Early childhood education
Promoting emotional well-being of children
Despite their very young age, the children know that this lesson is not like any other. Today they will make a new friend - Zippy. Zippy can't speak, not only because he is a stick insect but also because he is a fictional character in an educational programme called 'Zippy's Friends'. In the lessons, the children will listen to stories about Zippy and his friends, confront and solve problems together, cope with the death of the fragile insect, and, at the end of the programme, look forward to new beginnings.
Young children go through many emotional ups and downs like grown-ups. They encounter communication problems with friends and feel lonely and excluded. They deal with change and loss when the family moves or when their pets or grandparents die. In Hong Kong, where parents tend to focus on academic development, these issues about children's emotional well-being are often neglected. In 24 weeks, Zippy's Friends helps children develop skills to manage their emotions and cope with difficulties. These skills will help them to grow into emotionally healthy teenagers and adults.
The Hongkong Bank Foundation and the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) are implementing Zippy's Friends to promote emotional health as an essential part of education in kindergartens and lower primary schools in Hong Kong. The programme was developed by Partnership for Children, an international charity supported by HSBC Education Trust in UK. More than 203,000 children around the world have completed the programme. After Hong Kong, Zippy's Friends has been launched in Shanghai and Beijing.
Commitment to early childhood education through HKIEd
The Hongkong Bank Foundation has been supporting development in early childhood education for many years. In 2001, with the Foundation's support, HKIEd established its first experimental school for early childhood education - The Hong Kong Institute of Education HSBC Early Childhood Learning Centre (ECLC) - to train teachers for the profession. The Foundation has also provided scholarships for pre-service and in-service students to engage in exchange programmes in mainland China.
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