OneSky Promotes Responsive Care And Everyday Learning Through Play at the STEAM Carnival
Co-organized with the Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education’s Jockey Club ‘CoolPlay’ Project, OneSky organized a parent-child STEAM Carnival at VESSEL, Kwun Tong Promenade. The aim was to encourage families to apply responsive care through STEAM play in their daily lives in order to strengthen their relationships with young children.
The event received an overwhelming response. Over 300 families participated in the Fun Fair. Family Mentors designed a game counter, “OneSky Rescue Team”, with three STEAM experiments about water and air. Caregivers and their children were able to explore the world of science as well as foster interpersonal development in children.
OneSky hopes to work with more organizations and community partners in providing diverse parenting education support, promoting the importance of parenting education, and encouraging caregivers to learn through play with their children.
The event attracted over 700 participants by ten inspirational and fun STEAM-themed game counters.
Family Mentors invited caregivers and children to be “OneSky rescue team”, demonstrating their creativity and problem-solving skills in finding suitable tools to create small balloons and save Sparkie and Comfie who fell down from the dragon boat. They searched for missing puzzles in a pool with different sensory objects, observed how the objects reacted in water, and learnt the concepts of sinking and floating. The games applied the responsive care approach which was developed from Reggio Emilia Approach, and encouraged caregivers and children to explore and learn through play.
OneSky Family Mentors prepared liquid in different densities at “Sparkie Tower Workshop”. Families were encouraged to observe and join the experiments while caregivers responded and assisted their children.
Engaging with Community Partners to better serve our community
The P. C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development continues to feel the effect of the pandemic’s fifth wave, which has battered Hong Kong’s economy and society.
The Centre has been doing its best to serve low-income families living in Sham Shui Po, despite the closure of face-to-face services due to Covid-19. Family Mentors have continued to provide innovative support to vulnerable families virtually. And now, they are also collaborating with like-minded organizations and institutions to provide continued parenting education support and promote responsive practices.
Online parenting skills sharing on language and emotional development
OneSky’s training team organized online parenting skills workshops entitled “Combating Intergeneration Addiction 2.0,” sponsored by Beat Drug Fund. Early Childhood Trainers introduced responsive ways to foster children’s growth on language and emotional ability through games and storytelling.
Online workshop for early childhood professionals
OneSky and Jockey Club CoolPlay Project of Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE) joined hands to invite kindergarten principals, in-service and pre-service teachers and early childhood educators, to exchange ideas on early childhood education, enlightenment and development during an online workshop.
Over 130 participants from more than 75 organisations attended the event. Dr Wen Zhao, Senior Program Advisor of OneSky, explained the relationship-based education philosophy of responsive practice, while Susanna Lee, Executive Director of OneSky’s Global Centre, introduced the application of responsive practice through the Centre’s activities, environment and program design. After a discussion on STEM’s integration into daily lives by the Jockey Club CoolPlay Project team, participants discussedthe feasibility of applying the pedegogy in early childhood professional development. OneSky and YCCECE will collaborate again to provide YCCECE students with a sharing session, and to offer OneSky families a STEM workshop, followed by joining a parent-child carnival in May.
Exchange on professional practice with postgraduate students
An exchange on responsive practice and its application was held for postgraduate students from the Education University of Hong Kong. It illustrated how OneSky helps vulnerable children reach their potentials at welfare institutions in mainland China and at the Centre in Hong Kong. By collaborating with institutions and organizations, OneSky hopes to promote a professional, supportive network, as well as increase best practices in early childhood education.
OneSky supports vulnerable families through the ongoing Covid pandemic in Hong Kong
The recent fifth wave of the Covid pandemic has severely affected the most vulnerable members of the Hong Kong community. And, In areas like Sham Shui Po, where the P. C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development is located, OneSky’s Family Mentors are helping to serve low-income families as best they can.
Families like that of 5-year-old Tung Tung, who all tested positive for Covid.
Unexpectantly forced into isolation in their cramped Sham Shui Po apartment, the little girl, her elder brother and mother did not have sufficient food, test kits, or medical supplies to get through their quarantine.
“We had no rapid antigen test kits so I dared not go out,” Tung Tung’s mother recalled. “We were running out of food at home and I felt so helpless. I didn’t know what to do.”
