What Kinderland should have done instead

The apology press statement Kinderland should have issued instead.

(Background Context)

Even though I am primarily a finance blogger, long-time readers may remember that I started my career in public relations. As a mother of 2 young preschoolers, I'm deeply disappointed by Kinderland's responses and lack of swift remedial action over this case.

It also struck me that no sincere and direct apology was given, and just a few hours ago, the affected parents whose children were taught by the alleged abuser released a statement claiming that Kinderland had lied in their original press release.

As a working mother who relies on childcare teachers to look after my kids while I'm at work, and as a concerned parent, this is the response I wish Kinderland had given instead. It also contains my suggestions on 4 remedial actions I feel Kinderland needs to undertake in order to regain the parents - and the public's - trust.

Whether or not Kinderland - as well as all other preschools - implement these suggestions will remain to be seen.

We are appalled by the recent spate of events and alleged cases of abuse that have taken place in two of our centres. No child, regardless of behaviour, should ever be treated in such a manner, and it shocks us that these took place in our centres.

As a trusted childcare operator for over 45 years, we do not condone such actions and are currently working with the authorities to investigate these matters. In the meantime, we have also started our own disciplinary inquiry (DI) into the staff and management in question.

Moving forward, we have implemented new measures to ensure the safety of our children. These are:

1. Installation of CCTVs in all premises

Following these incidents, we will be expanding the installation of CCTVs in our premises at these two all our centres by September 2023.

While the footage will kept confidential to protect the children’s privacy, parents may request to review the footage if you suspect any wrongdoing or to investigate any alleged incidents involving your child.

2. A new whistle-blowing reporting hotline

We regret that these incidents only came to light due to the bravery of a former teacher, and thank her for her courage to step forward. We understand Teacher B claimed that prior to the videos being released online, she had already reported the incidents to the centre’s management, but little was done.

In light of this, we have decided to set up a new anonymous reporting hotline where your feedback will go directly to Kinderland HQ. We continue to encourage all teachers and parents to report to the centre’s management and principal as your first recourse, but should you feel that the response is dissatisfactory, we urge you to report to our HQ so that we can investigate and step in, if needed.

3. Stricter background checks on our staff

We understand that many parents are rightfully concerned over these incidents and are calling for the staff in question to be barred from working in the preschool sector indefinitely. To reduce the odds of any further hiring misjudgements, we will be introducing more stringent background checks on new staff.

This is to ensure that any individual who has ever been accused – or convicted – of mistreatment towards any child, will not be allowed to be hired at any of our centres.

Today, ECDA’s mandate is to conduct pre-hire qualifications and medical checks on all new staff. We will go one step further and conduct background checks with their former employers, criminal searches, civil litigation suits, as well as reputational checks on social media, news media and online media. In the event that any red flag(s) in their history is identified, the individual will not be allowed to enter our premises nor handle any of the children entrusted in our care.

4. Regular staff check-ins and performance reviews

Aside from stricter security clearances for new hires, we will also commit to unannounced checks to prevent or catch any further cases. We will be increasing the frequency of our staff check-ins to manage their mental health, as well as conduct monthly meet up sessions with each principal to better understand the issues on the ground.

In addition, we will be enhancing peer performance reviews, which will allow fellow teachers to assess their colleagues and provide anonymous feedback for improvement.

We are deeply sorry and troubled that such cases of mistreatment were allowed to happen at two of our centres. Aside from our sincere apologies to all the affected children as well as their parents, we will take this as a valued opportunity to improve and do better.

Our teachers, principals and staff at Kinderland remain committed to upholding this trust that you have placed in us, and we will continue to work together constructively for our children to grow up in a safe and nurturing environment.

We hope that the above measures will help to reduce and prevent any further cases of mistreatment towards any child or individual.

If you have any further suggestions for improvement, you may send in your feedback to feedback@kinderland.com.sg

Thank you.

Disclaimer: The above is NOT an official statement from Kinderland, nor is it their official position. This blog article is a reflection of my own views as a mother of 2 young preschoolers who was aghast at what was allowed to happen, and hope that change will be institutionalized so that we can do better to protect the young children of Singapore.

I’ve appended Kinderland’s official responses here below instead, or you may view it directly on their Facebook page.