Abu Dhabi: The first nursery school is set to open on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island, which is fast becoming a lively community with more residents making the island their home.
The nursery school will open in the third quarter of 2013 to accommodate up to 140 children, according to a partnership signed with Kids First Group, an internationally recognised academic operator, the Tourism Development and Investments Company (TDIC) announced today in the capital.
The Redwood Saadiyat Nursery will provide high standards of educational and recreational facilities for pre-school education as well as a wide range of learning experiences, stimulating and empowering settings led by highly qualified practitioners.
Additionally, the nursery will focus on the Montessori method, which is an educational approach developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori in 1897. This philosophy of teaching is based on actual observations of children accompanied by some training in medicine, psychology, anthropology and philosophy.
“The educational method which will be taught at the Saadiyat Redwood Nursery will enrich children’s lives and encourage their development with the use of the world-known Montessori method of teaching. 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, co-founder of Kids First Group.
“We are expecting around 70 children to enter the nursery on Saadiyat by the end of 2013, after the great success achieved by Redwood Nursery in Khalifa City, where a pleasant environment with carefully devised materials was provided for children.
“The design of the nursery is developed with environmental sustainability in mind to concentrate on creating a safe and healthy atmosphere for the children and to broaden their learning abilities,” Al Najjar told Gulf News.
While the project is still in the schematic design phase, it will encompass a total of 1,500 square metres of space, with a 500 square metre building and the remaining dedicated to outdoor facilities with the maximum use of daylight and natural ventilation.
The nursery, which can accommodate nearly 140 children, will house a music room, areas for arts and crafts, well-resourced library, media centre, technology room, and a gymnasium for sports.
“Redwood Saadiyat Nursery will offer a curriculum based fundamentally on a model of human development. The curriculum will include English, French, and Arabic sections besides an extra curricular programme which includes an optional two-hour enrichment programme offering a range of activities such as drama, cooking, yoga, karate, ballet, gold, music and other language classes such as Chinese, Italian and Spanish,” Ahmad Al Fahim, executive director of marketing, communication, sales and leasing at TDIC, said.
“The educational projects currently being developed on Saadiyat, including New York University and Cranleigh Abu Dhabi School will be available on Saadiyat by 2014,” Al Fahim said.
