China (Hong Kong)

Zippy’s Friends was launched in Hong Kong in 2004-05, thanks to a five year grant from The Hongkong Bank Foundation.

The programme is run by Hong Kong Institute of Education, the largest provider of teacher education, with over 7,000 students. The Institute has both an Early Childhood Learning Centre and Primary School on site, providing easy access to practical learning environments for students.

Zippy’s Friends runs mainly in kindergartens, and has expanded much more quickly than expected. For instance, the Institute originally planned to train 80 teachers to run the programme in 2005-06, but eventually trained 273. Demand from parents has been a significant factor in the rapid expansion of the programme.

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