At Kindle Garden, an inclusive pre-school located within Singapore’s Enabling Village, young children with and without special needs learn and play together in a setting designed to foster empathy and accessibility. Established in 2016 by social service agency AWWA, the school integrates typically developing children and peers with various disabilities at a ratio of approximately 70:30, underpinning a philosophy that inclusion involves intentional, sustained efforts rather than occasional integration.
Nur Allysha Osman, a K2 teacher affectionately known as Teacher Ally, noted that her class of 11 learners operates with a high degree of mutual support, often managing the needs of their special education classmates without prompting. The children assist each other in activities such as setting up play areas and calming peers experiencing distress, demonstrating a developed sense of awareness and care. Five of the students have been together since toddlerhood, highlighting the continuity of these peer relationships.
Kindle Garden’s approach to inclusion goes beyond simply placing children with disabilities in mainstream settings. According to AWWA’s director of disability and inclusion, Ng Lee Lee, the school implements principles grounded in research that shape its curriculum, environment, and support systems. All students engage in the same core learning activities, adjusted for individual capabilities, with personalised goals established each semester. Support services include speech therapy and visual aids tailored to help children communicate effectively and participate meaningfully.
The school environment itself is designed to accommodate diverse needs. The outdoor playground features wide ramps for mobility aids and communication boards for non-verbal children. Indoors, features such as textured flooring promote sensory awareness, while wooden ceiling beams reduce noise levels to create a more comfortable atmosphere for children sensitive to sound. Additional facilities include a calming tent for self-regulation and accessible play structures adaptable to all abilities.
Families of typically developing children have also welcomed the inclusive model. Geraldine Tay enrolled her daughter, Cheyenne Ng, now six years old and in K2, citing the value of character development alongside academics. Tay believes the inclusive setting helps her daughter grow in independence, expression, and understanding of others. Cheyenne was recently recognized with the Little Heroes of Inclusion Award, which acknowledges young children who exemplify inclusive values through everyday actions such as patience and adapting activities for peers with special needs.
Kindle Garden currently serves 47 children and has responded to affordability concerns by capping monthly fees at S$900 from March 2026, down from previous rates as high as S$1,800 before subsidies. The model has influenced the growth of other inclusive early childhood programs in Singapore, such as TOUCH Community Services’ HATCH and Bright Path.
Looking ahead, AWWA plans to expand inclusive early childhood education by opening a second location in the east, taking over the facilities of Little Preschool Pasir Ris in 2027. Ng emphasizes the growing recognition of inclusion’s importance in early education nationwide. Teacher Ally expresses hope that the lessons learned at Kindle Garden will extend as children progress to new schools, encouraging them to be empathetic and responsible friends who share inclusive values with others.