From July 7 to 12, Professor Kerry Lee, President of Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE), led a delegation on an intensive visit to multiple higher education institutions in the Yangtze River Delta region that had previously signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the college. The delegation included Professor Eric Cheng, Vice President (Academic), Dr Frank Lam, Vice President (Administration), Professor Shi Ping, Director of the Chor Hang Education Research Institute, Dr Crystal Zheng, Dean of Studies, Dr Qing Liu, Assistant Dean of Studies, Mr Han Hao, Deputy Director of Mainland Development Office and Ms Grace Cheung, Manager of President’s Office. The trip focused on consolidating existing partnerships, renewing collaboration agreements, in-depth discussions on curriculum alignment, advancing joint research projects, and exploring academic resources.

The itinerary was tightly scheduled and highly productive:

The delegation officially commenced their visit on July 7. In the morning, their first stop was Shanghai Donghai Vocational and Technical College. A highlight of the visit was the grand unveiling ceremony of the jointly established Shanghai-Hong Kong Early Childhood Education and Development Research Center. The establishment of this center signifies a substantive deepening of collaboration in applied research, professional talent development, and social services, particularly in the fields of infant care and early childhood education. Following the ceremony, both parties exchanged views on the center’s operational details and future collaboration directions. In the afternoon, the delegation visited Sanda University, where they engaged in fruitful discussions on key topics such as postgraduate curriculum design in early childhood education, teacher training, and student research, exploring pathways for curriculum optimization and resource sharing while observing childcare training courses.

On the morning of July 8, the delegation visited Nantong University to renew the intercollegiate MoU, laying a foundation for broader future collaboration. During the talks, both sides not only discussed the articulation and coordinated development of postgraduate programs in early childhood education but also prioritized planning for the next phase of the "Hong Kong-Nantong Early Childhood Education Research Center," clarifying research priorities and collaborative projects to jointly promote innovation in early childhood education theory and practice.

On July 9, the delegation toured multiple campuses of Yew Chung Yew Wah Education Network in Shanghai, exploring closer internal collaboration and strategic synergy in areas such as practical training base development, joint curriculum research, and resource sharing.

From July 10 to 12, during the PECERA conference, the delegation held a dedicated meeting with the leadership of Shanghai Normal University. Both parties reviewed their long-standing friendly cooperation, exchanged views on shared educational concerns, and, under the consensus to deepen collaboration, completed the renewal of their intercollegiate MoU.

Deepening Collaboration to Chart a New Vision for Early Childhood Education

In summarizing the trip, Professor Lee noted that through face-to-face high-level exchanges, pragmatic curriculum alignment, the successful renewal of agreements, and the co-construction of joint research platforms, the visit not only paved the way for the college to attract and nurture outstanding mainland students but also built a solid bridge for sharing high-quality resources, collaborative research innovation, and joint talent cultivation in early childhood education between Shanghai, Hong Kong, and the broader Yangtze River Delta region.

This visit closely aligned with national education development strategies, deepened mutual learning and exchange with partner institutions in the Yangtze River Delta, further expanded collaborative opportunities, and laid a strong foundation for the college’s undergraduate and postgraduate programs to recruit high-quality mainland students.