4 min read
“They are too young to share their observations and feelings in words. What they need is a safe space to express in ways they know, freely,” shared Kaman Yuen, supervisor of Sham Shui Po KeySteps@JC Hub.
“Is it okay if they come to school without their uniform?”
On the first fragile weekend after evacuating from the fire, a child was brought to kindergarten wearing the home clothes and slippers. It was the only outfit he had available.
Amid the chaos, the kindergarten remained a source of much-needed stability—familiar faces, familiar surroundings, familiar routine. For a small child coming to terms with the trauma of the blaze, the kindergarten provided an anchor and safe haven.
In the days following the fire, Principal Tse Nga-man of a nearby kindergarten, Tsung Tsin Mission of HK On Yan Nursery School, and her team worked urgently to support students and staff.
One of the affected children began showing signs of distress at the sound of sirens, and after losing the companionship of the family pet, became uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn, often clinging onto their teacher for comfort. Meanwhile, the teaching team was stretched thin, with some staff having to take time off to care for their own families affected by the fire.
On the first fragile weekend after evacuating from the fire, a child was brought to kindergarten wearing the home clothes and slippers. It was the only outfit he had available.
Amid the chaos, the kindergarten remained a source of much-needed stability—familiar faces, familiar surroundings, familiar routine. For a small child coming to terms with the trauma of the blaze, the kindergarten provided an anchor and safe haven.
In the days following the fire, Principal Tse Nga-man of a nearby kindergarten, Tsung Tsin Mission of HK On Yan Nursery School, and her team worked urgently to support students and staff.
One of the affected children began showing signs of distress at the sound of sirens, and after losing the companionship of the family pet, became uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn, often clinging onto their teacher for comfort. Meanwhile, the teaching team was stretched thin, with some staff having to take time off to care for their own families affected by the fire.
Providing reliable and fast-reacting support
“The fire dealt a devastating blow to our kindergarten community. We needed significant resources to cover for affected colleagues while providing support to students who needed it most,” Principal Tse explained. “We were fortunate to be able to lean on KeySteps@JC (KeySteps) as a reliable and fast-reacting support network.”
Launched in 2017, KeySteps supports disadvantaged children under six and their families through children-centric, play-based interventions in KeySteps Hubs spanning five districts.
Led by Hub Supervisor Aero Tse, the KeySteps team in Sha Tin proactively reached out to provide a helping hand to Principal Tse, seconding staff to help extend weekend daycare, and stepping in to cover classes for those affected. This included not only supervision by KeySteps’ team of early childhood education professionals, but also age-appropriate emotional support for the children, all in a familiar environment.
“Our team was also able to provide cross-district, cross-sector support beyond our normal work scope, assigning early childhood educators to help care for the children on site, and also linking up families with social workers familiar with various welfare resources, who were able to ease their immediate needs,” Aero elaborated.
Expressing deep gratitude to the KeySteps team, Principal Tse said: “They truly helped alleviate the stress faced by both affected parents and our teaching team, especially those who had to rush around juggling welfare paperwork and looking for a new place to stay.”
Guiding feelings gently
The stress did not stop with those directly affected, nor was it limited to adults—it trickled down to the youngest among us. Children absorb society’s emotional burdens too—they can sense the tension around them when they catch glimpses of burning buildings on screen.
Another supervisor Kaman Yuen from Sham Shui Po Hub noticed something unexpected in the child-led play-based sessions at the Hub: children role-playing firefighters, pretending to extinguish the fire at “Wang Fuk Court” by using pool noodles as make-believe fire hoses.
Noticing the role-play, KeySteps Hub facilitators took the opportunity to talk to the children about how the role-play made them feel.
“It was scary,” one child confessed.
“Do not worry, lots of us were fighting the fire together, so it is okay!” another child responded.
Kaman said that all the children at the centre knew about the fire. “But they are too young to share their observations and feelings in words. What they need is a safe space like KeySteps Hubs to express in ways they know, freely.”
To provide children with the room to process and learn to express their feelings, KeySteps Hubs hosted dedicated online and offline sessions with children and their parents. These sessions invited children to channel their emotions using tools like drawing and dolls representing different emotions—joy, sadness, anger, fear and more.
