Daytime Childcare

A colleague is moving to HK and rather than have a helper she would like to send her 2 year old to daycare where she will be with other kids all day. Everyone I know has a helper and sends their child to kindergarten in the morning only.

Does any one have any experience of any HK daycare and can make any recommendations?

That's what I suspected ... still am wondering if any stay-at-home Mum's have started their own daycare groups, for example?

If your friend does not mind a cantonese daycare, I suggest Lingnanp Kindergarden. They have-half day or full-day school, for kids 2+ year old. My daughter attended Lingnanp when we first moved to HK. Despite the fact that we didn't speak any cantonese they were more than accommodating. The school is on Stubbs road and here is the weblink. http://www.lingnanp.edu.hk/kindergarten/index.html

Unfortunately, it is in Chinese, so I suggest you just call the school. It is a good and reputable local school, not the charitable kind.

"A colleague is moving to HK and rather than have a helper she would like to send her 2 year old to daycare where she will be with other kids all day."


If she's worried about the kid being with other kids in HK I would say stop worrying. Our daughters play all day long with other kids in the complex. The "Helper Mafia" is really good at making formal and informal playgroups. We almost have to tell them to stop when it is too much and starts disrupting meal times.


From a child's well being point of view, I would take a good helper over all day kindy any time.

I wanted to add a word of warning. Plenty of helpers see the playground and playgroups as an excuse to socialize while the kids are left to their own devices. Perhaps not the best solution for a young child. A good helper will of course have time to chat a little, but she will be mainly focused on the children.


A good helper with good fostering skills is an incredibly healthy thing for a child. Our helper makes sure the little ones are active. They eat fantastic food. They help out (as much as they can) with dishwashing, cleaning, watering the plants. She reads books with them, etc etc. Much better in our opinion than daycare.


Our older one is also in pre-school, but that is somewhat more an educational thing than how I define daycare.

HAving a good helper beats day care in Hong Kong any day.

I faced the same situation, it was only when I lived and worked in kindergarten here I was fully relieved that I had made the right decision to have a helper instead of full time school. It really is school, not day care they sit in little desks and spend most of the morning lining up to file to the bathroom and having phonics or some other silly subject shoved down their throats. 2 really is too young for this all day long. they need to develop a bond with their caregiver and that is impossble with more than a few kids per teacher. A helper who loves your friends child can give love and support and discipline int he way you ask her too, she can also completely leave that role and let you be mum when you walk int he door and then just be there for cooking and cleaning which is a HUGE relief for us working mums.

I was sooooo dubious but am sold now that I've had mine for 2 years. she is literally family now and they have stable secure love from us all. No jealousy from me because I see the benefits of trusting her and letting my kids know she is to be treated with respect.

mumof2boys, great post. That's exactly how we feel about our helper.


I know lots of Western mothers, in particular from North America, who come to HK very dubious about getting a helper. They often think that this means they are "bad mothers" who don't take proper care of their kids/household. Nothing could be further from the truth. A good helper is a great extension of the parenting in the house, and should not be construed as "paying someone else to be a parent while mother goes to yoga". Of course there is a lot of that in HK but that doesn't depend on the helper's presence per se.


It bears repeating: a good helper is far better than whole day daycare.

I do however wonder whether mine two just sit around and chat when they are on the playground - that's really where I find them (actually all the helpers not just mine two) if I ever "surprise" them and come from work early and pop down to see my kids. that is why I enrolled mine to a Montessouri at 18 months - 3 times a week - to make sure they get some sort of developmental games, etc.... One has to remember, that 99.9% of helpers here are NOT trained nannies - so... I think a combination of both helper/and nursery or playgroup is a good idea...

i do agree with Idsllvn.


i have a great helper who plays with my baby, takes him out, keeps him happy etc. She unfortunately cant chat too much with others as she doesn speak putonghua, but i think some time at a nursery/playgroup /preschool is invaluable.

"I do however wonder whether mine two just sit around and chat when they are on the playground - that's really where I find them (actually all the helpers not just mine two) if I ever "surprise" them and come from work early and pop down to see my kids"


Hmm well that can be an issue. I have often surprised our helper and luckily no problems. Perhaps you need to talk to her and strongly emphasize how you feel. In my opinion ignoring the kids the way some helpers do is grounds for eventual termination. I mean, I do understand that the helpers chat or talk on the phone. This is ok within reason. But they should be focused on the children.

