My 2ps worth:
- schools start here age 5. Aramco will pay from age 4 for EAP, the catch being the wife needs to be in KSA 180 days a year to do this. They don’t provide a nursery on camp for expats, unless you both work for Aramco. Not a lot of choice in KSA for decent nursery provision, take your chances if you want to do that here.
- These are some groups of mums that meet up, but the clubs that used to exist around childcare were shut down by aramco management.
- There’s pools here and tennis courts etc, decent facilities, but a lack of people using them and can only be used when the weather isn’t too hot or polluted.
- We spend our weekend taking the kids to clubs in Bahrain where there are options, and things are more normal. This might work for you, factor in the costs before joining.
- In the summer you need to go back home, as very little going on and the weather is terrible, with not being able to do any outdoor activities with small kids. Factor that in too.
- There are kids clubs arranged by aramco during the hols, but they start at age 6, you pay for them yourself, the hours are typically mornings or evening sessions.
There’s not a lot for really little ones, things start around age 5/6, that includes swimming lessons etc