Baby due in early Sept 2011. When is the right time to register for pre-school?

[RileyC]

I had lunch today with a couple of friends and they both asked whether I have registered my yet-to-be-born baby with any preschools/kindergartens in HK. When I replied no, they told me that it's probably too late and that my baby would have to go on the waiting lists!? Now I know that the situation can be a little crazy in HK with high demand for popular schools, but quite frankly I was a bit surprised at all of this.

Am I really too late? I plan to put my child through the international school system (ESF) from beginning to end. Where do I start? I'm already feeling overwhelmed with all the other things that I have to do like preparing for my baby's arrival.

[Portia]

ESF will not accept your application this early. You need to check their website as the application period is a single month (around Sept or Oct) the year before the child is due to start.

[AndreaSB]

I wouldn't think it's too late. You don't even have a date of birth or a name yet! Some people don't even know the gender at this point. It's true that there's a lot of competition and registration is probably earlier than other countries but you still have time. I know HKIS for example won't let you put baby on any list until two academic years before he's due to start (based on Aug 31 cut off). Just make a phone call to their admissions office to get accurate info and put your mind at ease. For ESF your place of residence matters too. For now, relax and get ready to hold baby in your arms :-D

[RileyC]

Thanks Portia and AndreaSB!