At the end of each session, facilitators gifted children the doll to keep as a companion and encouraged them to accept whatever emotion it represented—and by extension, their own emotions. They also invited children to write support messages, transforming their feelings into gratitude and warm wishes for all the people affected, as well as those who worked hard on the frontlines to support them.
To equip parents with the tools to continue these conversations at home, the KeySteps team consulted early childhood education experts to develop a bespoke story book, designed specifically to strike up conversations with children about the fire.
The book complements their existing parent support programme that guides parents to let their children take the lead—to listen without rushing in, to follow their child’s emotional pace, and to trust the process.
“We have learned that it is okay for children to feel sadness, and acceptance is what helps them through it,” Supervisor Yuen said, recounting a parent’s reflection after the session.
Another supervisor Kaman Yuen from Sham Shui Po Hub noticed something unexpected in the child-led play-based sessions at the Hub: children role-playing firefighters, pretending to extinguish the fire at “Wang Fuk Court” by using pool noodles as make-believe fire hoses.
Noticing the role-play, KeySteps Hub facilitators took the opportunity to talk to the children about how the role-play made them feel.
“It was scary,” one child confessed.
“Do not worry, lots of us were fighting the fire together, so it is okay!” another child responded.
Kaman said that all the children at the centre knew about the fire. “But they are too young to share their observations and feelings in words. What they need is a safe space like KeySteps Hubs to express in ways they know, freely.”
To provide children with the room to process and learn to express their feelings, KeySteps Hubs hosted dedicated online and offline sessions with children and their parents. These sessions invited children to channel their emotions using tools like drawing and dolls representing different emotions—joy, sadness, anger, fear and more.
At the end of each session, facilitators gifted children the doll to keep as a companion and encouraged them to accept whatever emotion it represented—and by extension, their own emotions. They also invited children to write support messages, transforming their feelings into gratitude and warm wishes for all the people affected, as well as those who worked hard on the frontlines to support them.
To equip parents with the tools to continue these conversations at home, the KeySteps team consulted early childhood education experts to develop a bespoke story book, designed specifically to strike up conversations with children about the fire.
The book complements their existing parent support programme that guides parents to let their children take the lead—to listen without rushing in, to follow their child’s emotional pace, and to trust the process.
“We have learned that it is okay for children to feel sadness, and acceptance is what helps them through it,” Supervisor Yuen said, recounting a parent’s reflection after the session.
Becoming part of the village
There is an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child, and KeySteps aspires to be a vital part of that village.
The response to the Tai Po fire brought together educators, social workers, and healthcare professionals in seamless collaboration, providing families with holistic support exactly when they needed it. This cross-sector approach ensures children receive care that meets both their immediate needs and their ongoing journey of growth and self-discovery.
Building on this foundation, KeySteps is expanding within Tai Po, with a new Hub opening in 2026. Its nature-inspired design embodies the team’s philosophy: creating safe havens where healing unfolds naturally, where children lead, and where families find sanctuary beyond services.
The expansion signals a deepening commitment—to be present not just in moments of crisis, but as a steady, nurturing presence in the community, giving room for children and families navigate all seasons of growth.
The response to the Tai Po fire brought together educators, social workers, and healthcare professionals in seamless collaboration, providing families with holistic support exactly when they needed it. This cross-sector approach ensures children receive care that meets both their immediate needs and their ongoing journey of growth and self-discovery.
Building on this foundation, KeySteps is expanding within Tai Po, with a new Hub opening in 2026. Its nature-inspired design embodies the team’s philosophy: creating safe havens where healing unfolds naturally, where children lead, and where families find sanctuary beyond services.
The expansion signals a deepening commitment—to be present not just in moments of crisis, but as a steady, nurturing presence in the community, giving room for children and families navigate all seasons of growth.
Did you know?
Launched in 2017, KeySteps@JC strives to bridge the developmental gaps of young children aged under six and to build stronger foundation at critical early stage for their better life outcomes. It adopts a multidisciplinary collaboration approach involving education, health and welfare to strengthen family functioning and enhance teaching effectiveness in schools, while converging community resources through the community connector, KeySteps@JC Hubs, to provide holistic support to young children.
