She tells you the whole story of the caterpillar. Twice. With a different ending.
What they are really learning
Communication & Language
Vocabulary
Listening
Storytelling
{{ quoteLabel }}
{{ termFee }}
Enquire →
Opening Spring 2027 · Kitisuru, Nairobi
Where every child belongs & blooms.
Niwa (庭) is the Japanese word for a private garden. We are a purpose-built kindergarten in Kitisuru, Nairobi, for children aged 6 months to 6 years — rooted in the EYFS, alive with a Reggio-inspired approach, and unhurried by design.
EYFS Curriculum
Reggio-Inspired
1,500m² Campus
Ages 6 mo — 6 yr
What we're really building
More than
More than
counting and
colours
None of us can quite picture the world our children will grow into. It's changing too fast. So we don't prepare them for a single right answer. We prepare them to think, to adapt, and to keep going when things get hard.
That's the deliberate, patient work beneath every Niwa morning. It rests on three commitments.
Pillar i.
Protecting childhood
These years are short, and precious. We keep them full of play, wonder, curiosity and exploration. We refuse to rush children into "schooliness" before they're ready. Childhood isn't a waiting room for school; it's where the deepest growing happens.
Pillar ii.
Strong foundations
Beneath all the play, the real basics take root: early literacy and numbers, rich language, independence, self-management, and the social skills to belong in a group. The careful groundwork that sets a child up for primary school and far beyond.
Pillar iii.
A future-ready mind
We deliberately build the psychology and grit no worksheet can teach: thinking for yourself, solving problems, sitting with frustration, and bouncing back. So that whatever the world becomes, our children can meet it, and thrive.
Who they become
A way of being
A way of being
in the world
A Niwa child doesn't just leave with letters and numbers — they leave with five quiet qualities, built through years of warm mornings, scraped knees, hard puzzles, and big feelings, held by adults who notice everything.
i.
Well‑rounded
Curious across many worlds — books and gardens, music and maths, friendship and wonder. Never just one thing.
→
ii.
Empathetic
Listens before speaking. Notices when a friend is quiet. Carries the feelings of others as carefully as their own.
→
iii.
Humble
Knows that learning never ends, and that the smartest thing you can say is often "tell me more."
→
iv.
Resilient
Falls, breathes, tries again. Builds an inner steadiness that no setback can shake for long.
→
v.
With grit
Stays with the hard thing — the tricky knot, the long story, the unfinished tower — until it becomes a small triumph.
→
Our curriculum
It will look like
It will look like
play to you.
And it is. It is also the Early Years Foundation Stage, delivered the Reggio way — seven areas of learning, hidden inside seven ordinary afternoons.
01 / 08
Underneath all of it
How they learn matters as much as what
Playing & exploring
They investigate, try new things, and build the confidence to have a go without knowing the answer.
Active learning
They concentrate, persevere through difficulty, and take quiet pride in what they made themselves.
Creating & thinking critically
They develop their own ideas, connect them, solve problems — and change their minds.
The age progression
Five classrooms, five stages of growing
Each room is built around what a child of that age actually needs. Choose a room to see inside.
✦We watch the child, not the birthday. Every room ends in a gentle, purposeful transition to the next.
A word from our founders
We started Niwa for the children — for a school that takes a child's curiosity as seriously as their letters and numbers, and refuses to rush either. We couldn't find that school, so we are building it — for every child who walks through our doors.
Mirali & Rushabh Shah, Founders
The rhythm of a day
What this looks
What this looks
like every day
Scroll to walk through a Niwa morning, hour by hour. Times are gentle guides, not bells — the smallest children follow their own rhythm.
6:30
The day so far
6:30 — 7:30
Before the gates open
The owl fills in as the day goes on
{{ s.time }}
Optional · extra cost
{{ s.title }}
{{ s.body }}
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is
Safeguarding is
everyone’s responsibility
It guides recruitment, training, classroom practice, relationships and daily routines. Every adult here is committed to protecting children’s wellbeing, recognising concerns early, and acting without hesitation.
Every child deserves to feel
Safe
Seen
Heard
Valued
Protected
Level 3 Safeguarding
Our Founding Principal holds a Level 3 Safeguarding qualification with the Safeguarding Alliance.
Qualified leadership
And the NCFE CACHE Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care, and Children and Young People’s Services.
