Families in Dubai rely on preschools for multiple reasons. It is their relative wealth and the number of low-cost nannies available to assist with child raising that prompts them to put their child up in daycare. This is why it is as good a time as any to open a preschool franchise. With so much room to grow, running a preschool is a lucrative company with minimal costs and a great return on investment.
If you’re keen to start a daycare center in Dubai, this is your go-to guide for financing, costs, technology, paperwork and more!
Related Reading: How to Start a Profitable Preschool
1. Why Open a Licensed Daycare in Dubai in 2025?
The global childcare services market is growing rapidly, and Dubai is no exception. Opening a licensed daycare in Dubai offers a unique opportunity to tap into this expanding sector while enjoying the flexibility and independence of running your own business. Instead of relying on a fixed salary, you gain control over your income and can reinvest profits to scale your operations.
For parents, it’s also a practical solution—allowing you to care for your own child while providing a social and stimulating environment for them. Beyond financial benefits, this path can open doors to further opportunities in the early childhood education field, whether through career advancement or continued education.
2. Documents & Permits Required
In Dubai, there are two separate authorities that can award a daycare license:
- Daycare licenses in Dubai are handled by the Ministry of Social Affairs.
- Daycare licenses in Dubai free zones are handled by KHDA.
- To obtain a daycare license in Dubai, you must be prepared to meet all educational, safety, health requirements.
- You’ll also need permission from your local emirate, the Civil Defense Directorate, and the Public Health Department.
- Your daycare must follow Dubai Municipality laws and regulations.
3. Draft a business strategy
A concise description of your day care center in Dubai should be included in your business plan. Include a summary, a description of the firm, and a market study. A financial strategy with predictions should also be included.
4. Identify a prime location for your daycare in Dubai
Working parents do not want to make an additional journey to drop off their children before going to work. Accessibility is critical, and the location must be in a popular residential area with several transit alternatives. A neighboring play area or playground should also be included.
5. Get your documents ready
A business license is required to start a daycare business in Dubai. You’ll also need certificates from the Dubai Municipality and the Public Health Department in addition to the license. This checklist has all the papers and documents you’ll need to submit with your application.
6. Obtain the trade name approval
Submit three names in English and Arabic for trade name approval, then pick the needed name for your nursery from the list of authorized names. Your business name must be original and must not be similar to any other business name in India.
7. Take the approval of Ministry of Education
Because the commercial activity includes a child’s educational development, your daycare in Dubai must adhere to government regulations. The Ministry of Education will provide the go ahead depending on funds and other resources.
8. Get the permit from the Civil Defense and Municipality
To get a permit, you must first:
- Create an account on the official website.
- Login and fill out the service application and upload the needed documentation.
- Make the payments.
- You may obtain approval or rejection from the Dubai Municipality
9. Invest in equipments for your daycare in Dubai
These equipments are critical for your daycare’s success in Dubai:
- Strollers
- Storage units
- Cots, cribs and mattresses
- Feeding chairs
- Art supplies
10. Recruit staff members
Local teaching programmes, child care and daycare job fairs, social media, and early childhood education-related online forums are all good places to start hiring teachers. Request personal recommendations from instructors, coworkers, parents, and even friends and neighbors.
11. Buy daycare insurance
The majority of health insurance providers cover day care operations. However, the insured must review the company’s policies to determine which operations are covered by the coverage.
12. Set up policies, terms and conditions
The regulations that apply to fulfilling a certain contract and that are an inherent aspect of that contract are detailed in the terms and conditions. To construct a contract, the childcare operators and parents must agree on the terms and conditions.
13. Marketing guidance
It’s common knowledge that it’s difficult to boost enrolments with word-of-mouth. The advantage of owning a franchise is that franchisees can come together to brainstorm strategies to market the brand. To attract parents to your franchise, use the following marketing tactics:
- Create innovative advertising campaigns. Repurpose content by promoting them on TV, billboards, radio, magazines, newspapers, and social media to get the maximum ROI.
