Video: This UAE centre helps nannies, mothers figure out why babies cry and how to comfort them

Driven by an urge to learn more about children’s characters, teaching methods, and causes of distress, Hend Al Hammadi enrolled in the National Academy for Childhood Development (NACD) over a year ago.

Although she has been a mother for five years now, it wasn’t until she joined the academy that she was able to comprehend child behaviour.

“I was raising my children out of passion without any scientific knowledge of their development and behaviour,” said the mother of two, “I studied science in university, but that did not help me understand what children go through.”

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During her time at the academy, she “learnt that behind each behaviour, there is a hidden factor that we need to decipher; we also learnt to design games that cater to certain needs.”

The 31-year-old Emirati is among 81 men and women graduating with a childhood development diploma at the academy. They have been training at several childcare facilities in Abu Dhabi, including the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination, along with public schools and women’s shelter centres.

The curriculum covers child psychology related to moments such as parents’ separation, the birth of siblings, and moving to a new school or city. The academy provides practical learning methods to accurately identify all aspects involved in a child’s life – starting with infantry all the way to adulthood.

Watch a video of how the academy helps students learn more on how to engage and interact with children:

The academy also provides sensor-equipped dummies to teach students how to deal with a basic childcare issue – soothing a crying infant. Maryam Mubarak, Emirati, demonstrated how they train using accurate replicas that weigh as heavy as a real baby, cry like one and are only soothed once you correctly resolve their issue of distress. The 27-year-old and her peers also authored and designed interactive books that teach young people Islamic practices and local traditions.

“It is a storybook that includes puzzles, 3D figures and art activities,” she said, as she held a book that teaches Muslim fasting and the traditions that surround it.

Strengthening the Arabic language

“We stress a lot on strengthening the Arabic language as well as social skills, unfortunately young people have become English oriented,” said Dr Fadi Bani Mostafa, head of the academic department at NACD. Children are no longer in frequent contact with extended family members and older relatives and may not be accustomed to social etiquette, he added.

Upon graduation, students earn a vocational diploma that includes 1,350 credit hours and 18 months of theoretical and practical training. After completing the internship programme, academy alumna are expected to land jobs at the entities where they are training at. Furthermore, NCAD provides specialised training for doctors, teachers, social and domestic workers, as well as family members.

“Teachers benefit the most from our programmes; although they studied education, that doesn’t mean they naturally enjoy the right skills to deal with children or manage a classroom,” said Muna Al Blooshi, head of training and education at NCAD. Around 63 teachers have recently completed training.

“We’re also teaching paediatricians how to recognise signs of abuse. Not every practitioner is experienced with child psychology and how to identify if a child has been bullied or abused.” To date, the academy has trained 30 paediatricians, nurses, and midwives.

Positive parenting

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