Hello friends and colleagues,

Welcome back!

The doors are opening, classrooms are being filled and, across the UAE, early years teams are preparing to welcome a whole new group of children and families.

There will be beautifully prepared environments and brand-new resources waiting on shelves.

There will also be missing name labels, children who decide they absolutely do not want to come inside, parents hovering at the door and at least one thing we were certain we’d finished last week.

In other words: welcome to a new academic year!

And while we’re understandably focused on helping the children settle, let’s remember that our teams are settling too.

Not everything needs to be perfect on day one. People need time to find a flow with one another, ask questions, learn one another and work out what this new year is going to look like together.

Here’s to 2026/27.

I’m excited to see what we do with it.

BACK TO SCHOOL GIVEAWAY!

We’re kicking off the new academic year with a little something for the educators in our community.

We’ve put together a Back to School basket filled with treats for one early years educator.

How to Enter

1. LIKE this post.
2. FOLLOW@letstalkearlyyears
3. TAG an early years colleague who deserves a little treat this term! 
4. BONUS ENTRY: Share this post to your Stories and tag us!

Winner announcement on 7th September!

Good luck!

The Great Sleep Battle

New Podcast Episode

How long should children sleep? Should we wake them? What happens when a parent’s preferred routine doesn’t match what we’re seeing from the child? And how do we balance individual routines with safe practice?

These are conversations nursery teams have with families all the time.

In our latest episode, I sit down with international sleep consultant Anna Baker to talk about sleep in early years settings, parent expectations, nursery policies and what good sleep practice can look like.

New EYFS Safer Sleep Requirements 

From 1 September 2026, safer-sleep requirements are explicitly included within the statutory EYFS framework.

For settings caring for babies, there are some important requirements to be aware of, including:

• Babies aged 12 months and under must sleep in a cot, carrycot, Moses basket or travel cot.

• Floor beds, coracles and sleep pods are not suitable for this age group.

• Children under two should be placed on their backs in their own clear, firm and flat sleep space.

• Babies under six months must have an adult in the same room.

• Sleeping children must be checked frequently and remain within sight and hearing of staff.

As we start a new academic year, this is a good time to pull out your sleep policy and ask:

Does what we’ve written match what actually happens in practice?

What’s Changing In Early Years

A few other updates worth having on your radar as we begin the year.

The December 31 Age Cut-Off

From 2026/27, the age cut-off for new admissions to schools and kindergartens beginning their academic year in August or September has moved from August 31 to December 31.

For those of us in early childhood, this raises some interesting questions around readiness, transitions and how nurseries and schools work together to support younger children entering school

Dubai’s Early Childhood Quality Framework

KHDA’s Quality Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education is another document worth spending some time with this year.

At its centre is the Dubai Child: a global child living a local life.

There is plenty here for leadership teams to reflect on together, particularly around the quality of children’s experiences and the impact of our practice.

SAVE THE DATE! 7th November 2026 

Let’s Talk Early Years Conference

Saturday, 7 November 2026

The countdown is on!

We’re bringing our early years community together again for a full day of conversations, workshops, practical learning, new ideas and plenty of opportunities to connect.

Over the coming weeks we’ll be revealing our speakers, partners, signature experiences and programme.

Follow @letstalkearlyyears for all the announcements.

Early Bird tickets are officially here!

Upgrade your CV!

If you are currently thinking about your next role, here is something worth knowing. Job searching has changed - it is more complex, more automated and technology driven. A clean, professional CV is just the starting point. Before a real person even sees your application, it often has to get through an automated screening system (ATS). Creating or updating your CV can feel overwhelming. Hours spent tweaking, formatting, wondering what to include, and trying to make it look professional. That’s why I’m so happy to share Syntheve (syntheve.com), created by a beautiful family whom I have come to know and love. It helps you build or refresh your CV in minutes instead of hours, highlights your strengths, and even lets you tailor it to a specific job advert. So if updating your CV has been sitting on your to-do list, it’s definitely worth a look.

A Final Thought

At the beginning of a new academic year, we spend a lot of time thinking about what we want for the children.

This year, I’d like us to think about our teams with the same intention.

What does it feel like to work in your setting?

Can people ask for help?

Do new team members feel welcome?

Does everyone understand what’s expected of them?

Do people feel that their contribution matters?

So perhaps one question to carry into this new year:

What do I want it to feel like to be part of my team this year?

And what am I going to do as a leader to help create that?

Have a wonderful first day, first week and first term.

And if something doesn’t quite go according to plan, 

welcome back to early years!