In desperation, she reached out to OneSky’s Family Mentors for help.
When OneSky’s Family Mentors heard of the family’s difficulties, they gathered together items for Tung Tung, her brother and mother, including Covid test kits, food and cleaning supplies and delivered them to their home.
The Family Mentors kept in close contact with Tung Tung and her family, to help them cope throughout the quarantine period. They provided the two children with fun, online learning activities.
“I was really touched. In such a severe environment, OneSky Family Mentors never gave up on us,” Tung Tung’s mother said.
With the generous support of community partners and donors, OneSky has been able to distribute emergency supplies to Sham Shui Po families in need to help them through this very difficult time.
Like many, Tung Tung’s family was isolated due the current Covid outbreak. Crowded living conditions and lack of childcare support has brought great distress to affected families, particularly in regards to the children’s learning and personal development.
OneSky’s Senior Family Mentor Yannis Chan noted: “The pandemic has posed great challenges to children’s growth. We have tried to help as best we can by providing emotional support in addition to the material supplies.”
“We have offered parents support in storytelling, how to play-at-home, parenting tips, and other information to support their caregiving needs. Looking at it from a different angle, we have tried to help parents and caregivers to use quarantine as a positive time for the family.”
Throughout the pandemic, OneSky Family Mentors have continuously adapted and remained connected with the families, like that of Tung Tung — providing emotional and daily support —virtually and in-person as circumstances allow.
Barclays Bank: Supporting Vulnerable Communities in Hong Kong
Thanks to our partnership with Barclays Bank (Barclays), the P. C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development in Hong Kong has amplified its support of vulnerable families living in Sham Shui Po.
Across the Asia Pacific, Barclays is working with selected charity partners, like OneSky, who are providing pandemic relief to the communities where Barclays has a presence — to help vulnerable communities impacted by the Covid-19 crisis and those working on the frontline of response.
Most recently, through the Barclays LifeSkills Programme, the Centre trained over 100 local women in an evidence-based methodology to care for young children, and is now helping them to secure employment.
And, to help vulnerable children manage through the Covid crisis, important pandemic-related information was relayed through interactive storytelling and activities. In addition, with further support from Barclays through its global programme, the £100m COVID-19 Community Aid Package, COVID-care packs (including sanitizing spray and masks) were distributed to families through the Centre’s network, benefiting more than 800 vulnerable families.
“Barclays has a long-standing commitment to supporting the communities in which we operate and an important duty to help the most vulnerable through the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is why we partner with organizations like OneSky who play a critical role in our society, providing vulnerable communities with life skills and employability opportunities as well as ensuring that tangible support is getting to those who have been hardest hit by the pandemic,” said Anthony Davies, Chief Executive, Barclays Bank Hong Kong Branch & Senior Relationship Management, Asia Pacific.
During the season of giving last year, Barclays employees also came together to spread festive joy by delivering 280 gift packs to children visiting the Centre, sharing the Christmas spirit with low-income families in Sham Shui Po.
Hong Kong Centre celebrates Lunar New Year with a virtual party
Despite the pandemic-caused closure of the P. C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development in Hong Kong, Lunar New Year was still cause for celebration!
Thanks to technology and the creativity of the Centre’s Family Mentors, around 50 families recently attended a festive and fun virtual Lunar New Year party. The event helped give young children served by the Centre a better understanding of the festival through a variety of interactive games and activities.
Dressed up in traditional clothes, Family Mentors and OneSky children sang Chinese New Year songs and enjoyed listening to stories about the holiday. There was also instruction in dragon dancing, allowing children to feel the rhythm and develop their fine motor skills. Interactive games (like hunting for festive items, art crafts show-and-tell) added a joyful new year vibe to the party.
Both caregivers and Family Mentors witnessed the growth of the young children while listening to them speak confidently about their tangerine drawings and spring couplets. The party came to a perfect end with the Centre staff members sending blessings to the families and a group photo taken featuring all little and big “tigers.”
Happy Year of the Tiger!
Children proudly showed their beautiful drawings of tangerines.
Family Mentors encouraged caregivers and children to enjoy their family time at home, making good use of home materials and creating easy-to-play art crafts.
