Now nurseries are phone app away

The Ministry of Social Development launched an electronic application named ‘Hthanate’, meaning ‘My Nursery’. This is the first app of its kind for smartphones which serves as an umbrella under which all childcare centres and nurseries in the country are covered. The app allows parents in the Sultanate to choose the appropriate nurseries for their children from among ten in all the governorates of the Sultanate. Al Mukhtar Muhammad al Hashami, the founder of the application, said the idea of creating this app comes in line with technological progress, through which parents can easily choose the appropriate nursery for their children. “It comes in both Arabic and English, it shows the locations of nurseries, their types, their mechanism of work, services and programmes they provide, registration fees and other aspects that parents look at when searching for such centres for their children.” Al Hashami mentioned that the app, which is available on IOS and Android stores, also provides the ability to communicate with nurseries through their social media channels or phone numbers. It provides access to their websites, confirming that getting nurseries on this application requires the approval of the Ministry of Social Development. Mariam Said al Obaidani, Head of the Child Raising Institutions Department, said: “Hthanate app is important because it saves effort and time for parents while searching for a suitable nursery for their child. It is compatible with their work conditions in terms of time, location, activities and programmes being offered.” “On the other hand, the application will help the specialists in the ministry, during follow-up visits, in reaching them with ease and convenience. Moreover, this application will not allow unlicenced nurseries to register as the registered nurseries will be subject to scrutiny and review by the ministry.”