Children from a kindergarten in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, display seeds they plan to plant. Zhu Guigen / for China Daily

BEIJING - The mother of a 2-year-old boy looked distraught. Her dream of getting her son into one of Beijing's top kindergartens had just been shattered.

"Madam, our classes are full at the moment," Yan Wei, assistant to the principal of Ke Er International Kindergarten, told her. "But if you pay an application fee now, you'll ensure your son's place. Still, you will have to wait at least a few months for a vacancy."

This is a scene Yan has had to play out almost daily with an increasing number of parents - local Chinese and foreigners alike - as the demand for a Western-style kindergarten grows dramatically.

And this is despite the fact that such internationally run kindergartens are not cheap. Ke Er, for example, demands a 5,000-yuan ($762) application fee, and a 5,500-yuan monthly fee. (Locally run public kindergartens charge between 500 yuan and 1,700 yuan a month.)

Once a child is accepted into Ke Er, a recognized Montessori kindergarten, the application fee goes toward its blue uniform for the children. This 900-square-meter kindergarten occupies a two-floor building, two playgrounds and 150 registered children divided into 10 classes.

Each class of 15 children is being taught and managed by three staff members - a foreign teacher and two local English-speaking teaching assistants.

Montessori kindergartens, which can be found all over the world, follow the teaching approach based on research by early 20th century Italian education expert Maria Montessori. About 300 Chinese and internationally owned kindergartens in Beijing use the Montessori method.

Liu Zhanlan, deputy director of World Organization For Early Childhood Education's China committee in Beijing, said the demand for Western-style kindergartens is not confined to first-tier cities, but is also taking place in second-tier cities, thanks to growing wealth and increased personal incomes.

"At present, kindergarten education has gradually been diversified by economic prosperity," Liu said.

"More Western-style kindergartens should have emerged in China's major cities. The potential of this market will be profitable and attractive to both foreign and domestic investors."

Senior kindergarten teachers from overseas - particularly those from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or Australia - can earn generous salaries in Beijing. For example, a principal at a kindergarten run by Etonkids International Educational Group in Beijing can earn more than 400,000 yuan (about $60,000) a year. By comparison, a bilingual local Chinese would be hard pressed to earn 65,000 yuan a year. In Beijing, kindergartens with the word "international" in their names commonly employ foreign teachers, mainly from the US and Europe.

Yan said many middle and upper class Chinese parents want their children to be independent, creative, elegant - and speak fluent English. "We encourage children to learn more life skills and team spirit. We don't push them to study subjects they don't like," Yan said.

Yan said parents want to build a solid foundation for their children and give them the foundation to be able to go abroad to study, without the language barrier and the difficulties of living overseas.

"Among those rich parents, many of them have the background of studying and working abroad. They trust Western-style kindergartens," she said.

At Montessori kindergartens, simple English is used regularly, with the aim of developing the children's language skill. The children, from many countries, are also generally free to select what they want to do.

Although every aspect of education is covered, there is no set timetable and the opinions of children will be respected and encouraged. Many international kindergartens offer extracurricular activities such as geography, science, art appreciation, gym, ice-skating and communication skills.

While China's regulations say international kindergartens should take in only foreigners, the government does allow international institutes to operate bilingual (Chinese and English) kindergartens where local children are allowed to attend.

There are more than 1,200 kindergartens in Beijing, with 445 privately owned and the others affiliated with, or subsidized by, government and military institutions, universities and civil organizations. Eighteen international institutes have approval to provide kindergarten education, with 16 of them allowed to enroll local pupils, the Beijing municipal commission of education said.

And last year, Zhao Jian, from Beijing's municipal commission of education, said three more childhood educational institutes from the US, Europe and Australia, applied for operating licenses to open international kindergartens in Beijing.

The website of the Ministry of Education said having sufficient funds, qualified teaching staff members, facilities and housing are four basic requirements to open international kindergartens in China.

Children's House Montessori Kindergarten, another international kindergarten chain, has established three international and one bilingual kindergarten in Beijing.

In 2009, Children's House received permission to open its first bilingual kindergarten in Beijing and now has more than 60 pupils in five classes.

Paula Herbert, from the UK who is principal at another of Children's House Montessori Kindergarten in Beijing, said about 20 children are waiting for places at her kindergarten, because it offers more services which cannot be received at Chinese kindergartens.

"We have been here for almost 20 years," she said. The kindergarten does not advertise, depending more on word of mouth.

"Our families will tell other families, that is the best advertising," she said.

"One of the main difference between international and Chinese kindergartens is we can accept children at the age of one and a half. Many parents are busy with their work and they prefer sending their children here to accept education earlier, instead of hiring the nannies at home." Children have to be at least 3 to be enrolled at a local kindergarten.

The Chinese government generally does not interfere with international kindergartens and allows them to set up their teaching plans and choose textbooks from the US or Europe.

Liao Liying, secretary-general of China National Society of Early Childhood Education, said Chinese kindergartens are more inclined to teach English, Chinese, addition and subtraction.

"Children cannot learn much sensorial, creative, cultural or practical life knowledge at Chinese kindergartens, due to the contents of their courses which are relatively dry and boring."

Liao said the shortage of available places at international kindergartens wouldn't be resolved within a short period as the number of international kindergartens is still very limited.

China Daily