Parental perceptions of holistic early childhood education in Hong Kong

Early Childhood Education is important in developing ethical, intellectual, physical, social, and aesthetic aspects of children together with cognitive skills. Parents play an important role in their children’s early life and provide a role model. Additionally, holistic education seeks to incorporate principles of wholeness, interconnectedness and spirituality. This study examined how well parental perceptions of kindergartens (KG) aligned with goals of Holistic Early Childhood Education (HECE) in Hong Kong. Written survey responses were received from 1383 parents and 165 teachers, including principals from 22 kindergartens across three Districts in Hong Kong. The findings of the study indicated that parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of kindergartens aligned with HECE policy in HK for young children’s development and practice in the kindergarten programs. These findings clearly indicate a cohesion between parents’ and teachers’ concern and official Hong Kong education documents regarding holistic development of young children in kindergartens in Hong Kong. Copyright © 2019 International Society for Educational Planning.