Kindling Inclusion Part 1: Singapore's First Inclusive Preschool

Summary

The video script highlights the journey of an inclusive preschool in Singapore, where 30% of children have special needs. The founder, Rosanna, emphasizes the importance of acceptance and a multidisciplinary team approach to help children with diverse needs. The school focuses on personalized learning plans, fostering a culture of understanding and positivity. It aims to empower children, teaching them the value of inclusion and resilience, preparing them for a more progressive and inclusive society.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The kindergarten in Singapore is the first inclusive preschool, aiming to integrate 30% of children with special needs.
• 💡 Rosanna Barrini's mission is to create a world where inclusion is a norm, emphasizing acceptance as the first step.
• 👥 The school employs a multidisciplinary team including teachers, psychologists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists to support children's diverse needs.
• 📚 They strive for a natural approach in education, avoiding any perception of difference among children in the classroom.
• 🌱 The school believes in motivating children to improve themselves and fostering a sense of community.
• 🤝 Inclusion is not just for children with special needs but is about embracing everyone's differences.
• 📈 The school uses personalized learning plans to cater to each child's individual needs, which reassures parents.
• 🏋️‍♂️ The curriculum is balanced, focusing not only on academics but also on physical activities and social-emotional development.
• 👶 The school has observed significant improvements in children's social and emotional skills, as well as their academic performance.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The inclusive environment has led to a culture of understanding and positivity among children, celebrating each other's strengths and weaknesses.
• 🌐 The school's approach to inclusion is seen as a model for society, with the potential to create a more empathetic and accepting future generation.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the kindergarten mentioned in the script?

The kindergarten is an inclusive preschool in Singapore that aims to provide an opportunity for children to play, learn, and come together, with a mission to create an inclusive society.

What percentage of children does the kindergarten accommodate according to the script?

The kindergarten accommodates 30% of children with special needs.

What is Rosanna Barrini's mission mentioned in the script?

Rosanna Barrini's mission is to create a world where society is inclusive, and she believes that being open and ready to accept diversity is half the battle won.

What kind of team does the kindergarten have to support the children's learning?

The kindergarten has a team of teachers, early interventionists, psychologists, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists who work together as a multidisciplinary team.

How does the kindergarten approach the integration of children with different needs?

The kindergarten tries to make the integration as natural as possible by mixing children with different needs together and not making it obvious that a child is doing a different worksheet or activity.

What is the kindergarten's approach to personalized learning?

The kindergarten has personalized learning plans for each child, modifying resources to support individual needs and helping them improve in terms of motion, social skills, and self-confidence.

How does the kindergarten balance academics with other aspects of a child's development?

The kindergarten includes outdoor sports, physical activities, and social-emotional learning to balance academics and show the strengths and weaknesses of every child.

What kind of changes do parents notice in their children after attending the kindergarten?

Parents notice improvements in their children's social and emotional understanding, as well as their ability to interact with other children and be helpful.

What is the long-term goal of the kindergarten's inclusive approach?

The long-term goal is to empower children with the skills to survive and relate better in society, fostering independence and a natural way of including others.

How does the kindergarten help children understand and accept differences among their peers?

The kindergarten fosters a culture of understanding where children learn to use positive words about their friends, celebrate each other's achievements, and understand that it's okay to be different.

What is the significance of the kindergarten's approach according to the script?

The kindergarten's approach is significant as it sets the stage for future society by molding children from a young age to think positively about others and include them in their environment.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Inclusive Preschool Vision

The script introduces an inclusive preschool in Singapore with a mission to integrate children with special needs into the mainstream. The founder, Rosanna Barrini, emphasizes the importance of creating a world where children can play, learn, and grow together. She mentions the presence of a multidisciplinary team including teachers, psychologists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists who share her vision. The approach is to make learning as natural as possible, avoiding any perception of difference among children, and fostering a sense of motivation and self-improvement.

