Nawal El Haddad: ‘Patience, love and hard work are the keys to caring for children properly’
Atalayar visited one of the best-known nurseries in Tangier, Les Relais des Mamans, and spoke to its director, Nawal El Haddad, about the importance of education at such an early age.
How many children attend Le Relais des Mamans nursery?
We have six classes with 15 children per class. 80, although the nursery's maximum capacity is 120 children spread over eight or nine classes. It depends on the year.
What are your opening hours?
We start at 8 a.m. and finish at 5 p.m. We stay open for an extra half hour in case mothers are stuck in traffic or arrive late. We also have an afternoon-only schedule, with limited places each year, for children who usually come from the Ramón y Cajal School. We take care of pick-up: the teachers go with security guards, pick up the children and bring them to the nursery until 5pm, where they do their homework.
Do you have children of all nationalities?
Our nursery offers services in three languages, English, Spanish, and French, so children of any nationality can come. This year we have American, Puerto Rican, Argentinean, French and, of course, Moroccan, and Spanish children.
What are the main advantages of your establishment?
Firstly, safety. We have a team of security guards who work with us from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The door is always locked. And for parents, safety is particularly important.
Secondly, cleanliness. We have staff who work here all day because many of the children still wear nappies.
And thirdly, the staff, the teachers. We have very competent teachers, many of whom are native Spanish speakers for mothers who need Spanish, French speakers for mothers who need French, and girls who take care of the nappies, the food and the children's cleaning. We are a team.
What are the keys to working with children?
Patience, love and a lot of challenging work, which we all do as a team. We are incredibly happy to work with children because we love it, and we do it with all the love in the world.
Is it a private nursery?
Yes, it is a 100 % private nursery, like all nurseries here in Tangier.
The revitalisation of the region's economy is attracting entrepreneurs and investors from different countries. Does that require you to offer a better service, higher quality?
We offer quality in our nursery, although the final decision is up to the parents, of course. To get to know us fully, you first need to visit us and look around all the nurseries, to get a real picture of each one and choose the one you think is best.
How would you define Tangier right now? What does it have to offer?
I am from Tangier, what can I say about my city? It is an exceptionally beautiful city, it is the gateway between Spain and Morocco, and I love living here. Every year it gets better: more people come, there are more investors, everything is modernising... People who come and settle here love the city.
