About Us

Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, The Jockey Club Spark & Spot Project, spanning 46 months from 2024 to 2027, is organised by Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE).  

Themed around 'Enriching Education, Empowering Diversity'. The Project aims to equip local kindergartens and nursery schools to optimise inclusive teaching practices and embrace learner diversity through professional development, coaching and environment design enhancement. It builds a community of practice to foster early childhood educators' self-efficacy in creating inclusive learning environment to bring about a long-lasting learner-centric change in early childhood education.

The Project has the long-term objectives of transforming mindsets and deepening understanding of inclusive early childhood education—particularly with regard to children with special educational needs—fostering interest and motivation in teaching all learners, enhancing the implementation of inclusive practices across learning and environmental contexts, strengthening the capacity of educators and school leaders, and supporting the development of evidence-based approaches to inclusion.

Caritas Hong Kong, Hong Kong Christian Service (HKCS), Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and The Salvation Army are the major Non-governmental organization (NGO) partners involved in this project.

Over 80 schools will be participating in the project across three cohorts. In addition to the schools of the aforementioned partners, more schools will be able to benefit from the project through an open recruitment process.

The Project has four key components:

1. Professional Development (PD) – The PD component emphasises experiential learning and the development of practical inclusive teaching skills. It aims to deepen educators’ understanding of children’s diverse learning needs and strengthen their ability to respond effectively. The programme also supports teachers and school leaders in making optimal use of available resources, materials, and the learning environment to create inclusive, engaging, and supportive teaching contexts.
2. Coaching – Coaching complements the PD component, with coaches working alongside teachers and school management throughout the project. Coaches will guide participants in applying the skills learned from the training to their everyday school practices.
3. Community of Practice (CoP) – The CoP aims to foster a sustainable support network through ongoing exchanges among teachers and schools across the sector. These interactions take place both online—via a dedicated learning portal—and offline through professional development sessions and other project activities. The CoP aims to encourage meaningful collaboration, peer learning, and long-term knowledge exchange to strengthen inclusive practices.
4. Whole School Environmental Design – This component focuses on enhancing the learning environment through the lens of children's diverse learning needs, with an emphasis on multisensory experiences and principles of Universal Design for Learning. By enriching each learning context, the aim is to foster greater inclusion of learner diversities, promote active participation, and support the development of children's self-regulation skills. For more information on environmental design, click here.

The Project is guided by four core approaches that shape our mission and support our kindergarten teachers and management staff in their learning journey:

1. Spark Motivations focuses on igniting and sustaining a commitment to delivering the best education for children.
2. Spot Strengths emphasizes the importance of recognizing and celebrating the unique talents and positive attributes of both educators and students.
3. Enrich Pathways aims to provide a diverse range of educational experiences tailored to individual learning styles and interests.
4. Empower the Self fosters self-efficacy, encouraging everyone to embrace their unique talents and strive to be their best.

Together, these approaches drive our efforts to create inclusive and enriching learning environments.