THE STORY OF SINGAPORE’S FIRST INCLUSIVE PRESCHOOL
An inclusive education is a basic building block of an inclusive society. It values children as individuals and enables them to belong, participate and achieve regardless of their abilities. Driven by this belief, the Lien Foundation and AWWA conceived Kindle Garden, Singapore’s first purpose-built inclusive preschool to demonstrate the possibilities of inclusive education.
KINDLING INCLUSION is a two-part documentary which explores life in Kindle Garden. Situated in Enabling Village, typically-developing children and those with special needs learn, play and grow together in an open environment. Thirty percent of children who attend Kindle Garden have conditions like Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy and Down Syndrome but are not defined by their special need. Instead, the school’s philosophy is to find and nurture the unique strengths and abilities in each child through personalised learning plans. A multidisciplinary team of preschool teachers, early interventionists and therapists are also at hand to facilitate learning and socialisation among peers. Almost two years into this journey, what have we discovered about inclusion?
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