feel more at ease.

By doing so, the kids develop a habit for spending some time in one place, make friends, learn good deeds, and gain some conďŹ dence for schooling.

Contemplating its Need The question arises, why is there a need for young kids to go to preschool. Sometimes, parents doubt the need for this, as they think that kids only learn numbers, letters, and easy concepts, which can be thought nearly at

July | 2019

27

home also. However, this is not completely true, even though kids only learn the basics at preschool, a recent survey says during preschool, which is between the age of 2 to 4, there is a high level of grasping power and learning. The kids at this age are extremely active and have an enormous amount of energy, which needs to be chased in the right manner. Channelizing this energy to productivity gains is what the teacher at the preschool aims for, understanding their places of likes and dislikes they are able to help the kids learn better.

As every student is one of its kinds, the skills, and talents every student has been nurtured through the early development curricula. Through preschool, the students are exposed to a plethora of opportunities and are prepared to tackle the hurdles effectively, which will be presented to them in kindergarten. With their strong basics and foundation, they are ready to put their best foot forward and rise up to their maximum potential.

Profits of Early Childhood Education Graduation is a dream in itself; every student envisions of graduating in their respective career field and further achieve their professional excellence. Graduation is not the only advantage of enrolling children in preschool.

The National Education Association (NEA) lists various studies that show the major reasons of early childhood education results in higher levels of employment and greater incomes in adulthood, no repetition during the grades, and exceptional scores in tests, a lower rate of teenage spasms, and many more. With such breakthrough results, it is clearly evident that early childhood education is an investment for a lifetime.

With immense opportunities, exposures, placements, these students are able to mark their identity in the coming times and become responsible citizens of their country. The parents looking to enroll their students in preschool should definitely do so without any doubt as this is an essential and remarkable step in life.

Also, with the help of government authorities, society should take initiatives and give emphasis on programs for preschool. The students who are not fortunate enough with such resources should also be helped and given preschool education.

The Momentous Strides of the Educators Helping the students on the go are the early childhood educators/ preschool teachers who play a crucial role in the upliftment of the student’s development. They tend to inspire, motivate, and train the students to push their limits and perform to their abilities. The teachers bring forth student joyful activities and embrace them with utmost guidance to learn more and more with each passing day.

They teach the kids to explore, learn from what the world has to offer them and discover their dreams and paths. At this tender age, the students should be molded responsibly and with the perfect blend of teaching and values. As the child’s brain development happens in these initial three to four years, it is important to understand their mindsets so they will reach the developmental milestones in their futures. T R

28

July | 2019

Kids Spot Nursery Redefining Nursery Experience with utmost Dedication and Innovation

The school aims to redefine the nursery experience for children, offering more than just a “home away from home”, offering a boutique and family feel in a guided and nurturing environment

E

stablished in 2014, Kids Spot Nursery (KSN) is an institution dedicated towards transforming children into social, independent and confident individuals. It is situated in a facility which was bought and restructured to resemble a purpose-built structure. The institution is the brain child of Nouhad Doughan and Rima Lakis who built a nursery in which, they would like their own children to study and grow. It has also been nominated by “Mother Baby and Child” as ‘Nursery of the year’ for 2019.

30

July | 2019

Excellent Infrastructure Ensuring Children’s Development The nursery has a big outdoor area that consists of a couple of big play structures as well as on-ground activities. It has an indoor play area that comprises of a playhouse that is climbed to end in a slide or a music room situated at the bottom. It also has a soft play area as well as a role play area. Nouhad, the Managing Director of Kids Spot states that the sole purpose of creating an outdoor play area is to provide children the opportunity to build and explore guided risk taking, as well as enjoy the outdoors as much as possible.

The nursery has five classrooms, each of which has a minidoor that the children have access to for independence and to feel that they are decision makers where they get to choose to walk into class. It follows the EYFS curriculum but adds its own touch of combinations of many programs.

When Nouhad’s daughter was a toddler, she went on a search for the perfect nursery, but was not satisfied with the available options. She was looking for a boutique place, a place that is not an investment but a passion, a place where everyone knows everyone. She wanted an institution where when the parents walk in, not only the teacher but anyone else can easily provide them information about their child.