05:07

📚 Customized Learning and Parental Involvement

This paragraph discusses the personalized learning plans for each child, addressing parents' concerns about curriculum and progress. The school modifies resources to support individual needs and balances academics with outdoor sports, physical activities, and social-emotional development. The goal is to celebrate strengths and work on weaknesses collaboratively. The script highlights a shift in children's mindset to understand and accept differences, leading to a more positive and supportive environment.

10:09

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Socio-Emotional Growth and Community Impact

The script highlights the significant improvement in children's social and emotional skills, exceeding expectations. It notes the children's increased understanding and performance, including those who initially struggled with basic tasks. Parents have reported positive changes in their children's interactions and helpfulness. The narrative suggests that inclusion is not just about academic knowledge but also about empathy and heart, with children inspiring each other and their teachers through their growth and understanding of diversity.

15:10

🌟 Empowering Inclusion for Future Society

The final paragraph emphasizes the importance of instilling inclusive values from a young age, arguing that it becomes a natural part of life. The goal is to empower children with the skills to survive and thrive in society, regardless of their background. The script suggests that the preschool's approach provides a broad understanding of human diversity, preparing children to be productive and progressive. It also touches on the importance of resilience and the value of caring, setting a foundation for a future society that is inclusive and supportive.

Keywords

💡Inclusive

Inclusive refers to the practice of including people with different abilities and needs in all aspects of society, ensuring equal access and opportunities. In the context of the video, the term is used to describe the preschool's approach to education, where children with special needs are integrated into the same classroom as typically developing children. This is exemplified by the statement, 'kindergarten is the first inclusive, preschool in Singapore.'

💡Preschool

Preschool is an early childhood education program for children before they enter primary school, typically for children aged 3 to 5. The video emphasizes the importance of preschool as a foundational stage for inclusive education, where the children learn and play together regardless of their abilities. The preschool mentioned is described as 'the first inclusive, preschool in Singapore.'

💡Special Needs

Special needs refer to the unique requirements of individuals with disabilities or conditions that require additional support and accommodations. The video discusses the preschool's mission to create a world that increases society's acceptance of children with special needs, as mentioned in the line, 'children they have certain needs.'

💡Early Intervention

Early intervention refers to services and supports provided to young children with developmental delays or disabilities to help them reach their full potential. In the video, the preschool collaborates with early intervention specialists such as psychologists, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists to support the children's development.

💡Social Skills

Social skills are the abilities to interact effectively and appropriately with others. The video highlights the importance of addressing social skill development in children, including those with special needs, as indicated by the phrase, 'they might have some social skill or a language problem.'

💡Personalized Learning Plans

Personalized learning plans are customized educational programs designed to meet the unique needs and goals of individual students. The video mentions that the preschool has 'personalised learning plans for each of them,' which shows the commitment to tailoring education to each child's specific requirements.

💡Curricular Balance

Curricular balance refers to the integration of various subjects and activities within an educational program to ensure comprehensive development. The video discusses the importance of balancing academics with outdoor sports, physical activities, and social-emotional learning, as stated, 'we love to also include things like outdoor sports physical activities... the social emotional aspects as well.'

💡Inclusion

Inclusion in the context of the video means the process of creating environments in which any individual can participate, feel respected, and be valued for who they are. The video emphasizes that inclusion is not just about children with special needs but about 'including everyone... who is different,' as mentioned in the script.

💡Social-Emotional Learning

Social-emotional learning is the process of developing skills to recognize and manage emotions, show empathy for others, and establish positive relationships. The video underscores the importance of social-emotional learning as part of the curriculum, as indicated by the phrase, 'then the social emotional aspects as well.'

💡Resilience

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity or setbacks. The video mentions the importance of building resilience in children, as it is a key factor in their ability to cope with challenges, as expressed in the line, 'it's not how many times you fall down but is how fast you get up.'

💡Empowering

Empowering refers to the process of giving individuals the authority, confidence, and skills to achieve their goals. In the video, the preschool aims to empower children by providing them with the skills to 'survive out there' and 'relate better in a society,' as mentioned in the script.

