Uniting Industry Forces to Create a New Era in Early Childhood Education
With the rapid increase in the demand for infant and toddler education and care services, the Department of Early Childhood Education (ECE) at The Education University of Hong Kong's (EdUHK) held a roundtable forum on education and care services for infants and toddlers on November 8. The forum, hosted by Dr Chan Wai-ling, attracted nearly 170 practitioners from the education, social welfare, and childcare sectors from Hong Kong, China and Macau, creating a vibrant atmosphere.
Focusing on Industry Status and Future Opportunities
Currently, Hong Kong offers approximately 1,500 daytime care service slots for infants and toddlers. The government plans to increase this by establishing 15 subsidised childcare centres over the next three years, adding around 1,500 new slots, which will double the total to 3,000. The forum focused on several trending topics such as operational models, training arrangements, home-school collaboration, and quality assurance, allowing the participants to explore how to enhance service quality and embrace a new era of infant and toddler services.
Professor Eva Lau Yi-hung, Acting Head of ECE Department, pointed out in her speech that this is the department's second industry exchange conference in a short period. She hopes to establish a long-term dialogue platform to promote professional sharing and collaboration. She also introduced the new "Information Platform for Infant and Toddler Education and Care Services," encouraging organisations to utilise the platform to exchange the latest information and experiences.
Five Experts Share Insights
The forum invited five guests to share their insights, including Ms Mary Wong, Deputy Director (Child Care & Education) of Hong Kong Society for Protection of Children; Ms Patricia Tang, Service Head of Early Childhood Education Services at the Hong Kong Christian Service; Ms Ronnie Cheung, Assistant Principal Social Services Secretary (Child Care Services) at the Po Leung Kuk; Mr Angus Chau, Community Services Manager (Youth & Family III) at Tung Wah Group of Hospitals; and Ms Daisy Lau, an expert in infant and toddler education and care services.
The speakers explored the challenges and directions of the industry from various perspectives, including policy development, home-school-community collaboration, and a child-centered approach to education. They unanimously agreed that services should be family-centered and advocate for cross-sector collaboration among healthcare, education, family, and community to create a healthy and happy growth environment for infants and toddlers. They also emphasized that talent training and professional development are key to improving service quality.
Positive Industry Response and a Shared Hope for Strengthened Support
During the discussion session, participants actively exchanged views on policies, workforce issues, and professional training. More than half of the attendees believed that current industry support and training are still inadequate and expressed hope for increased government and organisational investment to improve resources and training systems. Representatives from China and Macau also shared their local experiences, resonating with the audience.
Moving Forward Together to Create a New Chapter
The forum concluded with a consensus: to enhance the quality of services for infants and toddlers, the government, industry, and families must work closely together to create a better growth environment for children. "Seeking Change, Innovation, and Progress" is not only the theme of the forum but also a guiding principle for continuous advancement in the industry. The Department of Early Childhood Education at EdUHK will continue to promote cross-sector collaboration and professional development, working hand in hand with the industry towards a new milestone in early childhood education.