Why Singapore’s first inclusive pre-school slashed its fees by 50% despite losses

SINGAPORE – In an inflationary economy, a pre-school in Lengkok Bahru has instead slashed its fees by 50 per cent to draw more children.

Monthly fees at Kindle Garden – Singapore’s first inclusive pre-school – used to be up to $1,800 before subsidies. Since March, fees have been capped at $900.

At the pre-school, which was founded in 2016, children with special needs such as autism and cerebral palsy play side by side with neurotypical peers.

In an April interview with The Straits Times, Mr J.R. Karthikeyan, chief executive of AWWA, the social service agency which runs Kindle Garden, said candidly that yearly enrolment has dropped from about 70 children to 50 children.

Though the pre-school operated at a deficit in the 2024/2025 financial year, according to AWWA’s annual report, it is not the bottom line that he is concerned about.

Kindle Garden maintains a 70:30 ratio of typically developing children to those with special needs. Fewer enrolments overall mean fewer places available for children with disabilities, even as the pre-school gets inquiries for over 100 such children annually.

Mr Karthikeyan hopes lower fees will attract more typically developing children so the pre-school can admit more of those with disabilities – even if it means a dent in profits.

“It’s a public service, it’s not business,” said the 47-year-old.

The declining enrolment is mainly due to the Redhill neighbourhood’s demographics, with an ageing population and fewer children, he said.

Mr Karthikeyan added that some parents had also thought Kindle Garden was costly. But in reality, most families paid between $700 and $1,200 a month after subsidies.

The fee cut is expected to help change this perception, while AWWA plans to raise funds to make up for the resulting shortfall.

This “lab school”, as Mr Karthikeyan describes it, is where his team tests its conviction: that there should be no barriers to participation among children of different needs.

Ten years on, he is convinced that the model works.

Situated within the Enabling Village – established by national disability agency SG Enable in 2015 to demonstrate how persons with disabilities can live, learn and work alongside the wider community – it looks at first glance like any other pre-school with a playground in its front yard.

Inside, however, subtle differences stand out: posters indicating the day of the week in sign language, teachers with picture flashcards slung around their torsos, and a toy car wide enough to fit a wheelchair.

Lessons are adapted to differing levels. Children of typical abilities may trace the numbers one to 10, while those with special needs may be engaged through a tactile number activity.

Yet they play and learn together. At times, this environment yields small but telling moments.

In a video shared with ST by Dr Shirley Soh, the pre-school’s assistant director, three children spontaneously help a classmate with cerebral palsy wear his socks.

This classmate does not speak, so the children also regularly make recordings with a speech button which he can press to hear them say: “I love you!”

To see and be seen

A common misconception about Kindle Garden is that it benefits only children with special needs, when it also helps typically developing children develop empathy and emotional intelligence, said Mr Karthikeyan.

One of his initial concerns was whether the pre-school would appeal to parents of typically developing children. To his surprise, it was oversubscribed in its first three months of operations.

Ms Shannon Ong, 49, was one of the first parents to enrol their children. Her only child Oliver Foo joined Kindle Garden’s first batch when he was 18 months old, as Ms Ong wanted him to learn to accept people who are different.

“(This is) what we value, rather than skill sets like numeracy or language that you can learn later,” said Ms Ong, who runs independent bookstore Woods in the Books.

Once, her bookstore hosted an art workshop for Oliver’s kindergarten class.

When a classmate with special needs had a meltdown while trying to remove a Christmas tree bauble, Oliver quietly rummaged through his toy collection and handed him a toy caterpillar – a small gesture that surprised his mother.

Such kindness has also touched Ms Fatimah Rahmat, 36, whose five-year-old daughter Nadine transferred to Kindle Garden in 2025 after she was diagnosed with autism.

At her previous pre-school, Nadine would play alone, unable to follow the lessons or approach other children.

Now, teachers encourage her to draw with markers if she cannot hold a pen, and children naturally include her in play. One classmate told Ms Fatimah: “Did you know Nadine is my best friend?”

Nadine now excitedly prepares for school, a far cry from how she dreaded getting dressed in the mornings in the past.

Her joy brings relief to Ms Fatimah, a media professional, and her civil servant husband Yaqien Jamaludin, 36.

“You just want to feel seen, right?” said Ms Fatimah of her daughter. “Maybe you don’t talk, but just because you don’t talk, it doesn’t mean that you’re not there.”

East-side expansion

Mr Karthikeyan felt like “the stars aligned” when starting Kindle Garden.

The pre-school was set up through a collaboration between AWWA and SG Enable, as well as Lien Foundation, which provided about $3.6 million in seed funding.

The decade has come with its lessons, which they now share with early childhood professionals through the AWWA Inclusion Experts Series’ webinars and workshops.

One key insight is that the pre-school does not require full-time specialised professionals. Instead, specialists regularly go to the centre to train educators, who then apply the skills directly with children.

Another is that inclusive pre-schools do not require as much space as some think.

Beyond basic facilities, small design choices like pastel shades and reduced clutter can make a big difference, said Mr Karthikeyan, adding: “You can do this at a void deck.”

The team hopes to see more inclusive pre-schools in Singapore, and is looking to expand Kindle Garden’s presence with a second outlet in the east in 2026, with more details to follow.

Mr Karthikeyan said children at Kindle Garden are experiencing a childhood different from his own, which he described as a “protected environment” with little exposure to those with additional needs.

“When I see these children (now), they are seamlessly communicating,” he said.

Oliver is now in Primary 6 and knows a schoolmate with special needs at Ngee Ann Primary School.

Said the 12-year-old boy: “We should just treat them like any other person.”