Nouhad desired for an ideal place where at anytime she or anyone from management is reachable without an appointment. Today, she believes she has built a team who follows the same vision and have reached what she was aspiring for. KSN is not only a nursery, it is a child’s home, play area, growth space, their friends house, a place where the parents meet up and interact with each other and most of all a place of happiness.

Dedication towards Educational Upliftment The prime focus of the institution is to form a personal trusting relationship with the wider community and the children who they care for and develop. It believes that the most important building block of any child is their early years. KSN aims to foster a healthy and happy attitude towards growth and development supporting the next steps in their education. The institute intends to prepare children

July | 2019

The Erudite Frontrunner The personality responsible for leading KSN towards the path of academic excellence is Nouhad Doughan, the Owner and Managing Director. She is leading the institution condently through his dedicated and innovative endeavors. She further comments, “Every single person in the team has contributed to the success of the place, even if they no longer are there today. Most of all our success comes from our parents and the trust they give us with the most precious gift, their children”.

31

to become social, independent individuals, and to help them explore and discover new concepts and ideas. It focuses on helping children recognize their values, ethics, and morals and to inspire them to embrace challenges and learn through experience and self-discovery. In order to shape the young individuals and preparing them for a bright future, the nursery implements play-based learning incorporating the child’s voice to attain their interest and curiosity in their own learning.

KSN has carefully chosen staff to ensure its vision and mission are constantly upheld and everyone works towards their common goal. The devoted and qualified staff of the nursery ensure the highest standards and best quality service by providing relative training, support, mentoring, and guidance as needed by the staff to ensure a happy health environment for everyone under its umbrella. Its developmental programs are always evolving to ensure it keeps the students’ well-being, safety, and development at the center of its focus to get them socially and emotionally confident for the rest of their educational journey.

32

The Erudite Frontrunners The personality responsible for leading KSN towards the path of academic excellence are Nouhad Doughan, the Owner and Managing Director. She is leading the institution confidently through his dedicated and innovative endeavors. She further comments, “Every single person in the team has contributed to the success of the place, even if they no longer are there today. Most of all our success comes from our parents and the trust they give us with the most precious gift, their children”.

The Road to Glory Towards its journey of nurturing the budding leaders of tomorrow, the institute has achieved numerous laurels. It has been renowned for dedication and hard work for providing children the best possible education and care. In the short span of 5 years, KSN has created quite a reputation and a proud moment for it is to be known for being such a nursery, does things differently.

July | 2019

The institute provides a personal touch and genuine interest in the children and families that walk through its doors.

Through its innovative maneuvers, KSN has redefined the nursery experience. The institute has opened a nursery in Lebanon and will soon open its second branch in Dubai. It offers high quality services to the children, staff, and the parents. It opts only for the best facilities and techniques to the students and serves the community surrounding them‒doing charity, involving parents and kids, and neighborhood. The institute has received an excellent rating (A) in health and safety where it also prides itself to be a clean and safe environment.

Walking the Extra Mile The toddlers are the heart of the nursery and the team take additional efforts to create a learning interest among the students. It is of the opinion that a child that feels safe, loved and cared for will form a special loving bond with their teaching team and the result of that is that they learn in an efficient way. It adds, “Guided risk is a big part of who

July | 2019

we are and what we teach our toddlers. They can climb, they can swing, and they can fall. We will be there to pick them up and guide them to a better route. Our mini doors show give them independence and shows them that they have a choice. Our mini sinks help them learn how to do things on their own”.

Towards a Glorious Future The institution has also made its presence felt in the arena of education with the establishment of Minimoon in Lebanon. KSN plans to open Kids Spot Nursery Al Barari in September 2019. The Barari Branch will be as nature based as possible with an infrastructure that relays its vision. T R

33

Learning Tree Nursery Expanding the Roots of Contemporary Education

“Proper teaching is recognized with ease. You can know it without fail because it awakens within you that sensation which tells you this is something you have always known.”

- Frank Herbert

E

ducation is a fundamental right of every child. As soon as a baby is born, parents start planning for his/her future and education is no exception. While growing up, not only a child learns new things, but also parents have to reciprocate accordingly. Parents have to learn new things from the day the baby is born. From the baby’s likes and dislikes to the foods the baby is allergic to, parents need to have a keen observation. The grasping power of a child at this age is very high and learns from the surrounding.

Education has a huge impact on a person as well as on his personality. Proper education makes a child grow into a responsible person. The society and the world is benefitted by a person who is smart, understanding and kind . Hence, it is necessary to inculcate good habits since childhood. Pre-schools and schools have a great impact on a child’s behavior and it is important that the child feels comfortable being in preschool. The environment of the preschool should be interactive, innovative and entertaining at the same time.

36

July | 2019

Learning Tree Nursery is one of the nurseries which provide amazing learning in the environment for the kids that have just gained the understanding capacity.

Established in the year 2013, the nursery is a British Nursery that provides an early year foundation stage program. The nursery open-heartedly welcomes children from a varied background of the age group of 1 to 4 years. Its faculty is highly qualified and experienced in this particular age group. Specifically, teachers are EYFS qualified British teachers with many years of experience with their age group. One great initiative by Learning Tree Nursery is customized learning for better and effective delivery of the curriculum. The curriculum of the nursery is based on the core value of Learning Tree philosophy through which the children are provided with inspiring programs, the teachers nurture creativity, encourage exploration and discovery, build confidence and develop problem-solving skills during planned and purposeful play.

Innovative Learning Today, schools and preschools are becoming adaptive to newer techniques to teach children. Learning Tree Nursery creates opportunities so that the children and teachers come together through various programs. These programs are mainly focused on unleashing the imaginations of the toddlers. The nursery has a powerful educational setting where children can find their inspiration while learning.

There are themed -space specifically constructed for the growth of the children. The children can use the entire facility while discovering this amazing universe. The toddlers are free to do their favorite activities with the help of a supportive and enriching environment. The nursery’seffective learning helps kids to expand their knowledge in a very playful manner. Learning Tree Nursery has a unique way of approach towards teaching toddlers and has : ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔

Mobile Classrooms Expressive Arts and Design Room Construction and Number Zone Sensory Room Language Playroom

July | 2019

Intellectual/Passionate Director of Learning Tree Nursery Miss Manahil Haider, the Director of Learning Tree Nursery started the preschool in the year 2013. She completed her MA in Educational Leadership and Management from the University of London. She has also completed numerous courses like child psychology, teaching English to bilingual children and early years phonics programs. She believes that for building a better education system, it is necessary that a person should have good knowledge and experience with the toddlers. Miss Manahil says, “As the CEO of the Learning Tree, I nd myself in the wonderful position of setting up nurseries and schools that speak of our vision to deliver educational institutions of the highest caliber and I am proud to bring my experience and qualications to the Learning Tree Nursery and its afliated schools and branches.”

37

The preschool also has a parent’s lounge where various social events and activities like ‘Mum & Toddler’ event are organized.

Mission and Vision As a tree spreads its branches to provide various benefits, Learning Tree nursery strives to grow and cater to the needs of the society and talking about the same, Miss Manahil addresses, “Our children are not merely targets of instruction; their minds are not merely vessels to be filled. Our children deserve to be inspired, to be encouraged and to grow.”

The mission of the playschool is to continue building on the phenomenal success while spreading their hands all over UAE and further. Learning Tree will continue to represent the state of the art facilities, coupled with an extensively researched curriculum for a fun and stimulating learning environment which allows each unique child to grow to their full potential.

38

Greatest Accomplishments Over the years, Learning Tree Nursery has expanded over various parts of the UAE and MAE region. Not only in Asia but, Learning Tree Nursery is one of the preschools with the highest standards in London, UK, too. The preschool is affiliated to the best primary schools in Dubai including the prestigious Kings School, Wellington, and Hartland. Learning Tree Nursery has won several awards, but the nursery considers rge greatest and most precious accomplishment is their children who thrive and grow within the warmth and security of the nursery. Learning Tree Nursery treats their students as their most precious asset.

The Shifting Trends in Education Education has been an integral part of a person’s life and early education helps a child to grow. Early year’s education has been evolving over the years. . Preschools are now focusing on recognizing the abilities and

July | 2019

strengths of an individual child. The main focus now is building the child based on his or her strengths and developing them which will allow them to shine later.

Teachers are great facilitators as they gently guide the children and develop a method which suits according to each child. It is necessary that the teacher shows love and compassion, supporting them through love and compassion, laughter and play, toward confidence, sociability, learning, and security. As early year education is the most definitive phase of lives, it is a great responsibility on the people involved in shaping the future of a child.

Creative Learning At Learning Tree Nursery, the main emphasis is on creativity and exploring new methods every day to connect with the toddlers. The school layout ensures that kids are not confined to a place. Basically, the layout does not limit the children to the classroom space as the classrooms are mobile throughout the day. Also, the

July | 2019

themed spaces are very effective in making the toddlers understand the curriculum. The preschool organizes frequent visits to various interesting places such as petting farms, music groups, and firemen. In this way, the kids get to interact with nature and society. Learning Tree Nursery aims at creating an exciting and safe environment for their children.

Future Prospective Learning Tree Nursery is all set to spread across various regions all over the world. The preschool has been rapidly expanding over the MAE region as well as in the UK. Along with the expansion of their legacy, it thrives on building a more efficient and easy learning environment for their children. Miss Manahil said, “We look forward to building upon our phenomenal success by expanding our branches in Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai, in 2019 and in Abu Dhabi in 2020.” T R

39

Mosaic Nursery Enlightening Children With a Holistic Approach

The school believes in shaping young minds so they can pursue the highest levels of academic and professional excellence and become role models for their communities.

T

he Jumeirah Lakes Towers hours an outlet for children’s growth and creativity known as the Mosaic Nursery.

It aims to educate children between the ages 18 months to 4 years and is boasts of a philosophy that the development of a child is just like mosaic art. There are dierent bits and pieces of learning and understanding that need to be put together to create a unique individual. The children here are given an immense and quality start to their educative journey while giving recognition to the humans that they are. This pre-school welcomes children to an environment where knowledge is imparted through play and fun. Any child who passes out from Mosaic Nursery is future- ready, they are condiment, decision makers, problem solvers, creative and humanitarian with a lifelong love towards learning.

42

July | 2019

A Framework of Knowledge Spanning across an entire floor of 10,000 square feet, Mosaic Nursery has 7 spacious classrooms and a large play area situated indoors. The classrooms are divided according to the different age groups and work towards meeting the various needs, abilities and developmental stages of the students. The classrooms are divided based on colors and age groups of the students which helps them build up their interest in various activities. They are also provided with high quality furniture that provides immense comfort. The nursery also consists of a gym that encourages the children to involve in physical activity as well. The area is baby-proofed and has plenty of rides and equipment to keep them occupied. The efforts build their gross motor skills, build their stamina while keeping them healthy. This also encourages conversations between children that can keep them engaged for hours.

Children in their playtime are prone to minor injuries and are also receptive to minor colds. The nursery has a clinic that helps keep the parents aware of their children’s health and engage in valuable conversations with the nurses. The DHA approved nurse possesses immense knowledge to analyze any emergency cases that may come up. They work towards calling the ambulance and providing the parents with sufficient information. Al the children are administered immediate medical care if and when required.

Academic Initiatives The ages of 18 years to 4 years are a phase where children pick up most of their basic knowledge, which is why it needs to be done in a safe yet productive environment. The nursery ensures just this by nurturing the children towards a more confident future. It also encourages the building up of craftsmanship skills and bring in their decision making ability. Giving them ample playtime and getting them involved in various activities helps in their overall development and their psychology. Mosaic Nursery has for this very reason created a curriculum that ensures all these boxes are ticked off and the students find themselves flourishing.

July | 2019

About the Adept Personality Meghna Bajaj is a dedicated individual who has constantly worked towards ensuring smooth functioning of the Nursery. She also works towards making sure that the right resources are implemented and operational aspects are in place. Her job also includes coordinating and maintaining conversations with the parents during the registration process, fee payments and documentations.

She has worked with a lot of dedication to ensure that the Mosaic Promise is delivered with respect to child-directed education.

Providing leadership and inspiration to the team, Ivana Colic is responsible for managing the provision of the nursery ensuring that children, parents and the staff team work together to provide high quality childcare. She has been working in the Early years and is very passionate about her learning. She ensures that the curriculum is innovative and dynamic, policies and procedures are fully implemented and a safe and nurturing environment is maintained

43

This is why it follows a Creative Curriculum – in line with the British Curriculum which creates a balance between every aspect of learning. The various areas of development such as language and social-emotional behavior aren’t sufficient enough to complete the child's learning journey. In order to complete the mosaic picture, the child’s growth has to be combined with other ares of growth as well. The curriculum hence works on building up to 10 areas of learning and development.

