Who licenses nurseries in Saudi Arabia?

Who licenses nurseries in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has two regulators for early years. Private childcare centres, called child hosting centres (marakiz diyafat al-atfal), are licensed and inspected by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD). Private nurseries for children under three and private kindergartens are licensed by the Ministry of Education, under the rules for the nursery and kindergarten stages it issued in 2025.

"Stating the licence" counts the centres, nurseries and kindergartens listed here that name their ministry on their own website or official page.

Child hosting centres

The ministry's regulatory controls for private childcare centres (Ministerial Decision No. 54694, 1443 AH / 2021) set out the types of centre and what each may do. The ministry reported more than 1,900 licensed centres caring for over 60,000 children in March 2026.

• Independent centres. A building of their own, caring for children from birth to ten, open from 6 am to 10 pm.
• Workplace centres. Run at or for an employer, for staff's children from birth to ten, during working hours.
• Home centres. At least two rooms in a home, for children from birth to six, from 6 am to 1 pm.
• Mobile centres. Caravans at malls, parks, hospitals and event sites, for children from one to ten.
• A licence first. A centre may not open, operate or advertise before it is licensed. A licence lasts four years and must be renewed at least ninety days before it expires.
• Safety. Cameras at the entrances, inside the centre and in the outdoor yard, recording continuously and kept for at least thirty days; parents and the ministry may view the recordings.
• Penalties. After warnings, the ministry can fine a centre, stop its activity for up to a year, or withdraw its licence.

Nurseries and kindergartens under the Ministry of Education

The Ministry of Education's 2025 rules cover two stages. The nursery stage is for children from one month to under three, with one teacher or caregiver for every five babies under one, every six one-year-olds and every seven two-year-olds. The kindergarten stage is for children from three to six, in three levels, with up to thirty children in a class. Private nurseries and kindergartens, Saudi and international, are licensed by the ministry.

Help with fees: Qurrah

The Human Resources Development Fund's Qurrah programme helps Saudi women working in the private sector who earn up to SAR 8,000 a month. It pays up to half the fees of a licensed childcare centre, up to SAR 1,600 a month for each child under six, with no limit on the number of children. Many centres show that they take Qurrah bookings.

How to check a nursery's licence

• Ask to see it. A licensed centre, nursery or kindergarten can show you its licence.
• Check the ministry. A child hosting centre should hold a Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development licence; a nursery under the Ministry of Education or a kindergarten, a Ministry of Education licence.
• Check the name and type match. The name, address and type on the licence (independent, home, workplace) should match the place you're visiting.
• Check the dates. A centre's licence lasts four years; make sure it hasn't expired.
• On GulfNurseries, a nursery's page shows its licence when the nursery states it.

Questions parents ask

Sources

Rules change: confirm them with the authority or the nursery, and tell us if something here is out of date.

• Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development: regulatory controls for private childcare centres, Ministerial Decision No. 54694 (1443 AH / 2021)
• Arab News: Saudi Arabia now has over 1,900 care centers for 60,000 children (March 2026)
• Ministry of Education: regulatory controls for the nursery stage, first edition (2025)
• Ministry of Education: regulatory controls for the kindergarten stage, first edition (2025)
• People Matters: Qurrah childcare support covers up to 50% of fees, up to SAR 1,600 per child a month (November 2025)

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