First nursery on Saadiyat Island to open next year

The announcement was made by the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), which will partner with Kids First Group, which has nurseries in the UAE and Qatar.

Once open, the Redwood Saadiyat Nursery will cater for up to 140 children. Courtesy of TDIC

ABU DHABI // Saadiyat Island will welcome its first nursery school this year.

The announcement was made by the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), which will partner with Kids First Group.

Once open, the Redwood Saadiyat Nursery will cater for up to 140 children.

“The construction work of the building of the nursery is near completion,” a TDIC spokesman said. “The interior design for the project is in its schematic design phase and is progressing well for the project to be open in the third quarter of 2013.”

Facilities will include a sandpit, an area where children can grow vegetables and a “mini-city” that will teach them the ins and outs of living in a cosmopolitan setting.

Extra-curricular activities will also be available and will include the “enrichment programme”, in which children can take part in drama, cooking, yoga, karate and ballet, among other activities.

Language classes – in Arabic, Mandarin, French, Italian and Spanish – will also be taught via the enrichment programme. English, French and Arabic will be available as part of the basic curriculum.

“A wide range of educational facilities and teaching methods of high standards offered for children in the nursery will engage them in a variety of activities to exercise their imagination and nurture their minds,” said Kamil Al Najjar, the co-founder of Kids First Group.

A music room, library, arts and life area and gym will also be available at the nursery which, along with the outdoor area, will span 1,500 square metres.

The development falls in line with plans to reach out to the island community, said Ahmed Al Fahim, the executive director of marketing, communications, sales and leasing at TDIC.

"Saadiyat is fast becoming a vibrant community, with more residents making the island their home, while the nursery is our next step to serve residents of Saadiyat, as well as Abu Dhabi city, with an essential education phase for their children," Mr Al Fahim said.

[e-mail]