Child care in New Territories--18 month old

[agoodman]

Hi,

I'm new here. I just accepted a post at Lingnan University in Tuen Mun and I am very excited about it.

I have a daughter who will be 18 months old when we arrive and I need to find a child care for her. While I could hire a helper, I prefer to bring her to a child care center as she is very social. She is currently in a childcare center where we live now and does extremely well, and I'd like to continue this.

Can anyone make any recommendations for child care centers near Tuen Mun? I really have no idea where to even start looking!

Any help is appreciated!

[carang]

no, they are virtually non-existant in hk.(there are a couple that serve all of hk. the problem is that they cost more than a helper and are VERY difficult to get a space.) the ONLY option is a helper. that's why everyone has one...

[thanka2]

Agree with Cara. Also, Tuen Mun isn't exactly the center of HK so your choices are going to be even more limited. Your best option is to hire a helper and then arrange activities for your daughter to do during the day--which the helper can take her to and from. The attention she will receive is a lot more one-on-one and she can still be social and participate in activities. Baby Buddies is a playgroup and they have a center in Tuen Mun--I took my son there when he was 18-months-old and he loved it. It's a 2-hour program for that age and I think you can sign up to take classes up to 3 times/week. When your daughter turns 2-years-old you can enroll her in an all-day nursery school if you like. My son attended one when he turned 2-years-old in Tin Shui Wai (near Tuen Mun) where he would go to school at 9 am and return home around 3 pm--he also really enjoyed this. I know there are a few nursery schools and international kindergartens in Tuen Mun that offer this. But, honestly, you'll thank yourself for getting a helper.

[agoodman]

thanks for the info!

well, this leads me to two more questions that someone might be able to help with:

1) are there any daycares even in central (or somewhere more central). looks like my husband might be working in central.

2) i know they are everywhere in hk, but i've never had one, so....how does one go about finding a helper, especially a helper that is good for children?

thanks!!!

[carang]

1) no, like i said there are only a couple of daycare centres for the entire territory. i don't recall one being in hk. also, they cost well over what a helper costs.

2) you use an agency. you tell them your requirements, then they help you set up interviews with women who meet your criteria. most agencies offer "free" replacements for the first year. you still have to pay for visa processing (a few hundred HKD) but you only pay the agency fee once. so, even if you choose one and she doesn't work out, you can call the agency and they will help you set up more interviews.

[thanka2]

thanks for the info!

well, this leads me to two more questions that someone might be able to help with:

1) are there any daycares even in central (or somewhere more central). looks like my husband might be working in central.

2) i know they are everywhere in hk, but i've never had one, so....how does one go about finding a helper, especially a helper that is good for children?

thanks!!!

What you are asking for is a daycare center and they simply don't exist in Hong Kong (except for a few government-run drop-in centers that are meant to be used in emergency cases and are fully in Cantonese) because there is no market for them here. We're not just saying that--if there really were any we'd know about them. Your child will not be able to attend full-day nursery school until she is 2-years-old (different than a daycare center in that it is actually a school with a curriculum--meaning your child will likely have workbooks and even sometimes homework to do). There are some nursery schools that start at 18 months but they are unusual as well--in fact, I don't know of any full-day ones--there is a half-day one nearby where I live.

As far as hiring a helper goes--yep, as you're new to Hong Kong, it's best to go through an agency. The agency we used is called Arrow. They handle the paperwork and help you find a match for who you'd like to hire.

[agoodman]

thanks! this was so helpful!

[ocean419]

When I hired my helped, I interviewed her and brought her home for 1/2 day just to try her out. I ask her to do some basic cleaning, cook a simple meal and we even sat down together to eat lunch and had a good chat about her family background. Honestly I just don't see how I can make the commitment to let some stranger stay with us and look after our newborn without getting to know her a little better. Ask the agency if they will be able to arrange this for you.