Kinderland Woodlands abuse case: Ex-teacher barred from preschool sector; centre leader, operator under investigation

SINGAPORE: A former Kinderland teacher who was charged on Wednesday (Aug 30) with ill-treating a child has been barred from working in the preschool sector and issued a warning, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) said.

Lin Min, 33, is accused of ill-treating a 23-month-old child on the afternoon of Jun 30 at Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart. Court documents showed that she allegedly forced the girl to lie down and poured water into her mouth.

She has been fired from the school.

ECDA said that it is investigating the roles of the centre leader and preschool operator in the incidents and may take further actions if they are "deemed not to have fulfilled their duty of care to the children".

The agency started its investigation on Aug 10 after being alerted to the incidents by a former employee.

"We have since determined that the educator involved in the incidents had used highly inappropriate methods to manage the children in her care," it said.

ECDA is closely monitoring the preschool to ensure the safety and well-being of all enrolled children.

"The preschool operator has also been instructed to provide close guidance and supervision to their educators on classroom management in this preschool," the agency added.

Lin was the first of two preschool teachers to be arrested this week. The other was arrested on Tuesday, linked to the alleged mistreatment of a child at a Kinderland centre at Sunshine Place in Choa Chu Kang.

ECDA said it was alerted to the second incident on Tuesday and it is investigating the case.

"We acknowledge that such incidents have caused grave concern among parents on the safety and well-being of children in our preschools," said the agency.

"ECDA will continue to work closely with preschool operators and training providers to ensure our centre leaders and educators understand their duty of care to the children and do their utmost to prevent child mismanagement from happening," it said. 

ECDA said it takes a serious view towards any case of child mismanagement and follows up on every alleged incident, such as through unannounced visits to preschools, interviews and verification of records.

Some parents have withdrawn their children from Kinderland, with the preschool receiving six requests for withdrawals from its Woodlands Mart and Choa Chu Kang centres following the allegations of abuse. There are about 200 children currently enrolled at the two centres.

In a statement issued on Tuesday night, Kinderland said that it would put in place new measures for the welfare of children and teachers in both centres.

This includes installing closed-circuit television cameras in all classrooms and children activity areas at the two centres. Currently, CCTV cameras are installed along common corridors, entrances and exits.

Kinderland will also "manage" the mental health of new and current teachers with weekly and monthly meet-up sessions with the principal to have "a better feel of issues on the ground".

The preschool chain has also set up an extra point of contact for parents to directly contact centres and headquarters. 

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT PROHIBITED

There are explicit provisions in the Early Childhood Development Centres Act and Regulations that prohibit the use of corporal punishment or any other inappropriate child management practices in preschools. 

The agency can take action against educators or preschool operators when they are found guilty of not fulfilling their duty of care to the children under their charge.

For educators, ECDA will issue warning letters to those who use inappropriate child management practices. For serious cases, where there appears to be clear intent to harm the child, the case will be referred to the police.

Those who are found to have committed serious acts of child mismanagement will be barred from working in the preschool sector.

ECDA will take regulatory action against preschool operators if they have not taken adequate measures to ensure that their educators use "positive and developmentally appropriate methods to manage children’s behaviour".

The agency may also fine the operator, shorten the preschool's licence tenure, or revoke it.

It can also issue directions to the preschool to put in place measures to improve.

"Most of our educators join the sector with a passion to nurture our young children and make a positive impact in their lives," said the ECDA.

"We urge parents to continue supporting them as they work tirelessly in caring and educating our children."