Trained, every one of us
Ongoing safeguarding and child protection training for every member of staff, with continuous development through the year.
Medical cover on site
A paediatric first aid-trained team, and a school nurse on campus every day.
✦
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is on campus every school day — and available to any family who wants to talk.
Care & communication
Held gently,
Held gently,
and always in touch
Three things every parent asks us before they enquire: how you'll settle in, who looks after your child's wellbeing, and how you'll know what happened today. Here is all of it.
On site, every day
Health & wellbeing
✓A registered nurse on campus and a paediatrician on call.
✓Every adult paediatric first-aid trained, refreshed annually.
✓A confidential medical file per child, reviewed each term, with action plans known by every adult.
✓Big feelings met by big-hearted adults — we teach the language of emotion early: naming, breathing, returning.
Your first week
Settling in, gently
01An hour together. You stay, meet the teachers, find the cubby with their name on it.
02A short morning. You're still on site, just a little further away.
03The first goodbye. Agreed in advance — and you're a phone call away.
04Half day with lunch. A big, tender milestone.
05A full Niwa day. By now your child knows the rhythm.
Comfort objects always welcome. If your child needs longer at any stage, we adjust — gently, together.
You'll always know
Parent partnership
Daily
The journal
A written and photographic note for every child, every day — what they ate, slept, made, said. Sent to your phone.
Weekly
The class story
From your child's teacher — the projects, questions, songs, and the funny thing that happened on Tuesday.
Termly
The development review
An unhurried meeting framed around your child's strengths, interests, and next EYFS step.
Anytime
The open door
Email, phone, or a quiet word at pick-up. There is always a person on the other end, replying within two working days.
Food & nutrition
Real food,
Real food,
for little ones
A nutritionist-designed menu, prepared fresh each morning and served family-style at small tables — because how children eat matters as much as what.
Morning
Breakfast snack
A gentle start — fruit, yoghurt, warm porridge in cooler months. Offered, never imposed.
Midday
Shared lunch
A hot, balanced main with vegetables, grains, and protein. Children, teachers, and helpers eat together.
Afternoon
Quiet snack
Something small after rest — bread, hummus, seasonal fruit. Enough to carry the afternoon.
Locally sourced
From Kenyan farmers and growers we know by name. Seasonal, fresh, traceable.
No added sugar
Nothing ultra-processed. Sweetness from fruit, not from sachets. Water at every meal.
Family-style serving
Children serve themselves from shared bowls, pour their own water, learn to ask for more.
Allergy-aware
Every menu checked against a current allergen register, in close work with families.
✦
Allergies, intolerances, cultural and religious dietary needs are taken seriously. We meet every family before the first day to plan exactly what your child will eat.
1,500m² for childhood
Built from the ground up, for small hands.
A purpose-designed facility in Kitisuru, Nairobi, where every detail has been chosen with small children in mind.
On track for Spring 2027.
Construction underway
Blueprint to garden, term by term.
Q2 · 2026
Site groundbreaking
First ground broken in Kitisuru.
Q4 · 2026
Our team arrives
Teachers hired, trained and settled in.
Q1 · 2027
Building complete & open days
Classrooms, atrium and gardens finished — and families walk the campus.
Spring 2027
Doors open
The first Niwa morning.
Meet the founding team
The people behind Niwa.
Educators and parents who've spent their working lives thinking about how young children grow. You'll see them at drop-off, at parent evenings, and in the garden with your child.
Fees
Work out your
Work out your
family’s fees
Families deserve a clear picture of the cost before they fall in love with a school. Choose your options and see exactly what you would pay — nothing hidden, nothing added later.
Build your quote
{{ name1 }}
{{ fee1 }} {{ termUnit }}
Age at the start of the year
Length of day
Days a week
{{ name2 }}
{{ fee2 }} {{ termUnit }}
Age at the start of the year
Length of day
Days a week
{{ name3 }}
{{ fee3 }} {{ termUnit }}
Age at the start of the year
Length of day
Days a week
Discounts you may qualify for
Sibling concession
{{ siblingAmt }}
Applied automatically — 5% off every child’s fees.
What your fees cover
Open a line to see more
✓ EYFS curriculum & teaching
Qualified teachers, small groups, and the full seven-area programme.
