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‘Eye-opening’ inclusive pre-school programme draws raves

SINGAPORE — Unlike most toddlers, Khloe Chan, 3, was not interested in running about and playing with other kids. But now Khloe, who has Down’s Syndrome, is more active and livelier — after attending Kindle Garden, touted as Singapore’s first inclusive pre-school.

The centre caters to children aged between 18 months and six years, and provides an inclusive environment for mainstream and special needs children to learn and play alongside one another. Photo: Wee Teck hian

The centre caters to children aged between 18 months and six years, and provides an inclusive environment for mainstream and special needs children to learn and play alongside one another. Photo: Wee Teck hian

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SINGAPORE — Unlike most toddlers, Khloe Chan, 3, was not interested in running about and playing with other kids. But now Khloe, who has Down’s Syndrome, is more active and livelier — after attending Kindle Garden, touted as Singapore’s first inclusive pre-school.

“When she sees her classmates up and running about, she’s more motivated to stand up and walk, to follow them to do certain things. At home, she’s more active … She also recognises her classmates, takes a second look and then perhaps points them out,” Khloe’s mother, Eliza Chan, 34, said.

Mr Tng Eng Chuan, 40, enrolled his two-year-old son in the pre-school, which is located at Lengkok Bahru, because it is near the family’s home and has a lower child-to-teacher ratio. Adding that he had no qualms about his kid mixing with children with special needs, Mr Tng said: “He holds hands, laughs and plays with all his friends … It’s heartwarming that he can ... play with everyone.”

The two children are among the first batch of toddlers enrolled in Kindle Garden, which opened its doors in January. Catering to children aged between 18 months and six years old, the centre provides an inclusive environment for mainstream and special-needs children to learn and play alongside one another. Among other features, it has a tactile track to guide visually impaired children and toilets designed for children using wheelchairs.

The centre is run by voluntary welfare group AWWA, which received S$3.6 million in funding from the Lien Foundation. Providing a media update at the end of its first term yesterday, the pre-school, which has a maximum capacity of 75 children, said it will have 55 kids on its books by the end of the year. The remaining 20 vacancies are set aside for children to enrol in playgroup, nursery and K1 levels next year. There are 100 children with special needs and 25 mainstream kids on the wait list, reflecting strong demand for a place at the centre.

Up to 30 per cent of places are reserved for children with special needs. The pre-school takes in children with mild to severe special needs, such as autism, Down’s Syndrome and Global Developmental Delay. Five of the 36 children currently enrolled at the centre have special needs.

All the children follow a common schedule of activities and they are taught the same content. Nevertheless, lessons are tailored to suit the learning needs and preferences of each child. For example, while one teacher conducts the class, another may guide children with speech impairments to participate in classes using a picture communication system.

Ms Chan, who works as a manager, felt that in the long run, inclusive pre-schools could teach children that “everyone is the same”. She cited how her daughter’s mainstream classmates do not differentiate themselves from those with special needs.

In fact, these kids help Khloe out when she has difficulties walking, said Ms Chan. She added that no other pre-school would have taken in her daughter, who was previously undergoing social, educational and therapy services provided under the government’s Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC).

In all, about 2,600 children with moderate to severe special needs benefit from EIPIC. Of these, 1,800 — or 70 per cent of the total — do not attend pre-school due to the severity of their needs, among other factors. Kindle Garden said it can provide effective intervention for the needs typically present in half of this group. Eventually, it will be able to cater to all special needs.

Mr Izaan Tari Sheiki’s three-year-old daughter is among the mainstream children attending the pre-school. The 32-year-old executive director at an investment bank said: “We, as adults, may not be sure how to handle those with special needs, but children can know from an early age that it is not a problem.”

Mr Tng, an IT manager, added: “The expectation of disability not being a difference should start from young. The adaptive environment (that the pre-school provides) helps them build confidence too.”

Lien Foundation chairman Lee Poh Wah said that, while the foundation does not have plans to fund more inclusive pre-schools, it is open to sharing best practices with other service providers such as Integrated Child Care Programme centres and Ministry of Education kindergartens. LOUISA TANG

Lien Foundation is seeking the public’s views on how to make Singapore a more inclusive society for children with special needs, through a survey at bit.do/Inclusive. The survey ends on April 14. Results will be made public later.

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