There is now even more demand than ever for school places in Hong Kong. As the economy continues to grow and families continue to flood in, demand for good quality education is increasing. This means that International primary schools are becoming more selective which is ultimately making it more competitive for applicants than ever.

Children as young as three years old are being put to the test. As part of the primary school application process they are invited to a 20 - 30 minute interview and tested on name writing, pencil control skills, number and letter recognition as well as verbal reasoning and social skills. International primary schools will often ask for a school report from your child's pre-school as well as a reference highlighting your child's strengths, weaknesses, work and behaviour habits. This process can add to a parent's anxiety, and of course, that of the child.

Good quality pre-school education has always been important, but now it's receiving more recognition than ever before. Many educators will confirm that the early years are the most important years. They are the formative years, the years to create solid foundations with which to build all future learning on. If it is done the right way, it will give your child the tools they need to reach their fullest potential - socially as well as academically, not to mention giving them more of a chance of being accepted into the International school of your choice.

We are fortunate that Hong Kong gives parents lots of choices when it comes to choosing a pre-school for their child. With so many options it can be daunting for any parent searching for the right early learning environment for their child, especially with educational choices such as Traditional, Steiner, Montessori and bilingual programmes being thrown at you - it's sometimes difficult to understand what it all means!

So, what is important when it comes to choosing the best pre-school for your child? Wherever you choose, it has to be somewhere you feel comfortable with and a good place to start is by asking friends or colleagues where they send their children. Years of research has confirmed that children learn best through a play based, self-exploratory curriculum, where the environment has been carefully planned by qualified teachers. Any curriculum should look at the 'whole child' which means striking an all importance balance between social and academic skills.

Focus should be on developing independence, confidence and self esteem, building relationships with others, speaking and listening skills, fostering creativity, problem solving, decision making, music and movement, nurturing fine and gross motor skills and ultimately fostering a love of life long learning!

A good quality pre-school will be open to showing you their classrooms, curriculum and teachers, and will be keen to share their knowledge about good child care practices. They will be registered with the local Education Department as well as having overseas affiliations and accreditations to show their commitment to high quality education.

Good pre-schools will also be knowledgeable on the best ways to help your child prepare for their transition from pre-school to primary school, understanding the selection criteria and preparing your child in a nurturing and unobtrusive way, thus alleviating any unnecessary anxiety or stress for you or your child.

A good quality pre-school will employ teachers you can trust, reassuring you that your child is in the best possible care. As parents, we all want the best possible start for our children; therefore, we have to look deeper than simply the the a, b, c's!