Concern has been expressed by a number of personnel and students in regard to the availability of day care for their children. Facilities & Community are aware that as the community grows the need for day care services continues to increase. In response to the continued demand, an additional 120 day care places, ranging from Infant to Kindergarten (K2) will become available prior to September this year.
Recently, ‘waiting list’ numbers in excess of 150 have been quoted. Unfortunately, this is misleading and has created confusion. There are at present about 150 people looking for some form of care for their child. This includes people seeking care now, those seeking care following the birth of their child, part time care, or care tentatively needed up to 18 months in the future.
To clarify, the parent of a child who is currently ‘listed’ as number 150 does not have to wait for 149 children to be placed before being provided day care. Within the Infant to Kindergarten (K2) range there are eight age groups whose class sizes vary depending on the age of the children. Planning is conducted to ensure that the appropriate numbers of staff are available for each age group. Additionally, each group has a priority waiting list. This may mean that a parent who is seeking a place for their two year old toddler and currently listed as the 140th person looking for care, may be allocated a position for their child in that age group, prior to a person who is listed as number 20 and seeking a place for their child in the Infant group.
Facilities & Community are working to ensure that the communication in regard to waiting lists for each age group is clear and provides the ability for optimal planning for both families and the day care. For questions about the waiting list for the age group your child is eligible, please contact daycare@kaust.edu.sa.
Alternate child care is also provided through Saudi Oger Nanny services. Please call the Helpdesk at 959 for more information.