Psychologist plans 'Nanny Academy'



A child development psychologist in Dubai plans to offer a training course for nannies.

The six-hour "Nanny Academy" will teach caregivers how to encourage positive behaviour and instil discipline, said Naeema Jiwani.

"Nannies in general are very much involved with children's lives in this part of the world," said Ms Jiwani, who works for the Human Relations Institute (HRI), a psychology consultancy in Dubai.

The academy is an extension of a 20-hour course HRI offers for parents called PREP, or Positive Resourceful Effective Parenting. About 40 mothers have completed the programme, according to Ms Jiwani.

"It's something completely different to the traditional parenting style that we all know," said N Khoury, an Abu Dhabi resident from Lebanon who took the course last year.

"We were amazed, learning about the techniques.

"They have rules about play, and for me that was the most important chapter."

Ms Khoury, 32, said she saw immediate results in her 14-month-old son's behaviour.

"You can teach him how to tidy up and clean his toys, at such a young age."

When HRI solicited reviews of the PREP course, they found that many parents wanted to show their nannies what they had learned.

"My nanny spends so much time playing with the baby," Ms Khoury said.

"I'm the main caregiver. I feed him. I put him to sleep. But if I'm busy, they spend time playing with him."

In a study published in 2005, Hala Babili Roumani - the principal and academic adviser at Gulf Montessori, an early education programme in Kuwait and Dubai - estimated that about 58 per cent of children under the age of three in the Gulf were cared for by housemaids for 30 to 70 hours per week.

Ms Roumani said untrained caregivers were a "big concern".

"I know a lot of children are suffering because whoever is looking after them, they have no clue about how to deal with them, so they encounter quite a lot of problems throughout early childhood and later in life," said Ms Roumani.

Gulf Montessori also offers classes for parents, and some send their nannies, she said.

"Because they are the ones who are looking after the child - and the mother has delegated their duty to the nannies - they need to know," Ms Roumani said.

"At least intuitively, the mother knows what to do with her child. But the nannies, they don't know."

To design the "Nanny Academy" programme, Ms Jiwani simplified the course she teaches parents, condensing it into two sessions.

At Dh590 per session, the course will cost Dh1,180.

Ms Jiwani said she will start teaching it once about five participants sign up.

"It will be much more focused on discipline, as opposed to how to spend time with your child," Ms Jiwani said.

For example, she will teach nannies how to give effective commands to children. At the end of the course, HRI will award nannies a certificate.

Louise Osborne, a Dubai resident from the United Kingdom who has a five-year-old and a one-year-old, said she would be interested in enrolling her nanny.

"I think it's a very good idea," she said. "It's good for everybody - parents and caregivers - to have all the information they need."

But Ms Osborne, 35, cautioned that parents and nannies should share the same ideas about parenting.

"A carer cannot be told to do something, and then the parents undermine them and go against what they're saying," she said.

* For more information, contact the Human Relations Institute: 04-365-8498

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

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Name: HyperSpace
 
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The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make

When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.

“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.

This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).

Age

$250 a month

$500 a month

$1,000 a month

25

$640,829

$1,281,657

$2,563,315

35

$303,219

$606,439

$1,212,877

45

$131,596

$263,191

$526,382

55

$44,351

$88,702

$177,403

 

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What is graphene?

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.

It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.

But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties. 

 

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.

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