For many children with developmental needs, the choice is often limited to either mainstream classrooms that may not provide enough support, or specialised settings that may not offer a typical school experience. Singaporean inclusion pioneer Jayne Nadarajoo and HEI Schools CEO Inkeri Aimonen set out to change that.
A new way of thinking inclusive preschool has been implemented at HEI Schools Singapore Bishan. The model is built around one preschool that offers two structured, yet complementary, learning programmes: HEI and HEI Bridges. Children are enrolled in the programme that best supports their current developmental needs, learning in dedicated classroom. This approach allows children to receive the support they need without being excluded from a social school environment.
Her journey began with a simple but powerful belief: that children learn best in environments that are nurturing, inclusive and responsive to their individual needs. As both an educator and a parent, she saw firsthand the limitations of one-size-fits-all systems.
Over the years, through founding preschool chains such as White Lodge Preschools and Avondale Grammar School, and special education schools such as Melbourne International School and The GUILD International College, Jayne worked closely with children across a wide range of developmental profiles.
This experience revealed a persistent gap:
Even in well-established schools, inclusion often depended on individual teachers rather than a consistent, structured approach.
When Jayne encountered the HEI Schools model, she recognised its strength in delivering high-quality, holistic education. But she also saw the opportunity to go further — to build a model that transforms the way inclusion is thought about.
As a parent of a neurodivergent child, Inkeri has experienced firsthand the challenges of navigating early education systems across different countries — including both the United States and Finland.
Through HEI Schools’ global work in delivering holistic, child-centred education, she recognised an important limitation: while the Finnish approach supports many learners well, some children require additional, structured developmental support that most preschools are not equipped to provide.
At the same time, the model is designed to be flexible. As children develop, they can transition between HEI Bridges and the HEI Programme when appropriate. This creates a structured but adaptable learning pathway within one school.
A key benefit of this model is that it provides a “preschool experience” for children who might otherwise not have access to one. Many children with developmental needs are often limited to therapy-based support, home-based learning or specialised settings without a typical preschool environment with friends.
HEI Schools Singapore Bishan addresses this gap by offering these children access to a structured, social and engaging preschool experience — while still providing the level of support they need.
HEI provides the mainstream early childhood education environment, while HEI Bridges provides a more structured, supportive setting for children who require additional developmental support.
Rather than separating these pathways across different institutions, both programmes exist within the same preschool. This allows children to remain within one school community, without needing to transition between different institutions.
When children grow up learning together across differences: