Dubai now has an official yardstick for what a good nursery looks like. In November 2025, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) launched its Quality Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education, and it gives parents a clear set of things to check. This guide explains the framework in plain language and turns it into questions you can ask on any tour, including at Alif Ya Nursery Dubai.
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KHDA’s Quality Framework sets five standards for Dubai nurseries: learning, partnership with families, the learning environment, health and safeguarding, and leadership. For now it is guidance, not an inspection regime. On a tour, ask about staff ratios, hygiene and temperature checks, screen time, data protection and how the nursery keeps parents informed.
What Is KHDA’s Quality Framework for Nurseries?
The framework is Dubai’s first unified benchmark for nurseries, preschools and early years departments in schools, according to Yalla Dubai Life. It was developed with early childhood experts and sets out what quality should look like across curriculum, wellbeing, partnership with families, safety and leadership. KHDA builds it around the idea of the Dubai Child: a global child living a local life, growing in identity, language and culture.
The sector it covers is large. As of June 2024, KHDA counted 274 early childhood centres in Dubai, with about 27,490 children enrolled. A shared yardstick helps parents compare them on the same terms.
What Are the Five Domains, and What Do They Mean for Your Child?
| Domain | What it covers |
| Learning and curriculum | Intentional, child-centred teaching. Valuing children’s languages, cultures and identities. Play-based, inquiry-led learning. Ongoing assessment and family-informed planning. |
| Partnership with families | Open, two-way communication. Shared decision-making. Strong home and nursery connections. Inclusion and cultural responsiveness. |
| Learning environment | Warm, flexible, inviting spaces. Resources that reflect children’s home cultures. Safe, purposeful use of digital tools. Rich sensory and exploratory settings. |
| Health, safeguarding and wellbeing | Robust safeguarding systems. Physical and emotional safety. Rigorous hygiene and sanitation. Nutrition and mealtime guidance. |
| System leadership | Effective leadership and governance. Strong staff development. Accountability and evaluation systems. Evidence-based improvement planning. |
Which New Rules Matter Most to Parents?
Several parts of the framework affect what you will see in a nursery day to day.
- Ratios: KHDA has set age-appropriate staff-to-child ratios, for example 1:5 for children aged 18 to 35 months.
- Qualifications: educators and assistants must meet defined qualification levels for early childhood.
- Health: stronger infection control and hygiene procedures, mandatory temperature checks, enhanced security protocols, and sanitation and nutrition policies.
- Digital use: nurseries must follow KHDA guidance on age-appropriate daily screen time, work with parents on children’s total exposure, and ensure safe digital use and data protection.
- Language: children should have meaningful language experiences, including Arabic.
KHDA has also published binding health, safety and wellbeing standards under the framework, reported by Gulf News in January 2026. They cover centre design, protection policies such as cybersecurity, infection control, nutrition and incident management, and protocols for reporting and handling safety incidents. Khaleej Times reports that KHDA also introduced four compliance handbooks under its Flexible Regulation Framework, one of them for early childhood centres.
Will Nurseries Be Inspected or Rated Under It?
Not yet. KHDA has described the framework as a developmental and reflective tool, and said it lays the foundation for a future quality assurance system, according to WhichSchoolAdvisor. Inspections or ratings may come later.
For now, that means the framework gives you a common set of questions, but it does not tell you how any single nursery measures up. That’s where a tour comes in.
What Should You Ask on a Nursery Tour?
Use these questions at every nursery you visit, so you can compare the answers fairly. Ask for answers in writing where you can.
| Area | Questions to ask |
| Learning and curriculum | How is a typical day planned? How does play-based learning work in practice? Where does Arabic appear during the day, and for how long? How do teachers observe and record progress? |
| Partnership with families | How often will I get updates, and through which channel? Can I speak to my child’s teacher? How do you handle a concern I raise? |
| Learning environment | Which digital tools do children use, and how much screen time is there each day? How are children’s photos and information stored, and who can see them? |
| Health and safeguarding | What happens at arrival, including temperature checks? What are your hygiene and sanitation routines? What is your meal and nutrition policy? How do you tell parents about incidents, and how quickly? What is the staff-to-child ratio for my child’s age group? |
| Leadership and staff | What qualifications do the educators and assistants hold? What training do staff receive, and how often? How does the nursery review its own quality? |
What Does Alif Ya Nursery Say on Its Website?
