Federal Decree Law No. (51) of 2022  Regulating Nurseries (family and community law)

Article (1) Definitions  
In application of the provisions of this Law by Decree, the following words and phrases shall 
have the meanings assigned thereto, unless the context otherwise requires:  
State  : The United Arab Emirates.  
Ministry  : Ministry of Education . 
FAEE  : Federal Agency for Early Education.  
FAEE Chairman  : Chairman of the Federal Agency for Early Education.  
Concerned 
Authorities  : The government authorities concerned with regulating nurseries in terms 
of social, cultural, regulatory, health o r security aspects, or the authorities 
authorised to issue commercial licen ses to nurseries to practic e their 
education activities, each within its jurisdiction.  
Child  : Every child from the age of one day to the age of four (4) calendar 
years.  
Nursery 
Activities  : Programmes and activities related to the care and follow -up of children, 
with all their health and educational aspects, and the development of their 
physical, cognitive, linguistic, emotional and social abilities.  
Private 
Nurseries  : Every facility specialised in providing child care services, established and 
supervised by a private natural or legal person, including nurseries attached 
to private schools and nurseries at workplaces.  
Care Rooms  : A place designated for receiving and caring for children from their birth 
until they compl ete two years of age.  
Licen se : A document issued by the FAEE to practise nursery activities in accordance 
with the provisions of this Law by Decree.  
Professional 
Licen se : A document issued by the Ministry to personnel working in the field of 
education in accordance with the legislation in force in this regard.   
 
Federal Decree Law No. ( 51) of 2022 Regulating Nurseries  3 Executive 
Regulations  : The Executive Regulation issued in implementation of the provisions of this 
Law by Decree .

Article (2) Law by Decree Objectives  
This Law by Decree shall aim to achieve the following:  
1. Caring for children and qualifying them socially, morally, educationally, psychologically 
and physically, and giving them a healthy upbringing.  
2. Regulating the activities and care services provided by nurseries, which will improve the 
child's quality of life.  
3. Governance of the work of nurseries in the State.

Article (3) Law by Decree Scope of Application  
1. The provisions of this Law by Dec ree shall apply to all nurseries in the State.  
2. Nurseries that are specified by a resolution issued by the Cabinet shall be excluded from 
the application of some provisions of this Law by Decree.

Article (4) Licen se 
1. The FAEE is responsible for issuing licen ses for nurseries.  
2. It is prohibited for any natural or legal person to carry out any nursery activities or operate any establishment to carry out these activities unless obtaining a licen se to do so 
from the FA EE. 
3. The Executive Regulation shall specify the procedures for issuing, renewing and cancelling nursery licens es. 
4. As an exception to the provisions of Clause (1) of this Article, nurseries attached to 
private schools shall be licensed in accordanc e with the provisions of the 
aforementioned Federal Law by Decree No. (18) of 2020 Concerning Private Education, 
in coordination with the FAEE.   
 
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Article (5) Conditions for the Licen se 
The following requirements are required to obtain a nursery licens e: 
1. Submitting an application to obtain a licen se to the FAEE, including all documents and 
instruments as specified by the Executive Regulation.  
2. Obtaining the required approvals from the Concerned Authorities.  
3. The nursery must have a distinguished name in accordance with the controls specified 
by the Executive Regulation.  
4. The nursery's location and building must comply with the standards and requirements 
specified by the Executive Regulation.  
5. Appointing a manager to manage the nursery who meets the requirements specified by the Executive Regulation.  
6. Any other requirements determined by the FAEE.

Article (6) Conditions for Natural Licen se Applicant  
If the licen se applicant is a natural person, the following must be fulfilled:  
1. He must not be less than twenty -five (25) years old.  
2. He must have full civil capacity.  
3. He must have not been convicted of a custodial penalty in a felony or misdemeanour 
against honour or trust, unless he has been rehabilitated.  
4. He must have  obtained the required formal approvals.  
5. He must be able to fulfil the financial obligations of the nursery, in accordance with what is specified in the Executive Regulation.  
6. Any other requirements determined by the Executive Regulation.

Article (7) Conditions for Legal Licen se Applicant  
If the licen se applicant is a legal person, the following must be fulfilled:   
 
Federal Decree Law No. ( 51) of 2022 Regulating Nurseries  5 1. It must be licensed by the Concerned Authorities, and one of the purposes of its 
establishment must be to establish and manage a nursery.  
2. It must be able to fulfil the financial obligations of the nursery, in accordance with what 
is specified in the Executive Regulation.  
3. All partners must fulfil the conditions stipulated in Clauses (1, 2, 3 & 4) of article (6) of 
this Law by Decree.  
4. It must have a natural person as his representative, who fulfils the conditions stipulated in clauses (1, 2, 3 & 4) of article (6) of this Law by Decree.  
5. Any other conditions determined by the Executive Regulation.

Article (8) Amending or Assigning Licen se Data 
It is not permissible to assign the licen se or amend the licensed activity except after the 
FAEE's approval. The Executive Regulation shall specify the conditions and procedures for amending or assigning the lic ense data.