Highlights

Kindergarten is the first inclusive preschool in Singapore that fixes 30% of children.

Mission to create a world where inclusion is a norm.

Children with certain needs can overcome challenges with acceptance and support.

A team of teachers, early intervention specialists, psychologists, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists work together.

A multidisciplinary team approach is used to provide personalized support.

The kindergarten tries to make the learning process as natural as possible for all children.

Inclusion is about celebrating differences and not just focusing on children with special needs.

Teachers come from traditional mainstream settings and find the inclusive environment enlightening.

The solution to a child's behavior is not always concrete and needs to be adapted to the context.

Children bring their weaknesses and strengths, and inclusion is about valuing everyone's differences.

Parents are oriented about the curriculum and the personalized learning plans for each child.

Resources are modified to support individual needs and improve self-confidence.

Balance is struck between academics and extracurricular activities to showcase each child's strengths and weaknesses.

Children learn to understand and accept differences among their peers.

Inclusion is not just about academic knowledge but also about empathy and understanding from the heart.

Children's performance and reactions have exceeded expectations in terms of social and emotional growth.

Parents are noticing positive changes in how their children interact and help others.

Inclusion is important nationwide as it significantly improves the lives of children with and without special needs.

Starting inclusion from a young age makes it a natural part of life and society.

The environment empowers children with skills to relate better in society and be more independent.

The kindergarten offers a diverse range of human experiences to prepare children for real-life interactions.

Building resilience in children is crucial, emphasizing getting up after falling rather than avoiding failure.

The cost of not caring is unaffordable, and the work done in the kindergarten sets the stage for a more inclusive future society.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

kindergarten is the first inclusive

preschool in Singapore that fixing 30%

children we added it will give my

children an opportunity to play to learn

and to come together my mission to

create a world increases Society Rosanna

barrini said if you're open to it and

you're ready to accept that half the

battle is already won children they have

certain needs yeah they might have some

social skill or a language problem but

those are areas whereby you can overcome

and learning can still take place if

they're being accepted and I'm very

fortunate to have a team of teachers

here who actually shares my vision my

mission besides my teachers I have my

early intervention is associate

psychologies ot occupational therapy

and as well as my speech and language

therapist we are trying to work together

as a team as a multiple disciplinary

team although we come from different

culture in kindergarten this different

approach

over here we try to to do it as natural

as possible yeah and we don't want the

other kids to think that a child is

different and she's doing a different

worksheet or something but with the

start we tried to be as natural as

possible by mixing them together I

believe it gives them a motivation and

improve yourselves

[Music]

[Music]

then maybe maybe Manas a tu Leonid as

extra give you one piece but first you

must finish your a purpose many of us

come from a traditional mainstream

setting so coming here was like you know

I opener and in a sense being shown that

the energy understanding why the child

behaves that way yo she behaves triggers

what to do doing knockdowns you know

the solution is not is not like concrete

sometimes what we do at this moment

what's only in this moment because of

the context other times it has to change

and it's it's not just for those of

needs even those without needs they have

your own issues as well what's the

problem here

I also can be you know and I can say

sorry

[Music]

so they bring along their their

weaknesses they bring along their

strengths they bring along their

differences along I think that's what

inclusion also needs to be about it's

not just about including children with

with special needs of edit needs

it's about including everyone everyone

who is different yeah

[Music]

[Music]

very good

next one usually when parents first come

in they have an orientation with us so

some of the questions that they asked

when they first came in will be what is

the curriculum like will will my kid be

slowed down the progress of my kid

how's your life son like and we will

share with them that we have

personalised learning plans for each of

them so most of them are quite comforted

by the fact that they are children

I have individualized plans so they

understand that we look at their needs

all of their needs individual ease and

not as a whole you need to write a

sentence with this with one word you can

choose a handy realized what we do is we

modify the resources yeah so that you

help them we're looking at individual

needs whatever that you you need to

support your learning we'll just do that

for you w it actually helps the child in

that sense in terms of motion airy and

self-confidence of a student

[Music]

tonight just focus only on academics

as we know the tutor admins might have

some difficulty catching up so we have

to strike a balance with our curricular

[Music]

we love to also include things like

outdoor sports physical activities I

mean you know then the social emotional

aspects as well storytime you are right

so all these desert good balance to show

the strength and weakness of every child

so that for the strengths we can then

celebrate together for the weakness it

could be more so - okay let's work on

something what can we work on together

to help each other

[Music]

