(Hong Kong, 4 July 2018) Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE), an upgrade of Yew Chung Community College (YCCC), will start to offer Bachelor Degree programmes in ECE disciplines in 2018/2019 academic year. This is amid the efforts by Hong Kong SAR to continue to expand its higher education credentials on the world stage.

Asia’s first specialist institute in Early Childhood Education
YCCECE will continue to build on the strengths of YCCC, which has blazed a trail in developing and advancing ECE and become the first of its kind in Hong Kong as not only a dedicated early education institute, but the first self-financing institute that has received government approval to run a full-time pre-service kindergarten teacher-training programme – a Higher Diploma in Early Childhood Education (HDECE). Since producing its first cohort of students, the HDECE has been very well received by students, staff, and educational institutions.
YCCECE offers programmes of Bachelor of Education (Hons) in Early Childhood Education (BEdECE), Higher Diploma in Early Childhood Education (HDECE) and Diploma in Early Childhood Studies (DECS). Upon successful completion of the BEdECE or HDECE programme, graduates are qualified to obtain the four ECE professional qualifications. The College uses English as the medium of instruction for all its programmes and courses. The great emphasis on English language proficiency helps students to be well prepared for their future career in a global society. Also, it will make it easier for Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities to become teachers so that the minority students can receive better education and integrate better into society.
Becoming the first specialist institute entrusted by the Government to offer formal teacher training and certification in ECE, YCCECE will help realise the vision of its sponsoring body, Yew Chung Education Foundation (YCEF), to provide “B to B” (Baby to Bachelor) through-train education. Commenting on the establishment of YCCECE, Dr Betty Chan, Director of YCEF, said, “We hope to democratise quality early childhood education, to make a big, lasting impact on society, and position the College as the ECE centre of excellence in Asia.” As both YCEF and YCCECE are non-profit making, they welcome all kinds of funding support.

Modern and innovative campus to facilitate interactive teaching and learning
YCCECE's new campus, located in Aberdeen, will host a number of modern learning facilities including a library, learning commons, high speed Wi-Fi and a pantry. The campus design will facilitate collaboration and interaction of students and teachers. The piece de resistance of the campus is its “Discovery Space” in which children aged 0 to 8 years old can learn through play with caregivers and engage with the students of the College. From such experiences, the students of the College will have more hands-on practice to consolidate their skills in a real setting. Some of the facilities will open to the local families and ECE professionals.

What Does YCCECE Offer?
The BEdECE will allow its cohort to attain the following professional ECE qualifications:
 Registered Kindergarten Teacher
 Child Care Worker
 Child Care Supervisor
 Special Child Care Worker

The course is also unique in that it allows students to experience eight weeks of practical experience in a cross-section of local and international kindergartens, and special educational needs (SEN) settings, along with an additional eight weeks in which students can consolidate their experience in their chosen ECE stream. At the end of their 16 weeks of practical hands-on experience, students can partake in a research project and collaborate with their chosen school/organisation to contribute to its ongoing development.
In keeping with Yew Chung’s lifelong commitment to equal opportunities, diversity, and such, the College has offered over HK$7 million for its current and prospective students, provided students meet the requirement.
Furthermore, there are opportunities for government scholarships and financial assistance for full-time students who are in need of financial assistance in pursuing their higher diploma or degree.

About YCCECE
Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE) was established in June 2018. It is an upgrade of the Yew Chung Community College (YCCC) which was started by Yew Chung Education Foundation (YCEF) in 2008. The success of the upgrade is grounded on the impressive track record of YCCC and Yew Chung’s 85 years’ experience in Early Childhood Education (ECE).
YCCECE aims to nurture passionate and innovative early childhood education professionals who can advocate and bring about improvement in the field and seeks to be recognised in Hong Kong and in the Asia-Pacific region as an ECE hub for its excellence. In order to become a tertiary institution of excellence, YCCECE brought in world-renowned ECE academics and local ECE leaders as advisors and consultants. Its teaching faculty is hired from all over the world to provide international perspectives and experiences. Its study body is also multi-cultural.
YCCECE offers Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Early Childhood Education (BEdECE), Higher Diploma in Early Childhood Education programme (HDECE) and Diploma in Early Childhood Studies programme (DECS). Other than academic excellence, YCCECE also aims at serving the community and sharing good practices. It thus sets up the Yew Chung Early Childhood Development Centre (YCECDC), which will run professional development programmes for practitioners, parent education and the like. YCECDC will also operate the Discovery Space (DS), which is a space equipped with different facilities for children aged 0 to 8 years old and their caregivers. Through the facilitation of the staff at DS, children will experience learning through play.