The UAE continues to prioritise early childhood education as evidenced by the numerous programmes focusing on the well-rounded development of a child from birth to the fourth grade.
This has led to substantial investments made both by the government and private sector, emphasising the continuous improvement of the quality of early childhood education curricula. This has resulted in the steady increase of academic centres catering to the unique requirements of the country’s youngest citizens and residents. Dubai alone is now home to at least 120 early childhood education centres.
This has naturally created unprecedented demand for qualified early childhood educators, which has led to a surge in employment opportunities and attractive remuneration. According to the Economic Research Institute, the average pay for an early childhood development teacher in the UAE is Dh118,309 a year.
Early childhood educators play a pivotal role in nurturing young learners and instilling in them a love for learning, critical thinking abilities and strong social and emotional skills. Their influence cannot be overstated.
Training programmes
Comprehensive training and professional development opportunities for educators are available across the UAE. One standard, as per the country’s laws, is that a childcare provider should be licensed to ensure the highest quality of learning. The Federal Authority for Early Childhood Education is the one responsible for issuing licenses and monitoring government and private nurseries in the country.
Specialised programmes, workshops, and conferences are being held to equip teachers with the necessary skills to nurture young minds effectively. An example of this is the initiative by the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA). Launched to provide practical training on child development and quality learning improvements in four languages, the initiative benefited more than 5,800 teachers at over 580 nurseries across Abu Dhabi.
The combination of increased investments, enhanced professional development opportunities, and growing recognition of the importance of early education has created a favourable environment for individuals pursuing a career in this discipline.