✓ All learning materials
Books, paint, clay, natural resources — nothing billed back to you.
✓ Family-style lunch & two snacks
Nutritionist-designed, cooked fresh on site every morning.
✓ Termly development review
An unhurried meeting on your child’s strengths and next EYFS step.
✓ Settlement programme
The full five-day gentle start, at your child’s pace.
✓ Daily journal & class story
A written and photographic note home every single day.
✓ Outdoor & garden programme
Gardens, growing beds, and long mornings outdoors.
✓ Specialist artist-in-residence
A working artist guiding studio sessions each week.
✓ School-wide events & celebrations
Festivals, family mornings, and end-of-term gatherings.
{{ quoteLabel }}
{{ savingNote }}
{{ termFee }}
{{ termUnit }}
Termly, before discounts
{{ listFee }}
{{ annualLabel }}
{{ annualFee }}
You save each year
{{ annualSaving }}
How you pay
Both a full year
Term by term
{{ planTermly }}
Three payments
Paid upfront
{{ planUpfront }}
{{ planUpfrontSave }}
Per child, per term
{{ b.who }} {{ b.detail }}
{{ b.fee }}
Enquire for 2027 →
{{ quoteFootnote }}
One-off, on joining
Interview administration fee
USD 50
Registration
USD 400
Term deposit
One month
Registration is credited to your first term. The administration fee, payable to book the Headmistress interview, is non-refundable.
The school year
April – July
September – December
January – March
Half days 08:30–12:15 · full days 08:30–14:30.
The Niwa bursary
We reserve a confidential portion of every cohort for needs-based bursaries, assessed by an independent panel. If Niwa is the right place for your child but the fees are out of reach, tell us — the conversation stays private.
All fees in US dollars. Prices and dates subject to change.
Admissions & enrolment
The 2027
The 2027
founding cohort
Every classroom has a fixed number of places, set by the ratio we promise. When a room is full, it is closed — we will not add one more child to make the numbers work.
How families join Niwa
Six steps, from first note to first morningEnquire
Send us the form or an email. We reply within two working days with a warm welcome and our family prospectus.
Tea or coffee with the founders
OptionalIf you would like to, sit down with Mirali and Rushabh — the vision, the plans, and any question at all. Entirely optional.
Interview with the Headmistress
USD 50 · non-refundableYou and your child meet our Founding Head of Nursery. A USD 50 administration fee is payable to book this interview.
The admissions committee reviews
The committee considers each application together — the age group, the ratios, and the balance of the cohort.
An offer, secured with the registration fee
USD 400 · credited to term 1You have two weeks to accept before the place passes to the next family. It is held the moment the USD 400 registration fee reaches us — credited to your first term.
Term fees & deposit
Before day oneYour first term’s fees are settled before the first morning — term by term, or the full year upfront for a further 5% off. The one-month deposit is held against your place and returned when your child leaves Niwa.
✦
Thank you — your prospectus is on its way.
A member of our admissions team will send your family prospectus and be in touch within two working days.
How places are offered
Waitlist & priority
✓Enquiries are dated. Families are invited to interview in the order they join the list, within each age group — the committee then decides on each application.
✓Siblings have priority, then families already on the list from an earlier term.
✓A place is held once the registration fee and term deposit are received.
✓A full room is closed for the year. We will say so plainly and keep you on the waitlist — there is no charge to hold a waitlist place, and a place only opens if a family leaves.
✓Children join any term, not only in April — subject to space in their room.
The practicals
Hours & term dates
Half day08:30 – 12:15
Full day08:30 – 14:30
Early care optionalfrom 06:30
Extended day optionaluntil 17:30
Three terms a year
April – July
September – December
January – March
Join the list before the end of January 2027.Founder Class families receive 10% off fees for their child's whole time at Niwa, plus first choice of days and start dates.
Join the 2027 list →
Questions parents ask
The practical things
If your question isn't here, ask us directly — info@niwaschool.com. We reply to every message within two working days.
The school
Joining us
© 2026 Niwa Group of Schools Ltd. All rights reserved. The Niwa name, owl device and “Nurturing Minds” are trademarks of Niwa Group of Schools Ltd. All photographs, illustrations and written content on this site are the property of Niwa and may not be reproduced without written permission. Fees, dates and programme details are indicative and subject to change.