Child Development & Training

Early Education and Training Centres (EETCs)

Early Education and Training Centres serve to provide professional early intervention and training services once or twice a week for young children with developmental disorders, and to assist their parents in mastering relevant child care skills.

Target Service Group

The major target groups are:

children with disabilities or developmental delay from birth to 2 years of age;
children with disabilities or developmental delay from 2 to 6 years of age meeting the eligibility criteria for EETC only; and
children with disabilities from 2 to 6 years of age on a waiting list for other pre-school rehabilitation services (e.g. Special Child Care Centres or the integrated programmes in mainstream child care centres or kindergartens).

Enrollment Criteria

EETCs are open to those children who are pre-mature or at-risk babies, or assessed as experiencing:

developmental, global or borderline intellectual delay;
physical disabilities (including cerebral palsy);
mental handicap;
visual impairment;
hearing impairment;
a mix of physical disability and social behavioural problems;
other congenital abnormalities; and / or
inadequate teaching or training from parents / guardians / family members.

Scope of Service

EETCs provide the following services:

Developmental assessment and individualized educational programmes

Each child is assessed upon admission and every six months thereafter. The results of the developmental assessment are used to plan an individualized training programme which sets learning goals for both parent and the child.

Centre-based individual and group training

The child and the parent attend individual training sessions together, at least once a week, and then practise the skills at home and in daily life. In addition, books, journals and toys are available for parents to borrow to facilitate home training.

Occupational therapy

Occupational therapists carry out assessment on children based on their specific needs. Training is carried out in sensory-motor, sensory integration, self-care and social aspects through the use of therapeutic activities and environmental adaptation, aiming to improve the functional performance of children in self-care, play and learning.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapists of Heep Hong provide developmental assessment to children and, based on their individual physical needs, come up with proper therapeutic motor activities, designs of special aids and home training programmes in an effort to enhance children’s motor development.

Speech therapy

Based on children’s individual needs, Heep Hong’s speech therapists design therapeutic programmes to facilitate their speech and language development and to enhance their social and communication skills. Parents are encouraged to participate in various training activities to strengthen their own skills in building up the communication abilities of their children.

Parental support and education

Guidance, counselling and support in the forms of individual and / or group sessions are provided to educate parents / guardians / family members, and to enhance acceptance and understanding in order to facilitate the overall development of their children. Centre staff also pay regular home visits to give practical advice on how parents can deal with the problems of caring for their children at home.

Psychological service

The Society's psychologists visit centres regularly to give advice on the training programmes, and to provide consultation related to training and management of children’s emotional / behavioural problems to the parents and the staff.

Out-reach service

Individual home-based training services are provided to families who have difficulties in bringing their children to the centre.

Occasional child care service

Occasional Child Care (OCC) service provides temporary day care service for young children whose parents need temporary relief or have to attend to personal matters. The aims of OCC service are to prevent children from being left unattended at home and to provide temporary relief for the parents / carers under pressure. For details, please contact our centres.

Service Hours

Monday to Saturday:	8:45am - 5:30pm
Evening programmes (on a once-a-week):	5:30pm - 7:00pm

Fees

A monthly fee of HK$60 is charged per child. Families with financial difficulties can apply for a waiver.

Application Procedure

Referrals are made by the Central Referral System for Rehabilitation Services operated by the Social Welfare Department. Parents may approach paediatricians, Maternal and Child Health Clinics, Child Assessment Centres, medical social workers or family services centres for referral.