Kayla

Q1. I am wondering about childcare and schools there.
Q2. Also, is the language in school Arabic then?

A1. School here is quite similar to the USA. It starts with optional pre-school, followed by the required Kindergarten through Senior year of high school. However, there is a huge difference in the Senior year. At the end of the Senior year there are tests that are required to be taken by all students. If a student does not pass satisfactory in these tests, they must repeat the Senior year regarding that subject(s) they did not pass. The Jordanian curriculum is far more difficult and advanced than the curriculum in the USA and to pass these tests takes a lot of effort from the student. When the students find out their scores and realize that they passed, not only do the students celebrate but also the families. There are huge parties in honor of a student passing the Senior year. Another very interesting and different thing about the Senior year is their final score. So once a student passes their Senior year, they have an accumulative score. This score depends their future!!! The score determines what they are allowed to study at the University level. For instance, if you want to be a doctor...the student must get a 98.2% or higher...nothing lower than this will permit them to study medicine in Jordan. (This is why many Jordanians leave Jordan and study medicine somewhere else, like the USA!

Childcare is available for working families. There are many live in maids/nannies in Jordan. There are childcare facilities like daycare. However, the most preferred way to do things here is to have your mother or mother-in-law watch the kids while you are at work. This is the safest and best according to most people in Jordan...yet if it is not available, then there are the other options I mentioned.

A2. The language in schools here is a very interesting topic. Arabic. English. Arabic and English. French. German. Whatever you want for your child is offered here. Jordanian program. American Program. International Program. What program do you want?! The majority of schools here are Arabic and English. Meaning that the students learn subjects in Arabic and then learn the same subjects in English. English is not offered as just a class, it is a curriculum. English is strongly encouraged and widely used in Jordan - as it is the universally used language for business around the world. As I am currently looking at school for my daughter to attend next year, it is important for me to find a school that is in Arabic so she can learn to communicate with those around her, as well as a school that is heavy in English as this is the language that I can help her with her studies. I am so thankful that Jordan uses English widely, if they didn't it would be very difficult for me here. I think to the USA and how it is becoming the norm to have Spanish as a second option of communication and I am so thankful for that as I understand the frustrations of an immigrant who doesn't fully know the language of the country.