ABSTRACT
The Republic of Singapore is a group of about 50 islands in the South China Sea, lying between the southern end of the Malay Peninsula and the islands of Indonesia. The main island of Singapore is about 26 miles in length, from west to east, and 14 miles in breadth, from north to south. Only sixty miles from the equator, Singapore has high average temperatures and humidity the year around. Kindergartens were originally offered by political parties as a way of recruiting parents through service, and, church groups, private schools, and the Ministry of Education also provided kindergarten services. Economic considerations were not the sole determinants of the development of the child care system. Family day care providers are registered by the Ministry of Community Development and matched with parental inquiries, principally on the basis of geographic proximity. The concept of mainstreaming is well established in Singapore, and children with special needs are being served in regular day care centers.