• Social-Emotional Development – This involves teaching the students to identify and build on their own feelings while also learning how to express them efficiently. It also makes them aware of how to build close, supportive and trusting relationships with adults as well as peers. When children see the adults being responsive and participating actively, children start believing the importance of being expressive.

44

• Physical Development – This includes the children’s gross motor and fine motor skills which requires immense practice in the initial days. The activities involve running, kicking, throwing, climbing and jumping. They also need to tune their fine motor skills such as manipulating, cutting threading and mark making.

• Cognitive Development – A child’s ability to think and process these thoughts makes up their cognitive abilities. Every child’s mind functions in different ways and this aspect works on the way a child processes information, memorizes, classifies, solves problems and acquires language, literacy and mathematical concepts.

The curriculum also focuses on the various basic subjects required to continue their path of education such as:

July | 2019

• Mathematics: This school believes that is important that that children gain first-hand exploration in mathematics. Hence, the curriculum designed by the school caters to this need and lays a foundation of mathematical concepts. Blending play with all its learning materials, through math, children learn essential life skills like problem solving, numeracy, and reasoning.

• Science and Technology: Young children are always curious and born investigators, and Mosaic Nursery allows its students to wander their curiosity unleashed. As a result, the students learn to engage in the process of scientific thinking. They explore and experiment and gain deeper understanding about things around them, which further ignites them.

• Social Studies: The learning material of this subject helps students to be researchers, critical thinkers and even be an active member of the classroom community. Children are introduced about the

July | 2019

society, and the world around. It is Mosaic Nursery’s mandate to make sure that their students are aware of the increasingly globalized world, traditions and cultures.

• The Arts: At Mosaic Nursery, young children are encouraged to express their thoughts through visual arts such as music, dance and drama. This helps students in expressing verbally difficult emotions or thoughts. Also, through singing, dancing, drawing, moving, dramatizing, students make new discoveries and integrate what they have been learning.

• English Language Acquisition: Children who are second language learners often face many challenging cognitive tasks, hence to help students learn two languages, in line with that the school has designed a creative curriculum. It helps students to fluently speak and understand the global language. T R

45

Swiss International Scientic School in Dubai Personalised learning with a focus on bilingualism and 21st century skills

F

ounded in 2015, The Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai (SISD) is a leading day and boarding school where future generations are inspired to become confident and enthusiastic life-long learners, ready to embrace the opportunities of a global world. SISD follows the full continuum International Baccalaureate (IB) programme in two bilingual English-French and English-German streams or English with additional languages (French or German with Arabic). Welcoming 1150 students from over 70 nationalities, SISD is an IB Continuum World School authorized to offer and teach the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) and IB Diploma Programme (DP). SISD is also a candidate school for the IB Careers Programme (CP).

48

July | 2019

A school is an inspiring place for students to live and learn.

Filled with natural light, spacious classrooms, libraries, and laboratories, SISD is designed in such a way that it inspires children and encourages learning. The school has a large eco-friendly campus that offers a wide range of sporting facilities making the most of its location adjacent to Dubai Creek. The school offers spacious classrooms of up to 100m2 with welcoming colors to make the environment stimulating and pleasant for children. The outdoor play areas include an adventure playground and a small swimming pool that are carefully designed to be safe, yet fun places for engaging activities.

Celebrating Academic Excellence SISD aims at providing an inspiring, inclusive and challenging learning environment while celebrating academic excellence. The school encourages and supports all students to become successful, global-minded, enthusiastic lifelong learners who will confidently take advantage of future opportunities and help make a difference. Together with teaching staff and parents, students are supported to develop their potential in a motivating, multilingual and international learning environment. The curriculum teaches children real-life skills enabling them to succeed in today’s ever-changing environment. SISD encourages children to be independent thinkers, develop excellent communication skills and become principled, open-minded individuals.

Inspiring Excellence As an IB world school, SISD shares a commitment to high quality, challenging, and international education. The IB programme creates, develops and sustains a community of life-long learners and provides a coherent learning experience. Our unique curriculum offers an engaging learning experience, the challenge of developing a real understanding of cultural diversity and the support of a thriving international community.

