Parents in Dubai cannot apply on their own for home-based nursery learning. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority made that clear this week in a clarification about its new Centre-Led Home-Based Learning program for children aged 0 to 6.
The CLHL framework was announced over the weekend. It allows licensed nurseries to send qualified staff into homes during government-mandated distance learning periods. But there’s a key detail many parents missed. The nursery runs everything. Not the parent.
Dr Amna Almaazmi, CEO of Growth and Human Development at KHDA, confirmed that these are services offered by licensed early childhood centres. Parents who want access need to speak directly with their child’s nursery to find out if it plans to participate. The nursery handles the KHDA application, risk assessments, staffing decisions, insurance, and parent agreements.
How Dubai KHDA home-based nursery learning works
The program has two formats. The first is a CLHL Hub. A licensed nursery sets up a small learning group inside an approved home. Up to eight children from different families can attend, supervised by the nursery’s own qualified staff.
The second is a CLHL Educator arrangement. The nursery sends one of its trained, vetted employees to a single family’s home to provide learning and care for that family’s children only. Think of it as a one-on-one setup.
Both options exist strictly as emergency measures. They activate only when KHDA or the Ministry of Education mandates distance learning. That could be for weather, health crises, security situations, or other disruptions. Once in-person classes resume, these services must stop within five working days.
Only nurseries with valid KHDA permits and clean regulatory records can apply. Staff assigned to homes must be current nursery employees. Not freelancers. Not independent tutors. They need early childhood qualifications, a valid Dubai police clearance, paediatric first aid certification, and safeguarding training.
Parents cannot request a specific teacher either. Staffing decisions stay with the nursery. Any preferences need to be discussed directly with the centre.
KHDA nursery home learning safety and approval process
KHDA does not inspect homes itself. That responsibility falls on the nursery. Before any CLHL Hub can open, the centre must carry out a detailed risk assessment of the home. This covers the physical environment, health and hygiene conditions, safeguarding arrangements, supervision plans, and any age-specific concerns.
The nursery then submits this assessment to KHDA alongside safeguarding policies, a staff register with qualifications and clearance details, supervision arrangements, signed declarations on insurance, and host permission. KHDA reviews the full application before granting approval. Incomplete or substandard applications get sent back or rejected.
A responsible adult must be present in the home during all sessions. That means a parent, a family member over 18, or a family nanny. They don’t need to sit in the same room as the children but must stay in the home and be immediately available.
Day-to-day monitoring of the learning sessions falls on the nursery. Centres are required to have proper supervision and monitoring policies for off-site staff. That includes regular check-ins, line management structures, and constant access to a Designated Safeguarding Lead. Nurseries must submit weekly summary reports to KHDA covering the number and names of children, teacher details, incidents or concerns, staff absences, and parent feedback.
KHDA reviews those reports and will step in if compliance or safeguarding issues come up.
The timing of this initiative matters. UAE schools and nurseries have been on distance learning since March 2. The Ministry of Education extended remote learning until at least April 17 due to the ongoing regional conflict. No confirmed date for classroom reopening has been announced yet. For parents of very young children, the weeks of nursery closures have meant a complete pause in structured early learning. The CLHL framework is KHDA’s attempt to fill that gap without compromising on safety standards.
On fees, KHDA has drawn a line. Families already paying nursery fees should not face additional CLHL charges for hub services. For CLHL Educator arrangements, nurseries set fees in agreement with parents. Those fees cover staff salary, transport, learning materials, and a reasonable margin. KHDA has stressed that all charges must be transparent and reasonable.