- Release blog franchise-specific updates and cross-collaborate with industry news platforms to reach parents on a mass scale.
- Get franchisees to tell your brand’s story to amplify your marketing efforts. What prompted them to join you? Third-party validation and reviews can amp up your brand visibility. It also warrants your brand credibility and established trust among parents and prospect franchisees.
14. Decide curriculum and activities
You must have a standard, consistent curriculum across all daycares as a franchise owner.
- Meet with the other franchisees to confirm the activities you want to implement for children aged 6 months to 5 years.
- Ensure you help the franchisee develop the program content by onboarding subject matter experts.
- Don’t forget to pass on the learning materials they’ll need to implement the curriculum in their daycare.
- Judge the rigorousness of the curriculum by asking the children and parents for reviews. You can use illumine’s instant messaging feature to create a poll asking parents for feedback on initiatives and activities.
You get to choose from a range of traditional or modern curricula for your daycare franchise, such as Montessori, High/Scope, Reggio-Emilia, Play-based, etc.
15. Operational support
A franchise owner must assign an operations manager to each daycare franchise to help them resolve queries or doubts. The operations manager provides monthly visits, 24/7 telephonic support, and virtual and online training to consult daycare staff.
You can also scale up your franchise at a higher accuracy rate by reducing the risk of human error with illumine. Our daycare management app helps you boost employee productivity by automating daily reporting and digitizing real-time updates using AI.
Handling operations become less mundane with illumine!
16. Parent workshops and events
You can stay up-to-date about their expectations by running point on interactions with parents. Hosting frequent workshops and events will develop long-standing relationships with them. Not only will you receive valuable feedback, but you will also form a close-knit community. The workshops could expand on topics of their interest, such as curriculum components, co-curricular activities, and parental involvement.
Most franchise owners also provide support in the form of childcare management software. These platforms monitor student performance and report on assessments.
illumine is a user-friendly daycare management tool that works seamlessly with over 3,000 daycare centers globally. We provide the necessary support to franchisees to impart world-class education and care to students worldwide. Our parent-teacher communication feature helps parents build better partnerships with teachers and saves the latter from wasting 45 hours monthly on monotonous tasks.
Happy parents mean more enrollments!
17. Fix royalty fee
Franchise owners collect daycare franchise royalties of 4-12% of the center’s revenue monthly. That transaction is also referred to as a royalty fee. It is different from a franchise fee, a one-time upfront payment made at the time of joining the franchise. The royalty fee is an ongoing payment for the franchise owner’s continued support and permission to use trademarks.
On average, franchise fees are between $25,000-$50,000. You can take a fixed percentage of your gross sales to calculate your royalty fee.
Useful Read: Navigating KHDA Ratings for Dubai schools
7 Steps to own a daycare franchise
Here’s everything you need to know about setting up your daycare business affiliated with a franchise:
- Apply for a daycare franchise with the required documentation
- The franchise owner’s office will send the approval to give the franchise
- The franchise owner and the franchisee will complete the legal procedure
- The location will be finalized with the support of the franchise owner
- Both the stakeholders will begin working on the infrastructure and setup
- The franchisee will get support from the owner to market the brand and hire staff
- Both the stakeholders will finalize the daycare launch date
Daycare & Preschool Franchising Opportunities in Dubai
Planning to enter the childcare sector in Dubai? Franchising offers a proven model with established curricula, brand recognition, and operational support. Below are some of the top daycare and preschool franchises currently operating in Dubai:
1. British Orchard Nursery
British Orchard Nursery is the UAE’s most awarded and one of the largest nursery chains, offering a British EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) curriculum. With over 20 branches, many of which are located in Dubai, the brand is known for its high-quality academic framework and its partnerships with government entities. Franchisees receive complete support in operations, staff training, curriculum implementation, and marketing.
- One-time franchise fee: Available upon request
- Royalty fee: Not publicly disclosed
- USP: Strong academic reputation, turnkey operational support, and corporate childcare management solutions
2. Kangaroo Kids
Originally founded in India, Kangaroo Kids has made its mark in Dubai by bringing neuroscience-based early learning programs that integrate international best practices. The franchise package includes pedagogical training, marketing toolkits, technology support, and operational consulting, making it ideal for those looking to set up in urban hubs like Dubai.