“Although the pandemic halted in-person service, the team has kept families engaged to help children’s development by adopting creative ideas and technology. Through communication tools such as WhatsApp and Facebook, we follow cases, provide parenting skills information and DIY games, etc. Moreover, we pledged our full support to the families in need by organizing different kinds of online activities and events,” said Mavis Yip, the Centre’s Program Coordinator.
Currently, the Centre offers a professionally led online parenting skills training program for caregivers with children, aged 0-6, to continue their learning in responsive care, despite the ongoing pandemic.
Inaugural Christmas Party Fills Global Centre with Warmth and Love
Towards the end of last year, an inaugural Christmas party was held in the P. C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development in Hong Kong.
The event attracted 100 members who shared a wonderful afternoon with Centre staff celebrating the festive season. Thanks to the generous support and sponsorship of Generali’s The Human Safety Net (THSN), volunteers created fun and interesting Christmas-themed games using recycled materials.
Caregivers and children explored and traveled around different booths, hosted by Generali’s THSN volunteers. The families had great fun joining in various activities including the wreath and wooden craft DIY workshop, putting up a Christmas tree, hunting for jingle bells, and playing bowling games. What surprised the children most was that Santa Claus “came to town” and took pictures with them! They were further delighted when Santa distributed presents to each one of them.
A good time was had by all during the inaugural Christmas party – which organizers hope to make an annual event going forward.
A big thank you to volunteers from Generali’s THSN! The children and their families had great fun and felt a sense of community at the party.
Children designed a beautiful wreath and helped to put up a Christmas tree.
Strike! The children demonstrated their talent for playing bowling games.
Jingle bell, jingle bell… where are they?
Children colored beautiful wooden crafts showcasing their creativity.
Children and adults alike were excited when Santa paid a surprise visit to the Centre!
OneSky Community Day Join Hands with Community Partners to Support Families in Need
In Hong Kong, OneSky has been working with community partners to offer assistance and support to families in need. In December 2021, OneSky joined hands with the Hong Kong Federation of Women’s Centres and Caritas Hong Kong’s “Project Hyacinth-Enrichment Service for Young Mothers,” inviting caregivers and children aged between 0 and 6 to visit the P. C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development (OSGC).
Through experiencing the educational playground and parenting skills interactive workshop, the families in attendance gained a better understanding of the services offered by the Centre promoting early childhood education and supporting vulnerable families.
Through exploring the inspirational playground of OSGC, the families, on one hand, experienced learning through play; on the other hand, they could have a better understanding of responsive care under the guidance of Family Mentors.
“We feel very grateful for having support from like-minded organizations, who are willing to join hands with us to introduce community support for families in most need. By collaborative effort and making good use of one’s strength, I believe that we could build a strengthened and supportive network for vulnerable caregivers and children in Hong Kong,” said Susanna Lee, Executive Director of OSGC.
On Community Day, caregivers and children were excited to tour around the interactive educational playground, creative sports zone, and family resources zone under the accompaniment of dedicated Family Mentors.
“Project Hyacinth – Enrichment Service for Young Mothers” aims to rebuild family and community support for young mothers. On the Community Day, young mothers explored ways to improve children’s early childhood development through a responsive care approach, via the service and facilities of OSGC.
Followed by an interactive parenting skills workshop, caregivers learned about the importance of childhood brain development and how the attitude of caregivers influenced children’s responsive learning abilities. In the future, OneSky hopes to continue partnering with more like-minded organizations, providing additional support to the community.
Caregivers had an understanding of early childhood development after attending a parenting workshop and learned ways to stimulate children’s brain development.
Hong Kong Federation of Women’s Centres focus on the livelihood of grassroots women. Thanks to their visits we hope to meet them again in the caregivers training program.
One year on, the vision and bravery at the heart of OneSky Global Centre
By Susanna Lee, Executive Director of the OneSky Global Centre
I grew up in Sham Shui Po, near what is now the P.C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development. Back then it was still a secondary school but that would ultimately close and the building would fall into disrepair.
My family lived in a small apartment. My parents, younger sister, and I shared a set of bunk beds, and, at the heart of our home, was a small collapsible table. It was used for meals and for watching TV but I invariably sat underneath it. It was part of my imaginary games — my little kingdom.
