IRC, National Council launch initiative to enhance access to quality nurseries

AMMAN — The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) held on Thursday a ceremony to launch the Accreditation Quality Management System (AQMS) for nurseries in Jordan, according to a statement for The Jordan Times. 

This presents a pioneering step which will ultimately improve the quality of services for children in Jordan’s nurseries. This collaboration was made possible as part of the Ahlan Simsim initiative, launched in 2018 by the IRC and Sesame Workshop to support young children across the MENA region to learn, grow and thrive.

The AQMS aims to enhance the quality of services provided to children across all types of nurseries, whether institutional, private, or home-based. It measures nursery standards against seven metrics and 320 indicators. These criteria include the nurseries’ buildings and facilities, how well the nurseries are managed, the quality of the learning environment, the skills of the caregivers, and the programmes and activities offered to the children, the statement said. 

The certificates remain valid for three years, and are subjected to continuous review by the NCFA and the Health Care Accreditation Council (HCAC). During the ceremony, three nurseries from governmental, private, and medical institutions were awarded certificates based on the AQMS grading scheme. The awarded nurseries were Istiklal Hospital, Zaha Centre, and the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission. 

Rania Subeih, Zaha Cultural Centre CEO, said, “This platinum-level certification is a testament to our commitment to providing the highest quality care and educational environment for our children. The rehabilitation of the nursery site, and involving parents and stakeholders in programme implementation were some of the efforts exerted to improve services that lead us to acquire this certification.”

In this regard, NCFA Secretary-General Mohamed Miqdadi said, "The nursery quality assurance system was prepared based on standards and controls that allow the evaluation, monitoring and development of the level of services provided in nurseries and achieving quality in programmes and activities for early childhood. This system, prepared by the NCFA in cooperation with the International Rescue Committee, is the first nursery quality system issued in Jordan, and came as a complement to the national achievements in the childhood sector, in order to achieve the best interest of children by improving the services provided to them.”

This new step towards improving the quality standards of nurseries in Jordan is aligned with national broader efforts to ensure children in the Kingdom have access to early quality education. The IRC is looking forward continuing to support NFCA in its efforts to develop a comprehensive National Childcare Policy that will promote the development of the future generations of children across the country, according to the statement.