How to select a kindergarten for my 2 year old in Midlevels?

Hi all, I have a daughter who's turning two soon. I would really like to get some advice on how to apply and enroll in a kindergarten around Midlevels West area. Thank you so much for your advice.


1. When should I apply?


2. Which schools, local, local+subsidized, non-local schools should I apply? We are ABC (American born Chinese) who speak English at home. My daughter does not speak Cantonese. We would like for her to learn Cantonese if possible as we can teach her English and Mandarin at home.


3. When deciding on which kindergarten, should I also consider primary schools? Based on my knowledge, I would prefer my children go to either EFS or int'l schools.

Thanks, Cara.


I think you have tried to answer Question 2 of my three questions. We are pretty clear on what we want for our child with respect to her eudcation. We are really asking the mechanics/specifics on how to apply, when to apply, etc.


For example, we just learned that local Cantonese schools require an interview at the age of two conducted in Cantonese. Had we known this (and we would like to know this type of info from the forum), we would realize that going local maybe more difficult if not impossible. We had also learned that the admissions rate is 10% for many kindergartens in the midlevels. While this seems tougher to get into than applying for Harvard (where I had gone to school), it's a critical piece of information which would be helpful if we had known before posting on this forum.


Again, thank you very much for your advice. If possible, we would like to know again:


1. When to apply to kindergarten?

2. If local, what is the process? If ESF or int'l school, how are they different?

3. Should I be considering primary school ahead while preparing for kindergarten?


Best

Cara knows her stuff. I'll just add:


1. When should I apply?

If your daughter is born in Aug 2011, she's eligible to attend Pre Nursery this September. It's a bit late, but you may be lucky. Nonetheless, all applications for a K1 place in Sept 2014 will be going in from September 2013, so figure out which ones you are keen on. And, yes, your choice of primary school does figure in here.


2. Which schools, local, local+subsidized, non-local schools should I apply? We are ABC (American born Chinese) who speak English at home. My daughter does not speak Cantonese. We would like for her to learn Cantonese if possible as we can teach her English and Mandarin at home.


For Cantonese, choose a standard local kindergarten in your neighbourhood. You can apply for the Pre Primary Voucher and, at certain (non-profit) kindergartens, have your fees subsidised by 80%.


3. When deciding on which kindergarten, should I also consider primary schools? Based on my knowledge, I would prefer my children go to either EFS or int'l schools.


If you choose a Cantonese kindergarten with a view to ESF/Int'l schools, note:

- your child will need to maintain Cantonese outside of school. Chinese literacy is another story and a big challenge in these schools.

- ensure her English is up to standard. If English is not your mother tongue, your choice of kindergarten is all the more important.


HTH.