I recently asked my mother why I had never attended childcare. It turns out the first obstacle was the waiting list. Then, when a place finally became available, my mother visited and was shocked by what she saw. A dozen babies watched over by a single caregiver, with no time for play or nurturing.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Sham Shui Po has needed a place like OneSky’s Global Centre for my whole life.
But, as fate would have it when the Global Centre finally opened it was during a once-in-a-century occurrence – a global pandemic. While the vision of all involved was remarkable, it was matched by inspirational bravery and perseverance. Do you remember that creeping fear we were all feeling one year ago in the early months of 2020?
Susanna Lee, Executive Director of the OneSky Global Centre
At the time I was OneSky’s Hong Kong Director of Development, I am now proud to be the center’s Executive Director. Having observed all the hard work that was required to open the centre, I am grateful for the vision that led to its achievement.
It was a vision that came to light thanks to Jenny Bowen, OneSky’s founder. Jenny imagined the center as a place that was equal parts love and learning. A place where children could find a better start to life and where caregivers, parents, and partner NGOs could learn best practices in Early Childhood Education.
The center would serve as a hub to share cutting-edge theories on early brain development and teaching methods.
It was a dream that the Lee family shared too. They believed in Jenny and her vision. Their donation allowed us to begin building the dream, their gift is an investment in the future of Hong Kong’s children and it is truly fitting that the center carries their name.
Jenny’s enthusiasm for the project was contagious. A steering committee, a campaign committee, partner NGOs, and hardworking board members, all contributed so much.
So many people gave knowing this was what Sham Shui Po so desperately needed.
And it happened. This beautiful center. This inspirational, bright, love-filled space. To watch children explore it has been such a joy. Released from the constraints of small, subdivided homes, their energy is restored and their imaginations fed.
And now here we are in May 2021, a year on from opening in the toughest circumstances imaginable. Sometimes we still need to take a moment to look around at what has been achieved and feel a genuine sense of pride.
Because, 12 months ago, as Hong Kong counted Covid-19 cases and we fearfully scanned the news, our dedicated team continued as best they could. As they worked socially distanced or online, lockdown brought us all a fresh reminder of just how many of Hong Kong’s children have so little space.
Despite it all, in the last year we’ve registered 437 children and 496 caregivers as centre members. Community training has included nine events with 87 families attending. We have engaged with 57 local organizations, most of whom have visited the centre, and commenced training partnerships with two. The reach is growing and as Hong Kong emerges from the pandemic, our horizons are widening.
This is an investment in children, in parents, in good childcare, in expertise.
Because a better start for our children means a better future for all our communities.
Thank you to all who made it happen.
OneSky appoints Executive Director to Global Centre in Hong Kong
Susanna Lee, formerly OneSky’s Hong Kong Director of Development, has been promoted to Executive Director of the P.C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development.
Having grown up in Sham Shui Po, Susanna knows, like many children living today in the center’s neighborhood, that space to play is minimal and childcare options extremely limited.
In her new role, she’ll be working with the Hong Kong government, NGO partners, and funders to grow the center’s reach and to serve vulnerable local children and families.
As a training organization, OneSky established the center to grow the capacity and quality of early childcare in Hong Kong and across Asia. The center also provides training to professional caregivers and parents.
OneSky was founded in 1998 in China to provide nurturing care and early education to abandoned children in China’s welfare institutions.
The organization now serves left-behind children in China’s rural villages, the children of migrant workers in Vietnam’s industrial zones, and children living in ger districts in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar. The P. C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development was opened in May last year.
OneSky CEO Morgan Lance said: OneSky CEO Morgan Lance said: “Susanna has a wealth of experience working for NGO in Hong Kong, coupled with a natural passion for this work in a part of Hong Kong that she knows so well. I am delighted that Susanna has taken on this new role – giving back to the Sham Shui Po community where she grew up and helping OneSky grow the capacity and quality of early childhood education in Hong Kong.”
Susanna added: “I am so proud to accept this role and to represent OneSky. The decision to open in the midst of the pandemic was a brave one but the issues of childcare, space to play and child development have never been more current. We must never forget that Hong Kong’s children are Hong Kong’s future.”
