2.9
In general, where children require care outside the normal home environment, foster care is a better alternative to institutional care. "Fostering" means the care and upbringing of a child in a household of which neither of his parents is a member. It is usually a formalised activity initiated, arranged and supervised by a responsible welfare agency.
However, suitable foster parents are not easy to find in Hong Kong and therefore while the Government will continue to encourage foster care, it is inevitable that some residential care will still be required.
2.10
In order to make such residential care as good a substitute for the home as possible the Government will continue to encourage voluntary agencies to provide centres with a home-like atmosphere where the children are catered for in small groups of not more than ten. The aim should be to provide for the children's physical and emotional needs and to encourage a sense of belonging and personal identity.
COURSE LENGTH AND THE MINIMUM AGE OF ENTRY TO KINDERGARTENS
2.11
The
In Hong Kong many kindergartens offer a 3-year course, beginning with 3-year olds in so-called 'baby classes', the age of entry sometimes being as low as 21⁄2 years. It is recognised that many children at about the age of 3 are ready for, and would benefit from, experiences away from home. Government is not convinced, however, that the kindergarten is the most appropriate environment for children of this age, who are still very dependent and vulnerable and require a lot of individual attention. This being the case, the proper place for 3-year-old children, if they cannot be cared for at home, is in an institution whose primary function is the provision of care and supervision, namely, a child care centre.
2.12
It follows that a 2-year course of kindergarten education would appear to be most satisfactory. In view of the proposal referred to later in this chapter that the minimum age of entry to primary school should remain at 5 years 8 months, children should not normally be admitted to kindergartens until they have reached the age of 3 years 8 months in September. It is considered that at this age most children are ready for organised pre-school activities.
2.13
amended:
It is therefore proposed that the Education Ordinance should be
(a)
to provide for admission to be restricted normally to children aged 3 years 8 months and above; and
(b)
to define kindergarten education as being a 1- to 2- year course of education suitable for children between the ages of 3 years 8 months and the time of their entry to primary school.
2.14
It would be necessary to initiate a gradual phasing out of children below the minimum age of entry to guard against a sudden increase in the demand for the alternative provision of child care centres, whose places are scarce. It is therefore considered that the restriction on admission to kindergartens to children aged 3 years 8 months and above should be implemented over a 4-year period starting in 1981.
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