The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

When it comes time to choose a nursery for your kid, especially if that kid happens to be your first child, the decision can seem daunting. What if you pick wrong and she or he hates it? What if you hate it? What if they won’t get the leg up you’re hoping for at this school? What if…what if…what if….?

We’ve found the best nursery in Cairo, one that will surely rid you of all your hesitation. Esparanza meets the mark in all criteria. So, without further ado, here are ten reasons why you need to enrol your child at Esparanza:

1. Hygiene

Esparanza understands that the number one concern for any parent is their child’s health. Accordingly, to Esparanza, hygiene is not limited to the cleanness of the place and toys, but is also something that extends to staff members and children. Hand washing is a mandatory habit that is taught to adults and children alike.

2. Discipline and Manners

Esparanza knows that young children need to be taught more than just their A, B, C’s; indeed, any decent child psychologist will tell you that the early years of a child’s life are extremely formative and crucial to their character development. Moreover, since children spend much of their time at school, surely the influence of the school’s environment is more than central when it comes to teaching children the appropriate values, rules, and mannerisms required for them to become respected and independent individuals.  Given all this, Esparanza does not only exclusively focus on having children follow instructions, rules, and regulations, they also teach children the value and importance of abiding by rules. This, again, is a notion which extends to staff members, as Esparanza knows that teaching children by giving them positive role models is an integral part of the learning process.

3. Curriculum and Academic Education

Esparanza offers a brilliantly designed British curriculum, set to prepare children for entry into school. Their curriculum was originally designed by Dr Saud Fatim one of Egypt’s top educational consultants. Now, you might be reading this and thinking to yourself “well, what’s so unique about a nursery which offers a British curriculum?” Well, the uniqueness comes in how this British curriculum is implemented, with children learning through play in order to foster that level of creativity and innovation that we all love about children.

4. Activities and Skills

Speaking of learning through play, Esparanza helps children gain essential knowledge and pick up information that would be useful once that child starts school. They are considered the top, when it comes to successfully acquiring social skills and developing motor skills, all through engaging games and activities.

Consider, for example, the fact that Garden Time is not just about playing with different high-quality toys, it is also viewed as a valuable learning time for children. Even during break, children learn how to wait for turns, how to follow instructions, and how to co-operate with one another.

More examples of educating children by means of active engagement include musical and singing activities, where children are introduced to letters and alphabets; block counting, which introduces them to numbers; story time, which introduces them to sentence formation; and cooking time which introduces them to basic concepts of mathematics.

Furthermore, children are exposed to biology and geology through nature walks. Children also have their creativity fostered by excellent and qualified art teachers and are taught all about the importance of physical activity through PE classes. All this, and more, thereby ensures that graduates of Esparanza are extremely well-balanced young individuals.

5. Treatment

One of the many reasons which sets Esparanza apart from other nurseries and kindergartens in Cairo is the people who work there; the folks at Esparanza really take care of the children, they take time to speak with them, and they do whatever it takes to ensure that the children and parents feel happy, safe, and secure. More specifically, Esparanza are exceptionally good at understanding the patience required to settle the children in, and they understand how hard it is for parents and kids, during those first days.

6. Staff

Speaking of understanding and generally helpful staff members, the teachers at Esparanza are the friendliest and warmest nursery teachers you will come across. The staff make any new person feel welcome and always at home. Moreover, the teachers at Esparanza are well-trained, highly qualified teachers that care a whole lot about the children and understand the uniqueness of each and every child.

7. Facilities

Esparanza is open all through the week, except Fridays, from 7:30am to 5:30pm. They are the only nursery in Cairo that offers hand-to-hand or door-to-door transportation to all districts and areas in Cairo by professional university graduates and drivers in the nursery’s private cars.

8. Nutrition

In Esparanza they provide four balanced, and locally sourced, 100% organic meals a day. Their professional and experienced cook uses natural ingredients to make delicious meals. As per the meal plans, they are set by a professional nutritionist, and they include all kinds of vegetables, fruits, cereals, and protein, exposing children to the importance of healthy eating habits.

9. Honesty

Esparanza’s honesty and integrity is among the foremost factors placing it on top of the list. All parents would give up everything, and anything, for a nursery which is transparent and honest. We are pleased to say, that honesty is Esparanza’s top rule when dealing with parents, staff, and children.

10. Management and Experience

Esparanza has been in the educational field for the past 18 years. They established the Dokki branch in 2002 (17 Ismail Abou El Fotouh, in front of Misr El Dawli Hospital, Fini Square, Dokki Tel: 33371454 – 0122/7400082), and then established a second branch in Heliopolis in 2008 (5 Giza Street, Off Beirut Street, 2^nd left after QNB bank, Heliopolis Tel: 24506709 – 0122/9696975)

They are the only nursery to be a member of the American Chamber of Commerce and the German Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. This is a testament to the level of professional management found at both their branches. Another testament is the fact that they have graduated generations and generations of children, making them more than experienced in their job. Moreover, dealing with thousands of parents and different nationalities of kids makes them professional, and their professional management consists of routine, structure, and strict rules.

All in all, Esparanza is proof that just by showing up, being concerned, and putting in the energy to research and visit schools in order to find out what the best practices are, one can lay the solid and strong foundation required for building a successful pedagogical institution.

For more information, feel free to contact any of their branches by calling the numbers mentioned above, or by emailing them on esparanza_preschool@hotmail.com. You can also pay Esparanza’s website a visit, or check out their Facebook page.