ECA pilot assesses 35 venues, including parks, museums and children’s play centres.
Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi has introduced what it describes as the world’s first quality assessment system of its scale for venues and activities catering to children outside schools and nurseries. The framework covers a wide range of settings, from parks and playgrounds to museums, libraries and entertainment centres.
The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) said its Quality Recognition System (QRS) would evaluate venues and services against six standards: health and safety, child development, staff competence, inclusion, community engagement, and governance and operations.
The initiative aims to help parents make informed choices about where their children spend their time, while encouraging businesses and service providers to raise the standard of experiences offered to children from birth to eight years old.
The system has completed a pilot involving 35 facilities and service providers across seven categories of children’s activities. They were selected from more than 270 eligible services and experiences identified across Abu Dhabi.
According to ECA, the framework is the first of its kind globally in the breadth of its application, extending quality assessments beyond conventional educational institutions to places where children play, explore and develop new skills.
Six standards for children’s venues
The assessment framework examines six key areas: health and safety; child development and engagement; human capital; inclusion and diversity; community participation; and governance and operations.
It is designed to highlight both good practices and areas for improvement across a range of children’s venues and services. These include holiday camps, after-school programmes, children’s libraries, parks, playgrounds, museums, cultural centres and family entertainment facilities.
During the pilot, assessors carried out more than 75 site visits and provided participating organisations with over 100 hours of direct support.
The facilities also completed self-assessments, took part in independent reviews conducted by trained advisers and collected feedback from families who used their services.
ECA said the process had encouraged several organisations to introduce practical changes even before receiving their final assessments.
Some strengthened their child protection policies, increased staff training and secured accredited first-aid qualifications for employees. Others added play areas for younger children or explored ways to give parents a clearer view of their children’s activities.
One participating organisation implemented improvements across multiple branches.
Helping parents choose safer experiences
Dr Hessa Al Kaabi, Executive Director of Special Projects and Partnerships at ECA, said the system responded to parents’ need for safe venues that provide high-quality experiences supporting children’s growth and development.
She said working alongside service providers to improve the quality of these experiences was another step towards positioning Abu Dhabi as a more family-friendly emirate.
Al Kaabi also acknowledged the role of participating organisations, whose feedback and practical experience helped the authority refine the framework ahead of its official launch.
Dr Hanan Sukkar, an early childhood care and education adviser at ECA, said the pilot offered valuable insight into children’s experiences across different environments.
She noted that participating organisations’ willingness to assess their existing practices and make changes would help enhance children’s safety, wellbeing, sense of belonging and enjoyment of learning.
Expansion planned
ECA began developing the assessment framework in March 2025, drawing on international practices and adapting them to the UAE’s culture, values and community requirements.
The initial development plan also envisaged extending the system in the future to include services catering to children up to 18 years old.
The authority is continuing to refine the framework based on lessons from the pilot before its formal launch. Service providers interested in voluntarily joining quality improvement efforts in 2027 have been invited to contact info@eca.gov.ae.
In late October, ECA recognised the 35 participating facilities and service providers as “Quality Pioneers” at a ceremony held at the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi.
The organisations received commemorative plaques and digital badges acknowledging their contribution to testing and developing the framework. The badges will also help families identify providers committed to continually improving the experiences they offer children.