This table sets out what the nursery’s own website says on the topics above. It describes what the nursery states, and it is not a rating or an assessment against the framework.
| Topic | What the website says | Where |
| Safety | The nursery says it provides a secure, nurturing environment with trained staff, strict hygiene practices, constant supervision and open communication with parents. | FAQ |
| Staff training | The nursery says staff receive continuous training in health and safety, child protection, positive behaviour guidance and culturally relevant teaching. | FAQ |
| Updates for parents | Through Kinderpedia, its communication app, the nursery says it provides daily updates, weekly summaries, progress reports and regular meetings. | FAQ |
| Curriculum | The nursery implements the Creative Curriculum, a play-based framework, adapted to reflect Arabic language, values and cultural identity. | Seven things to look for |
| Languages | Arabic is the primary language of learning, and daily English classes are offered for children aged 2 and above, with lesson length tailored to age. | Child-led learning |
| Ages and classes | Children from 45 days to 6 years, in six classes: Butterflies, Bees, Birds, Deers, Falcons and Knights. | Home page |
| Additional needs | The nursery says it works closely with parents and, when necessary, external specialists, so children with additional learning or developmental needs get appropriate support. | Branch pages |
| Tours | During a tour, the Nursery Manager guides you through the learning spaces, introduces the team and answers your questions. | Home page |
How Do You Choose a Nursery in Dubai, Step by Step?
Step 1: Shortlist by location and age range. Start with the nurseries that are practical for your commute and take your child’s age.
Step 2: Book a tour at each one. Seeing the spaces and meeting the team tells you more than a brochure.
Step 3: Bring the same questions. Use the table above at every visit, and note the answers.
Step 4: Compare the answers side by side. Look for clear, specific answers on ratios, hygiene, screen time and updates.
Step 5: Check the admission rules. Age cut-offs changed for 2026-27, so read our guides to nursery admissions in Dubai and the new age rules before you apply.
Step 6: Decide, and ask for the details in writing. Confirm the start date, class and fees before you pay.
Which Alif Ya Branch Can You Tour?
Alif Ya Nursery lists four branches in Dubai, and you can book a tour at any of them through the website’s booking form. The nursery’s website calls it an Arabian preschool in Dubai and an Arabic nursery, and its Knights class is its kindergarten, for children aged 5 to 6. If you’re searching for an Arabic kindergarten in Dubai or a kindergarten in Dubai, ask about the Knights class on your visit.
Nad Al Sheba: this is the branch for Nad Al Sheba nursery admission. If you’re comparing a nursery in Nad Al Sheba, an Arabian nursery Nad Al Sheba families can visit, or a preschool in Nad Al Sheba Dubai, the nursery says it welcomes families from Meydan, Al Quoz and Ras Al Khor, and lists daycare options for working parents.
Al Mizhar 1: the branch page describes an Arabic and Islamic preschool. If you’re looking at a nursery in Al Mizhar 1, a preschool in Al Mizhar 1 Dubai, an Arabic preschool Al Mizhar or an Islamic nursery Al Mizhar, book a tour here.
Al Mizhar 4 (Oud Al Muteena): if you’re considering an Al Mizhar 4 nursery school, an Al Mizhar 4 toddler nursery, an Al Mizhar 4 kids learning center or an Oud Al Muteena play school, book a tour at this branch.
Al Barsha: for an Arabic preschool Al Barsha families can tour, or an al barsha nursery with programmes from infants through to kindergarten, as the nursery’s own post on child-led learning describes it, book a tour here. If you’re searching for toddler classes Al Barsha, the toddler class at Alif Ya is called Bees, for children aged 1 to 2.
To choose between branches, read our guide to Alif Ya’s four branches. For more on the values behind the curriculum, read our posts on Arabic and Islamic early education and child-led learning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is KHDA’s Early Childhood Quality Framework?
It is Dubai’s first unified quality benchmark for nurseries, preschools and early years departments in schools, launched in November 2025. It covers learning, partnership with families, the learning environment, health and safeguarding, and leadership.
Are Dubai nurseries inspected or rated under the framework?
Not yet. KHDA describes it as a developmental and reflective tool that lays the foundation for a future quality assurance system.
What are the staff-to-child ratios?
KHDA has set age-appropriate ratios, for example 1:5 for children aged 18 to 35 months. Ask each nursery for the ratio in your child’s age group.
Does the framework cover screen time and data?
Yes. Nurseries must follow KHDA guidance on age-appropriate daily screen time, work with parents on total exposure, and ensure safe digital use and data protection.
How do I choose the best Arabian nursery in Dubai?
Visit more than one, ask each the same questions, and compare the answers against the five domains of the framework. Choose the one whose answers are clear and whose environment feels right for your child.
Which Alif Ya branches can I tour?
Nad Al Sheba, Al Mizhar 1, Al Barsha and Al Mizhar 4 (Oud Al Muteena). You can book a tour at any of them through the website’s booking form.
How do I book a tour at Alif Ya Nursery Dubai?
Use the booking form on the website and pick your branch, or call +971 52 125 5721. The Nursery Manager guides you through the learning spaces and answers your questions.
What ages does Alif Ya accept?
Children from 45 days to 6 years, in the Butterflies, Bees, Birds, Deers, Falcons and Knights classes.
Ready to Visit? Book a Private Tour at Alif Ya Nursery Dubai has four branches in Dubai and takes tour requests through its website. If you’re comparing nurseries against KHDA’s framework, the useful step is to see the spaces, meet the team and ask your questions in person. Book a private tour with Alif Ya Nursery Dubai through the booking form, or call +971 52 125 5721.