- One-time franchise fee: Approximately AED 26,000
- Royalty fee: 14% of fees collected
- USP: Research-driven learning models, global curriculum with cultural adaptations, and strong franchise support systems
3. woo-hoo!
woo-hoo! is a unique blend of daycare and edutainment, offering experiential learning through themed exhibits and guided activities. Located in Dubai, this concept is ideal for those looking to combine early education with creativity and exploration. The franchise opportunity includes full design and build assistance, training, and an operational blueprint.
- One-time franchise fee: Approximately AED 183,500
- Total investment: AED 2.5 million – AED 7.3 million
- Royalty fee: Not publicly disclosed
- USP: Interactive, play-based learning experiences in a state-of-the-art environment
4. Kids Academy
Kids Academy is a premium nursery brand in Dubai following the British EYFS curriculum. With multiple branches across the city, it focuses on nurturing young minds through structured play, social interaction, and creativity. Franchisees are given comprehensive onboarding, teacher training, and operations manuals to ensure smooth setup and day-to-day management.
- One-time franchise fee: Approximately AED 120,000
- Royalty fee: 6% of revenue
- USP: High-end brand positioning, detailed operational playbook, and premium curriculum delivery
5. Canadian Kids Nursery
Located in Business Bay, Canadian Kids Nursery is a trilingual nursery offering education in English, French, and Arabic. Their franchise program is designed for entrepreneurs who are passionate about inclusive, multicultural early education. They offer detailed setup guidance, trilingual curriculum support, HR policies, and marketing strategies tailored for the Dubai market.
- One-time franchise fee: Available upon request
- Royalty fee: Not publicly disclosed
- USP: Multilingual curriculum, central Dubai location, and full-service support model
Daycare Software
A daycare software will help you streamline your operations, manage staff, and student admissions, automate billing and communicate and collaborate with parents, generate and share insightful reports, and provide a meaningful learning experience to children. illumine daycare software is used by many schools in the Middle East and supports Arabic language as well.
5 Questions to Ask Before Starting This Venture
Cost of Setting Up a Daycare in Dubai
In Dubai, the cost of getting a daycare company license ranges from AED 12,000 to AED 20,000. The best part is that there are no currency limitations and the ability to repatriate all earnings and capital.
To create a corporate account in the UAE, you’ll need a company license. Some banks demand that stockholders have a valid visa. A minimum balance of AED 10,000 to AED 150,000 is required for most accounts for paying off for your childcare in Dubai. If your application is approved, your account is normally established within two to four weeks.
Get Expert Help from illumine
With illumine, you can simplify digital attendance, childcare billing, evaluation, and parent communication for all the operations in your daycare in Dubai. Take command of your childcare’s day-to-day operations and digitally supervise procedures with ease. You can also instill trust in parents by establishing a strong parent-teacher connection.
Claim your ability to expand your daycare in Dubai to the next level with illumine by taking an 11-day free trial today.
Make the process of starting (and running) a daycare or childcare in Dubai a lot easier with one of the best nursery management software in the UAE.
FAQs on Setting Up a Daycare in Dubai
Q 1. How much does daycare cost in Dubai?
In Dubai, the cost of getting a daycare company license ranges from AED 12,000 to AED 20,000.
Q 2. What is the age to start preschool in Dubai?
Most Emirati parents choose to enroll their children aged between three and five years in preschool.
Q 3. How can I start a daycare in Dubai?
Locate a municipality in Dubai, get a license, hire staff members, and start advertising to receive leads for your daycare in Dubai.
Q 4. How can I make my daycare in Dubai profitable?
If you want to ensure you run a profitable preschool, you need expert advice, a clear preschool business plan, and a childcare management app to help you stay organised and streamline your operations.
Additional Read: Top 10 Dubai Nurseries and Kindergartens
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