Choosing a nursery in Dubai: licences, fees and start ages

In Dubai, every nursery (officially an early childhood centre) must be authorised by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and be licensed. Check the centre on KHDA's online directory, visit, ask about staff ratios, safety and fees in writing, and confirm the age your child can join. Nurseries take children from birth to six.

Most families in Dubai look for a nursery when a parent goes back to work, or a year or two before school starts. Since the 2026 to 2027 school year, the UAE uses 31 December as the age cut-off for KG and Grade 1, which changes when many children move from nursery to school. This guide covers the licence check, start ages, typical fees and what to look for when you visit.

Nurseries in Dubai are regulated under Executive Council Resolution No. (35) of 2020 regulating early childhood centres. It names KHDA as the authority that oversees early childhood centres in the emirate, and it defines early childhood as birth to six years old.

The key points for parents:

• No one may run a nursery unless it is licensed by the licensing authority and authorised by KHDA. A centre first gets an initial approval, then a KHDA permit.
• The KHDA permit is valid for one year and must be renewed.
• Managers and teaching staff must be approved by KHDA and meet its qualification conditions.
• Centres must train staff on child health and safety.
• Changing fees without KHDA approval is a violation, and running without a permit carries the resolution's highest fine of AED 100,000.

So when a nursery says it is "registered", what you want to know is whether it holds a current KHDA permit and a valid trade licence. A home-based babysitting arrangement or an unlicensed "playgroup" is not a nursery under this law.

Checking takes a few minutes:

1. Open KHDA's Early Childhood Centres directory (also in the KHDA app). As of November 2026 it lists more than 330 centres.
2. Search by the nursery's name, or filter by area, and check the listed location and phone number match the place you are visiting. Many nurseries have several branches, and each branch needs its own approval.
3. On your visit, ask to see the KHDA permit and the trade licence, and check the dates. The permit is renewed every year.
4. Check that the name on the fee invoice and the contract is the same as the one in the KHDA directory.

You can also verify the trade licence yourself. If a centre is not in the directory and cannot show a permit, choose another one. Moathaq lists licensed nurseries in Dubai with the licence we checked shown on each listing, so you can shortlist faster.

Under KHDA's admission guidelines for early childhood centres, as reported by Gulf News, Dubai nurseries can take children from 45 days old up to six years. Not every centre takes babies, so ask each one about its youngest group.

The school start age is set nationally. The UAE Ministry of Education moved the age cut-off from 31 August to 31 December, starting with new admissions for the 2026 to 2027 school year, for schools and kindergartens whose year starts in August or September. Your child must have reached the age below by 31 December of the year they join:

• Pre-KG (FS1 in British schools): 3 years old
• KG1 (FS2): 4 years old
• KG2 (Year 1): 5 years old
• Grade 1 (Year 2): 6 years old

Schools with an April start keep a 31 March cut-off, and children who are already enrolled keep the rules that applied when they registered.

What this means in practice: a child who turns three by 31 December can start FS1 at a school that September, and many families keep their child in nursery until then. Some nurseries also run FS1 and FS2 classes. Ask the school you have in mind about its own admissions timeline early, because good schools fill up.

Each nursery sets its own fees, and under the 2020 resolution a centre needs KHDA approval to change them. Based on published fee lists we reviewed, a full-time place in a Dubai nursery typically costs AED 15,000 to 60,000 a year as of November 2026. Budget centres with shorter days can be below that, and a few premium centres charge well above AED 60,000. Prices vary a lot, so treat these as typical ranges, not quotes.

What moves the price:

• Hours: half day (often until about 12:30 or 1pm) against full day until 5 or 6pm, and two, three or five days a week
• Age group: baby rooms cost more because they need more staff per child
• Curriculum and approach: British EYFS, Montessori, Reggio-inspired or bilingual programmes
• Location and building: a villa with a large garden in a central area costs more than a smaller unit
• What is included: meals, snacks, nappies, uniforms, trips and after-hours care are often extra

Before you pay, ask for the full fee schedule in writing, including the registration fee, any deposit and whether it is refundable, what happens with fees if your child is ill or you go on holiday, and the notice period to withdraw. If you are comparing a nursery with a nanny at home, our guide to hiring a maid or nanny in the UAE sets out those costs.

Always visit, ideally during a normal morning when children are there, not only at an open day. Look and listen as much as you ask.

Staff and ratios. KHDA's guidelines set minimum staff-to-child ratios by age. As reported by Gulf News, they range from one adult to three children for babies from 45 days to 17 months, up to one adult to twelve children for ages four to six. Ask what the ratio is in your child's room today, not on paper, and how the centre covers staff sickness.

Safety.

• a secure entrance where visitors sign in and children are handed only to named adults
• shaded outdoor play areas with safe flooring and no reachable hazards
• covered sockets, safe furniture and gates on stairs
• a clear plan for fire drills, first aid and calling parents

Hygiene and health. Clean nappy-changing and toilet areas, handwashing routines, a separate sleep area for babies, how food is prepared and allergies are handled, and the policy on when a sick child must stay home.

Staff checks. Ask how staff are recruited, what qualifications they hold, whether they are trained in first aid and child protection, and how long the team has stayed. High staff turnover is worth asking about.

The children. Are they busy and relaxed? Do staff get down to their level and talk with them? A calm, slightly messy room usually says more than a perfect brochure.

Write these down and take them with you:

1. Can I see your KHDA permit and trade licence?
2. What is the ratio in my child's room, and who will be my child's key person?
3. What qualifications do the teachers and assistants have?
4. What is the daily routine, and how much time is spent outdoors?
5. Which curriculum do you follow, and how does it prepare children for FS1 or KG?
6. What are all the fees, what is included, and what is the refund and withdrawal policy?
7. How do you handle illness, medicines and allergies?
8. How do you report to parents: daily notes, an app, regular meetings?
9. How do you support children who are learning English or Arabic as a second language?
10. How do you support children with additional needs?
11. What is your settling-in process?

Get the answers that matter, especially on fees and refunds, in the written contract. If a nursery is vague about money or will not show you its permit, that tells you something.

Most nurseries offer a settling-in period over one or two weeks: short visits with a parent at first, then longer stays alone. Tears at drop-off are normal in the first weeks. Keep goodbyes short and consistent, bring a familiar comfort item, and talk to the key person about how the day went. If your child is still very unhappy after several weeks, ask for a meeting.

Red flags to take seriously:

• the centre is not in the KHDA directory, or cannot show a current permit
• you are asked to pay cash with no receipt, or the invoice is in a different company name
• you are not allowed to see the rooms where your child will spend the day
• far more children than adults in a room, or staff on their phones
• dirty changing areas, blocked fire exits or unsafe outdoor equipment
• no clear policy on collection, illness or accidents
• staff who cannot tell you how they would report a concern about a child

Reviews from other parents help, but treat them with care. Our guide on how online reviews get faked explains what to watch for. If your child also needs activities after nursery, look at kids' activities, and for older children, tutors.

Outside Dubai, a different body is in charge. In Abu Dhabi, the Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) licenses and monitors nurseries, and ADEK asks parents to make sure their child goes to a licensed nursery, with the licence displayed at reception and renewed every year. In Sharjah, the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) works with nurseries and runs improvement review visits across public and private nurseries. The national school start ages above apply in every emirate. If you live in another emirate, check with that emirate's education authority, and you can browse nurseries by place, such as nurseries in Abu Dhabi.

Whichever emirate you are in, the same habits protect your child: check the licence, visit, ask about ratios and safety, and get the fees in writing. When you are ready, compare licence-checked nurseries on Moathaq and request details from the ones near you.