Article (9) Nursery Obligations  
The nursery is committed to the following:  
1. Not to change the name of the nursery, its address, the licens e partners, its building, or 
its facilities, or to make any fundamental modification to its activities  except after the 
FAEE's approval.  
2. Accepting and enrolling all children without discrimination on the basis of race, gender, 
religion, social level, etcetera.  
including children with individual needs and disabilities.  
3. Ensuring that the personnel have a professional licen se and any other licen ses that may 
be requested by the Concerned Authorities in accordance with the controls in force by those authorities.  
4. Providing all educational, administrative, health and environmental requirements within 
the nursery headquarters, in accordance with what is specified in the Executive  
 
Federal Decree Law No. ( 51) of 2022 Regulating Nurseries  6 Regulation.  
5. Providing the qualified environment and supportive programmes to accept and care for 
children with special needs in accordance with the controls specified by the Executive 
Regulation.  
6. Establishing internal by -laws for the nursery in accordance with what is specified in the 
Executive Regulation.  
7. Fulfilling building requirements, and nec essary specifications and standards, and 
security and safety conditions for buildings, external spaces, and interior spaces, and materials used in making tools, furniture, toys, means, machines, and devices for each 
activity in accordance with what the FAE E determines.  
8. Fulfilling the conditions and requirements related to the use of means of transportation 
in accordance with the legislation in force in this regard.  
9. Protecting the children enrolled therein, including children with disabilities, and  
maintaining their safety inside the nursery facilities and buses or during any activity it carries out outside it.  
10. Maintaining the confidentiality of data and information related to children, and not publishing or sharing them except in accordance with the controls determined by the 
FAEE.  
11. Providing the FAEE with the data and information it requests.  
12. Facilitating the tasks of employees authorised by the Ministry or FAEE and other Concerned Authorities, as the case may be, to carry out evaluation and oversight work.  
13. Creating records and files on children and their workers, in accordance with what is specified in the Executive Regulation.  
14. Maintaining public order, public morals, UAE values and traditions, and national 
identity.  
15. Not to place pictures or paintings of figures or symbols other than the leaders of the State.  
16. Not to exploit nursery facilities for purposes other than their licensed purposes, and not 
to carry out any additional activities without the FAEE's  approval.  
17. Any other obligations determined by the FAEE pursuant to the resolutions issued 
thereby.   
 
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Article (10) Private Nurseries  
1. Subject to the obligations stipulated in this Law by Decree, private nurseries must 
commit to the following:  
a. Obtaining the FAEE's accreditation for the educational curriculum.  
b. Commitment to teaching the Arabic language, Islamic education, national identity, 
and knowledge of UAE culture and environment.  
c. Not to make any amendment to the approved educational curriculum or teach any 
other curriculum in addition to the approved educational curriculum, except after 
the approval of the FAEE.  
2. The Cabinet may, upon the proposal of the FAEE Chairman, issue a resolution specifying the controls for implementing Clause (1) of this Article.

Article (11) Nursery Enrolment Fees  
1. The FAEE shall approve the fees charged by nurseries upon granting a licen se, in 
accordance with the controls specified by the Executive Regulation.  
2. Nurseries are prohibited from changing the fees they charge or imposing any additional 
fees on their activities without obtaining the FAEE's approval.

Article (12) Personnel Affairs  
1. The personnel working in the nursery are subject to the legislation in force in the State.  
2. The nursery is committed to creating a special file for each of its workers, accompanied 
with their academic qualifications, experience certificate, employment contract, a copy 
of their passport, and their annual reports, includ ing performance evaluation reports, the 
violations they committed, the penalties that were imposed applied thereon, and any 
other documents specified by the FAEE.  
3. The nursery must notify the FAEE of a replacement candidate for the nursery manager in 
the event that his position becomes vacant, for any reason.  
   
 
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Article (13) Personnel Ethics Document  
The FAEE shall issue an ethics document that includes the controls, values, and 
responsibilities by which all personnel working in nurseries shall comply.

Article (14) Oversight  
1. The FAEE is responsible for monitoring nurseries' compliance with the provisions of this 
Law by Decree, its Executive Regulation, and other resolutions issued by the Concerned 
Authorities, in accordance with the controls and standards issued by the FAEE in this 
regard.  
2. As an exception to the provisions of Clause (1) of this Article, nurseries attached to 
private schools are subject to compliance oversight in accordance with the approved 
national framework for compliance.

Article (15) Evaluation of Performance Quality  
1. The National Centre for Educational Quality, in coordination with the FAEE, is responsible for developing unified standards to evaluate the quality of the nurseries' 
performance within the approved national framework for evaluating the quality of 
education.  
2. The National Centre for Educational Quality, or the educational body, in coordination 
with the FAEE, is responsible for implementing programs to evaluate nurseries' performance, prepare reports on the  results, and propose development 
recommendations.  
3. The Executive Regulation shall specify the procedures and measures to be taken towards 
nurseries based on the results of evaluating the quality of their performance.