Getting a good helper who will organise play dates and other social days out will be much more helpful to her child than being in a Nursery all day without the individual attention of a helper. It also means she can spend nap times and feeding times in her own house feeling secure and comfortable. There are some good training sessions around for helpers in Child Development and care if she is worried about the helper. They teach all aspects from safety, first aid to how to help children develop early reading and maths skills. Annerley midwives run very good baby care and first aid courses and ladybird lessons run good child development courses.

I agree that 2 is too young for school but I have seen many helpers who spend all their time chatting and not watching the kids. axpatguy it is great that yours tries to get the kids to help as they can because also I have only experienced helpers who do everything for the child not fostering any sort of independence.


But in saying that often being at home with the care of one person and some playdates or playgroups is better than some of the schools I have seen. Like someone mentioned above if your helper does not know when you will be home and feels respected by you they will hopefully always keep the best interest of the child.

I did mean playgroup, not school, mine two (who are 2 yrs old) go with the helper 3 days a week just for the afternoon, so their routine (nap and lunch, dinner) are not effected - I find it a good combination...

"Every 20 mins there is a helper frantically rushing off to see where the child in their care has disappeared too."


Ouch. If our helper had to frantically rush off like that very often we would not want to keep her on. A helper taking care of kids needs to have at least some measure of "parent radar".




"axpatguy it is great that yours tries to get the kids to help as they can because also I have only experienced helpers who do everything for the child not fostering any sort of independence."


Well there is that aspect and it is important to find a helper that really fosters. A helper should not be like a slave to the child. Unfortunately this situation is far too common in HK.


Helpers are like any other employees, all different. You need to find a good one. But it is important to remember that many decent ones may become stellar with only a little management on the part of the employer. A good helper is willing and enthusiastic to learn.



"If possible, the ideal setting is a combination of both childcare, helper and parent."


Indeed. And HK is great that way, with helpers plus plenty of pre-schools have playgroups and pre-pre-school classes that run 1½-2 hours.

I guess I'm a very relaxed parent.

For me if I know my helper loves my kids as much as she loves her own......which I know she does....and she didn't lose her kids when they were growing up......which she didn't......and is generally careful and looking after them she is doing her job. I have to TELL her to be social and go TALK to the other helpers she is so used to not being allowed to be social while "on the job".......IT IS NATURAL to chat with other nannies!! I was a nanny and have also been a full time stay home mum, in all occasions of play ground visits with either my own or other peoples children I have freely used my cell phone and chatted with other mums/nannies.

I never lost the kids and I taught my kids personal safety lessons before being in places where there might be real danger......let them fall occasionally and let them learn that it hurts a little and they will naturally be more careful and become much more coordinated safer children.


I guess I'm just really old fashioned in that view of parenting cause it seems mums here are hyperventilating if their children simply bang slightly and have no blood or bruising. AND blaming helpers if a kid has a scratch on them is just weird. Kids learn this way it's how I learnt.


Obvious rule is that I tell the kids they cannot go out of mine or my helpers sight line. then if they do there is a consequence. should be we train the kids to OBEY!! NOT breath down the necks of the poor helpers and spying on them. PERHAPS we should be spying on our children to see how obedient they are when we aren't there and see if we as mums and dads are doing a good job in training them to respect their helpers. And training our helpers to be as confident and strict as we are to have continuity for the kids really is good advice. It has to be both.



Ultimately I've seen over and over......the best helpers I see are the ones who are well trained (in the basic requirements of the family and how to look after the kids well) and well respected by their families and who genuinely love the child.

If helpers that we see are doing everything for the child, it's probably cause there is pressure on them in the home to be the child's slave. You must release her from this and give her the authority to be your child's boss when you are not there, which seems difficult for some mothers.

My helper has kids and we always discuss ways to raise mine because I look up to her as an older women with life experience. What a shame some of the chinese mums with not much experience child rearing and then who go straight back into the workforce after birth can't look at their helpers as experienced mums who have a lot to offer their families.


Play groups are a great combination with helpers cause it also gives the helper time to go and run errands that are difficult with a child with them.

mumof2boys. Great post. Very well said.