The Early Years Programme at SISD has been carefully designed to encourage inquiry-based learning for children aged between 3 and 5. Students are fortunate to learn in a multilingual and multicultural environment that provides a wide range of opportunities academically, culturally, socially and physically. The IB acknowledges that young

July | 2019

Inspiring Early Years Education at SISD SISD’s Head of Early Years, Amina El Difrawi was born and raised in Switzerland, she completed her Master's in International Relations at the University of Geneva. After this, she was offered a place in Swiss Bank Corporation’s graduate programme. She moved to Egypt with the intent of working in diving and becoming a teacher. With hands-on experience in teaching, she returned to Switzerland to become a primary teacher. She obtained a degree in Primary Teaching from the Training Center for Education in the State of Geneva. She worked as a primary teacher in Switzerland for 6 years, nally being promoted to Head of the School in 2008.

With her experience in decision making and general management, she has successfully implemented a special pilot programme on inclusion that is now present in many schools in Geneva. Amina has a CAS Degree (Certicate of advanced studies) in School Management from the Institut de Hautes Etudes en Administration Publique (IDHEAP), Lausanne and prociently acquired multiple languages along the way such as French, English, Italian, Arabic, and German.

Her multi-pronged degrees and experiences in teaching and leading schools have made her the best person to be Head of Early Years the SISD. With the motto, ''Freedom begins where ignorance ends.'' A quote by Victor Hugo, Amina has been at SISD since 2015, working with passion and humanity to ensure every member of the community nds their right place.

49

learners are intelligent, capable and creative individuals who develop and learn at different rates. They explore their environment and learn about their world through play and relationships with family, teachers and community members. Early learning in the Primary Years Programme is a holistic experience focusing on the development of the whole child, addressing social, emotional, physical and cognitive needs.

In Early Years with the importance of play, students are able to inquire, explore and discover different areas both indoors and outdoors by doing free flow, continuous provision, student-led, and adult led activities. At SISD, children attend 40 minute lessons of mathematics, languages (French or German), science, social studies, Arabic, art, music, and physical education.

Learning through play At SISD, Learning is hands-on and students are therefore given the freedom (in a prepared environment guided by the teacher), to inquire into and learn about the world around

50

them. This encourages social interaction and teamwork.

Each learning style and attainment level is taken into account by teachers, as every student learns differently.

Children participate in free flow activities that allow them to progress at their own pace, develop independence and have the freedom to move between indoor and outdoor areas. Children take part in specialist classes such as Music, drama, book club, Physical Education and Art, building blocks and games of their interest to develop fine motor skills.

Early Immersion to Bilingualism At SISD, Bilingualism is defined as the regular use of two or more different languages. The school is committed to early immersion, to develop two or more languages as well as acquire appropriate knowledge of the subject content and intercultural competence. The language input is ageappropriate, comprehensible, and both lexically and structurally rich and the language contact is action and content-oriented. According to research, it has shown that the most suitable tool that allows children to have command

July | 2019

of more than one language at a highly functional level is the early immersion of the bilingual programme.

Technology and Innovation SISD embraces technologies that support the school's vision of education and make learning experiences stimulating and interactive. The school provides digital resources and learning opportunities for teachers and students to acquire the skills needed to integrate technology for real world experiences. Students gain experience and build on skills with contemporary tools that they will use to thrive and contribute in a dynamic, global aďŹƒliated world. Learners explore the issues of their world through interactive media, they connect to others via social networks and share their ideas and projects in videos and virtual galleries.

Parent School Relationship At SISD the school recognizes that a successful partnership between the school and home is one of the cornerstones of the student's success. The school provides open door

July | 2019

policies for the parents to have smooth communication and cooperation. The parents are required to immerse themselves in the education process of their child. The parents are free to talk to teachers and the respective individuals about their child's growth academically as well as socially. The school provides various platforms such as emails, face to face communication, bulletins, newsletters and school websites for better communication and understanding between parents and the school.

Awards SISD strives to build a community of global citizens who lead a healthy lifestyle and are respectful of others and the school's environment. In June 2016, the school received the Happy Healthy School Award, by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai, for promoting healthy eating, active living, and a positive environment.

Also recently the school received the third prize in The Philanthropic School Award, for raising the most amounts of funds. T R

51