The Parent Behind the Reviews

Hi, I'm Sarah

I never planned to become an informal expert on Saudi Arabian childcare. In early 2022, I was a marketing manager in Manchester, UK, with a toddler, a husband whose engineering career was stable (I thought), and absolutely no intention of moving abroad.

Then James came home with "an opportunity" — a three-year contract with a major firm in Riyadh. The salary was significant. The career advancement was undeniable. The terrified look in my eyes when he mentioned Saudi Arabia was, apparently, something we could "work through."

We moved. I left my job, my support network, and everything familiar. Emma was 2.5 years old and had just started settling into her local nursery. I had exactly one contact in Saudi Arabia — James's colleague's wife, who'd sent a friendly email that I'd been too overwhelmed to properly read.

The Learning Curve

Finding childcare in a new country where you don't speak the primary language, don't understand the cultural expectations, and don't have anyone to ask for recommendations is uniquely challenging. I made mistakes. I enrolled Emma in a center based primarily on its proximity to our compound, without properly investigating their approach. She lasted six weeks before I pulled her out — the environment was chaotic, the teacher turnover constant, and Emma was regressing rather than developing.

That failure motivated me to become more systematic. I started researching early childhood education methodologies, visiting centers during actual class hours, asking pointed questions about teacher retention and qualifications. I became that parent who showed up for "surprise visits" and read between the lines of marketing materials.

Why This Site Exists

During our Jeddah posting, I met another expat mom at a coffee morning. She was newly arrived, overwhelmed, and asking the same questions I'd asked two years earlier. I spent an hour walking her through what I'd learned — the questions to ask, the red flags to watch for, the difference between marketing claims and actual practice.

Afterward, I thought: why am I not writing this down? Other parents are facing the same challenges, making the same mistakes, feeling the same isolation. If my experiences could help even a few families avoid the confusion I went through, that seemed worthwhile.

This site isn't sponsored. I don't receive compensation from any of the centers I review. I'm not affiliated with any educational organizations. I'm just a parent who's been through it and wants to share what I've learned with others walking the same path.

Our Current Life

We're now based in Dammam, in the Eastern Province. James's contract has been extended twice, and we've accepted that Saudi Arabia is home for the foreseeable future. Emma is thriving at Smart Kids Center (my current top recommendation) and will transition to primary school next year. I've started doing freelance marketing consulting, mostly working with other expat-owned businesses.

I'm still navigating this experience one day at a time. Some days, I miss home intensely — the ease of understanding everything, the familiarity of systems I grew up with. Other days, I appreciate how much this experience has expanded my perspective, Emma's worldview, and our family's resilience.