Lin Min, 35, a former Kinderland preschool teacher, pleaded guilty on March 5, 2025, to mistreating four children aged between one and three years old. Her actions included forcing water on them and making them lie down against their will.
Two children suffered nightmares following these incidents.
Lin faces four charges under the Children and Young Persons Act and two charges of criminal force. She admitted to three charges, with the remaining charges to be considered during sentencing on March 13, 2025.
The court ordered media not to report information that might reveal victims’ identities, including the location of the incidents.
Details of the Incidents
Lin joined Kinderland as a preschool teacher in March 2020 and was the Chinese language teacher for the victims.
On June 30, 2023, Lin noticed a one-year-and-ten-month-old girl had not drunk her water. When the girl spilled water on her clothes, Lin grabbed her cheek forcefully saying, “No, drink water.”
As the girl turned away, Lin raised her voice, forced her to lie down, and squeezed her cheeks while pouring water into her mouth. This caused the crying child to cough and choke.
Lin also mistreated a two-year-and-five-month-old boy on June 27 and 30, 2023.
On June 27, she became angry when he refused to drink water and forced him to lie down. When he sat back up, she grabbed him at least twice despite his struggles and crying. She made comments about the boy “crawling fast,” “could join sumo in Japan,” and “slap face.”
On June 30, when the boy cried and pushed her hand away while she tried to give him water, Lin grabbed his forehead multiple times, forcing his head back. She warned him that she would feed him herself if he didn’t drink, which made him comply.
Parents Learned of Abuse Through School
The parents of both children learned about Lin’s actions when the school notified them on August 17, 2023.
The girl’s parents reported that their daughter sometimes woke up at night crying “no” and “bye-bye, teacher,” indicating she wanted Lin to leave.
The boy’s parents told police their son disliked strangers touching his head and back, sometimes cried about not wanting to go to school, and had nightmares.
Additional charges show that on May 2, 2023, Lin forced a three-year-old girl to sit in a chair while pouring water into her mouth. On June 28, 2023, she hit a two-year-old boy’s buttocks five times with a book.
According to Kinderland’s guidelines, teachers can only verbally discipline children or take away favorite toys or games. If these methods fail, they should consult the principal. Physical discipline is never allowed.
Legal Proceedings
Prosecutors requested a prison sentence of 18 to 24 months. They noted the victims were very young, vulnerable, and unable to express their experiences, making the crimes difficult to detect.
The parents only realized the severity of the incidents after seeing video footage more than a month later.
Lin’s lawyer argued this case differs from other child abuse cases with intentional harm. The defense claimed she was trying to make sure the children drank water, not acting out of cruelty, and requested a lighter sentence.
Kinderland appointed an independent investigation committee after incidents of teachers mistreating children at two branches. Lin was dismissed on August 28, 2023.
Another female teacher involved in child abuse received a one-year conditional warning and was dismissed before returning to her home country. The two branches were each fined SGD$5,000 for failing to properly train and supervise staff.
