"It takes a village to raise a child,
and a community to raise a genius"
Our Story
We're an independent nursery group with exceptionally qualified teachers; delivering premium, personalized education and care. We've been around for over 12 years, opening our first branches in Dubailand and Mirdif simultaneously in 2012. Our most recent additions are Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah branch.
Our Leadership
Our leadership is committed to executing our strategic goals from facilities management to training and developing our staff.
Jade Peter-Swain
Group Director
Jade has more than 20 years experience in education, and has worked in senior management roles in early years settings in London, Singapore and the UAE. A qualified trainer and assessor, Jade specializes in training early years teachers and leaders and holds a Masters in Education specializing in Coaching, Early Years Professional Status in the UK and a degree in Drama and Education.
Zeina al Banna
Head of Operations
Zeina has over 13 years of experience in early childhood education and care. Zeina oversees all non-educational aspects of our daily operations including licensing and compliance, health and safety, buildings and maintenance, child protection and safeguarding. She holds a BSc. in Psychology and a CACHE Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children and Young People’s Services
Our Educators
Our educators are the heart of our nursery. They're passionate about child development and instil a love of learning in every child.
Branch Managers:
Tiffany Huxley
Dubailand
CACHE Level 5
NVQ Level 3
Maya Jawhar
Mirdif
CACHE Level 5
B.A. in English
Marva Syed
Jumeirah
CACHE Level 3
CACHE Level 5
Master’s in Early Childhood Education
Nassima Kerimi
Um Suqeim
CACHE Level 3
CACHE Level 5
Foreign Language Bachelor
Tiffany Huxley
Dubailand
CACHE Level 5
NVQ Level 3
Maya Jawhar
Mirdif
CACHE Level 5
B.A. in English
Corinne Glauser
Jumeirah
CACHE Level 5
CACHE Level 3
Karen Hollas
Um Suqeim
CACHE Level 5
CACHE Level 3
Registrars:
Olga Hammonda
Dubailand
Holds a CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Specialist Support for Teaching & Learning, with experience in nurseries, schools, & residential care supporting children’s learning & well-being.
Lea-Anne Steyn
Mirdif
Lea-Anne grew up in Durban, South Africa. With over 8 years of experience managing school front desk operations, she has been the warm & welcoming face for families & children every day.
Neyvette Guillermo
Jumeirah
Holds a Psychology degree & postgraduate diplomas in School Counselling & Communication, with 5+ years of customer care experience in Cuba, Serbia & the UAE.
Amy Pickering
Um Suqeim
Amy holds Master’s in Marketing and brings 20 years of customer care experience
Kirsty Mundigian
Dubailand
Kirsty has a background in Front of House roles and is a past parent of Step by Step
Amy Cairns Holder
Mirdif
Amy has a background in assisting Executive Directors and is a past parent of Step by Step
Colleen Mullarkey
Jumeirah
Colleen holds a B.A Business and Administration with a background in Customer Service
Aiofe Gilligan
Umm Suqeim
Aiofe has a background in sales and customer service.
Our Nurses
All our nurses are DHA licensed with specialist qualifications and experience in family medicine, pediatrics and midwifery. They hold bachelors degrees in nursing and are committed to keeping our children and communities safe and healthy.
Affiliated Schools
Graduates of Step by Step nursery can take advantage of ongoing partnership with the following GEMS schools
Work with Step by Step
From nurses to nursery managers, we consider everyone to be a valuable custodian of child development If you'd like to make a real difference to a child's future, please view and apply to our job openings directly on linkedin
Start your career in Early Years Education
If you'd like to know more about starting your career in Early Years education, email us and we'll arrange a chat
