New international preschool finds pricey space to fill a gap
The city's latest international kindergarten Safari Kid, which opened in January, says finding a suitable venue was one of its biggest challenges
With an increasing number of local parents enrolling their children in international schools, two more international kindergartens have set up shop in Hong Kong since the start of the year to cater to the growing demand.
Both have found the high land prices one of the biggest obstacles to keeping fees low.
United States-based kindergarten group Safari Kid opened its first Hong Kong branch in Pok Fu Lam in January. It aims to provide more places for expatriate children, whose parents find it increasingly difficult to secure suitable preschool places for them.
"I think it's definitely a problem," Jared Dubbs, Safari Kid's Northeast Asian regional head, says. "[Hong Kong] parents are obsessed with finding good quality education for their children, and rightly so."
Laura Southwood, whose child is enrolled at Safari Kid, says many local parents are sending their children to international schools for their bilingual programmes. This has narrowed the range of options for expat children, who would find it tough and confusing to go through the local education system, the public relations representative says.
"I think there are many choices available for Hong Kong people; but not so much at the international stage, which is where Safari Kid … is trying to fill the gap," Southwood says.
The 7,600 sq ft kindergarten charges from HK$1,800 to HK$14,000 a month for classes of various durations for children aged one to six.