Article (16) Grants and Donations  
Nurseries are prohibited from carrying out the following activities, without the FAEE's  
 
Federal Decree Law No. ( 51) of 2022 Regulating Nurseries  9 approval:  
1. Collecting donations, receiving aid or gifts from natural or legal persons, or disposing of 
any of them, whether inside or outside the State.  
2. Provi ding financial support to any party, whether inside or outside the State.

Article (17) Violations and Penalties  
1. Anyone who violates the provisions of this Law by Decree or the Resolutions issued in implementation thereof shall be punished by any of the following administrative 
sanctions:  
a. Warning.  
b. Administrative fine not exceeding two hundred thousand (20 0,000) AED.  
c. Temporary closure or suspension of activity for a period not exceeding one year.  
d. Final closure.  
2. Violations and administr ative sanctions for acts committed in violation of the provisions 
of this Decree by Law and the resolutions issued in implementation thereof, and the 
authorities that impose penalties, and the mechanism of grievance against them, and the 
authority concerne d with collecting administrative fines, shall be specified by virtue of a 
resolution issued by the Cabinet based on the proposal by the FAEE Chairman and after 
coordination with the Ministry of Finance.  
3. The FAEE may close the nursery permanently and immediately if it commits any acts that violate public order or public morals, or if they are harmful to public security in the State 
or violate security, health, and safety requirements. The FAEE may impose t he 
administrative fine stipulated in Paragraph (B) of Clause (1) of this Article.  
4. The imposition of the administrative sanctions stipulated in this Article shall not 
prejudice the criminal or civil liability that may arise from the same incident subje ct of 
the violation.

Article (18) Penalties  
Without prejudice to any severer penalty stipulated in any other law, a penalty of  
 
Federal Decree Law No. ( 51) of 2022 Regulating Nurseries  10 imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year and/or a fine not less than ten thousand 
(10,000) AED and not exceeding one million (1,000,000) AED, shall be imposed on anyone 
who:  
1. Carries out any nursery activities or operates any facility to carry out those activities 
without obtaining a licen se to do so from the FAEE or any authority authorised to 
exercise the FAEE's competence.  
2. Assigns the nursery licens e or amends the licensed activity without the approval of the 
FAEE or any authority authorised to exercise the FAEE's competence.  
3. Change the value of the fees charged by the nursery or impose any additional fees 
without obtaining the approval of the FAEE or any authority authorised to exercise the 
FAEE's competence.  
4. Collects donations or receiving aid or gifts from natural or le gal persons or dispose of any 
of them or provides financial support to any party, whether inside or outside the State, 
without obtaining the approval of the FAEE or any authority authorised to exercise the 
FAEE's competence.

Article (19) Judicial Enforcement  
The employees designated by a resolution issued by the Minister of Justice, based on a recommendation from the FAEE Chairman, shall have the capacity of judicial enforcement 
officers in proving all violations of the provisions of this Law, its Executive  Regulation and 
the resolutions issued in the implementation thereof, within their jurisdiction.

Article (20) Reconciliation  
All nurseries must reconcile their conditions in accordance with the provisions of this Law 
by Decree, its Executive Regulation, an d the resolutions issued in implementation thereof 
within one year as of the effective date of its provisions.  
  
  
 
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Article (21) Fees of Services  
The Cabinet shall, upon the proposal of the Minister of Finance, issue a resolution 
determining the fees due for th e services provided by the FAEE within the scope of its 
jurisdiction to implement the provisions of this Law by Decree and its Executive Regulation.

Article (22) Delegation of Competences and Outsourcing  
Duties and Services  
The FAEE may, up on the approval of the Cabinet, delegate some of its competences to any 
federal or local government authority. The FAEE may also outsource some of its tasks and 
services to any other government or private authority upon the approval of the Cabinet.

Article (23) Executive Regulation  
The Cabinet shall, upon the FAEE Chairman's proposal and after coordination with the 
Educational Authorities, issue the Executive Regulation.

Article (24) Executive Resolutions  
Without prejudice to the competences of the Cabinet contained in this Law by Decree, the FAEE Chairman shall issue the necessary resolutions to implement the provisions of this Law 
by Decree.

Article (25) Repeals  
1. Federal Law No. (5) of 19 83 Concerning Nurseries shall be repealed, as well as any 
provision that violates or contradicts the provisions of this Law by Decree.  
2. The regulations and resolutions issued prior to the entry into force of t he provisions of 
this Law by Decree shall remain in force, to the extent that do prejudice its provisions, 
until the issuance of the resolutions required for the implementation of its provisions.  
   
 
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Article (26) Publication and Enforcement of Law by Decree  
This Law by Decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and shall enter into force as of 
2 January 2023.  
  
 
 
Signed  
Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan  
President of the United Arab Emirates  
Issued by us at the Palace of the Presidency in Abu Dhabi:  
Dated: 5 October 2022 AD 
Corresponding to: 9 Rabi' I 1444 H