Manama - Post Report Question and Answers
Are preschools available? Day care? Are these expensive? What has been your experience with them, if any? Do the schools provide before- and/or after-school care?
Yes, but I don't have preschoolers so can't really comment. People have good experiences, so I hear. - Sep 2016
There are preschools all over. They are rather expensive, but are for 1 1/2-4 year olds. They go until 1 pm and since people have nannies the drivers usually pick up the toddlers and take them home to their nannies. - Nov 2015
There are many wonderful preschools to choose from, either with the British or American curriculum. They start at age 2. Early Learners, Little Gems, Budaiya Preschool, British Preparatory School, and The Learning Tree are a few. Our kids go to the Ajyaal Montessori which teaches in Arabic in addition to English. We couldn’t be happier (there is a 6+ month wait list so get on it early). These are 5-day a week, morning-only preschools and they’re not cheap ($4000-6500/year). A few offer the option to go 2-3 days a week. None have after school care, so if both parents plan to work, you will have to rely on a nanny for afternoon care. - Sep 2012
There are many good international preschools in Bahrain and the curriculum ranges from US conventional and Montessori to UK, Indian, etc. My son goes to the Budaiya Preschool, a UK curriculum school, and we're very happy with it. The teachers are wonderful, both communicative and caring, and the student population is extremely diverse. My child shares his class with over half a dozen nationalities, which offers quite a lot of learning opportunities. The preschool also provides transport to and from school and they do Arabic classes three days a week. - Apr 2010
Great preschools, but again there are waiting lists. We used Budaiya preschool, and we were very happy with the reception class taught by another embassy spouse. Now our son will attend St. Christopher's. - Jun 2009
Yes, can get a nanny or some companies have day care as well. There are privately run Kindergartens as well. - Dec 2008