I feel that the accept that there are

differences with their friends and they

do not have to do the same things all at

the same time so initially when they

came in all of them have this mindset

that you know whenever teacher gives

that instruction everybody has to follow

and as a class it's very normal to them

that we have to do this together

but now that they have this experience

where some of them are faster so there's

no war and they understand that it's

okay it's just that culture of

understanding and you hear less negative

words use a lot more positive words that

they use about their friends if they are

always also can do this it's more like

so as I can do this

they start to understand this whatever

their peers boo is an achievement

[Music]

and it's also about about explaining the

actions to each other

[Music]

children at that age at this age you

know 46 they already have so much

problems communicating each other

because of like vocabulary social skills

[Music]

but more for children so I think that I

do is also to help to explain the

actions

[Music]

[Music]

I think a children's performance and

reactions exceeded my expectations they

actually improve a lot socially and

emotionally where compared to when I

first came in a lot of them are more

understanding and then yeah their

performance has also improved a lot I

[Music]

have seen that you know children who are

struggling to even eat when they first

came in now you know even we didn't give

them specific instructions I we didn't

sit next to them all the time and make

sure they hold a spoon lightly but

because of their friends and because of

the team that we have everybody has been

working a little bit by bit we see that

improvement comes slowly I realized that

we hear the parents saying things like

oh how is my child interacting with

other children in the class

have they been helpful and they will

tell me things like oh I've been asking

my child to also look out for children

when need help and that's very very

heartwarming so it's the mindset that

has actually changed a lot

[Music]

the children the inspire me yes because

inclusion is not something that is

achieved by knowing more and more more

hit knowledge it is something to do with

the heart for instance the very same

girl that usually gets overly emotional

because people touch touching things

it's the same goal that stood up to me

and tell me that a friend wears autism

[Music]

[Music]

so I see that my student she can't

explain what autism is better than I do

but she's able to relate to her back

[Music]

she's able to understand you know at

that moment sometimes as teachers we

might overlook I believe that that opens

up so much possibilities that sometimes

it's not about heat knowledge but it's

about heart I think inclusion is

important nationwide because the

improvement is remarkable for children

with additives and without needs or so

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

so even in our school which is actually

quite small we can see such a remarkable

influence I hope it will be even more

significant if a lot more of us are

doing it so from preschool level when

you built it up right they just it just

becomes a norm a way of life it's a lot

harder when you want to tell the doctor

change their mindset but children from a

very young age if you really mold them

to think positively about others or to

include others in your environment

it just becomes a very natural way of

doing

it's not faster point them which is very

important cause I worry about what will

happen when these kindergarten but then

if we can give them the right skills

even if they were to graduate they will

know how to survive out there this is

what we want we want to empower them and

on the other side we there the skills

that they have learned you believe that

they are able to relate better in a

society yes and that's helped them to be

more independence too

I think this environment provides our

children with the with the breath of

repertoire of the humankind and that

that allows them to be more productive

and progressive in future what we offer

is the opportunity to be part of a

society that is in a sense gril not

covered up not shout no real

conversations real people who will

respond to you and based on on what on

how you how you treat them and sometimes

those responses are not going to be

pretty it's important for these children

to experience those things this ages to

build up their resilience might say it's

not how many times you fall down but is

how fast you get up

[Music]

from somewhere someone said that the

cost of caring is expensive but the cost

of not caring is unaffordable so I

believe that what we are doing now sets

the stage for society in future

[Applause]