Founder of inclusive pre-school among recipients of top social service award

When Awwa chief executive J.R. Karthikeyan first thought about starting Singapore's first inclusive pre-school, he was skeptical about whether it would last as he thought it would be mistaken for an early intervention care programme.

- Shermaine Ang

"I wasn't sure we had the playbook to set it up right," he said. But he added: "Because there are no existing rules to play by, you have more control over setting standards that are aspirational and possibly meaningful."

He went ahead to set up Kindle Garden Preschool in 2016, and nine years on, more than 650 children have attended the pre-school, located at the Enabling Village in Lengkok Bahru.

Mr Karthik received the President's Award for Social Service Professionals at the inaugural Social Service Professional Awards on July 2.

This is the highest accolade conferred to social service professionals with more than 15 years of experience, who have made significant contributions to the sector.

"The award is incredibly valuable to me because it affirms my contributions, and it's spurred me to do even better by my staff and the clients we support," said Mr Karthik.

In his 17 years with Awwa, he has also opened a therapy hub, set up a 300-bed adult disability home, and started an initiative that engages seniors with dementia to take on volunteer work.

The Social Service Professional Awards recognise the contributions of social service professionals in Singapore, including those in the fields of social work, youth work and counselling, among others.