Our Story

After having worked in early childhood education for over 30 years, Jo Cassidy brought Small Talk to life in 2004. Now an honorary Grandma to Small Talkers, Jo (a.k.a. JoJo) retired in 2015 and Rana Nessim, her daugher, has since been running the nursery.

​Small Talk strives to provide children of all nationalities with a safe, caring and stimulating environment in which they are nurtured and respected and encouraged to become independent learners in a play-based setting.

Together, with our lovely families, we work in partnership for the well-being of all the children within a school community that welcomes new-comers to Cairo as well as permanent and long-term residents.

About Us

We believe in the creation and facilitation of a positive environment, where children can express their feelings and needs comfortably and confidently.

Small Talk’s core ethos is that children learn through play. We strongly believe that play is THE foundation for learning in the early years.

Our Ethos

We give space for the children to authentically uncover their own interests and build on their strengths as the foundation for their future learning journeys. The children are provided with the space, experiences & opportunities to support their curiosity, growth, development & independence.

This is why we involve children in the learning process so we can learn from one another. It is a collaborative process, not a one-way stream of information from adult to child.

​Invitations to play are created to support child-led learning. The children have access to open-ended materials, hands-on activities; they can explore freely and most importantly get messy and experience the world through their senses!