80859 Early Childhood Education and Development in Poor Villages of Indonesia: Strong Foundations, Later Success August 2013 Over the past decade Indonesia has experienced economic growth, reduced poverty, and continued progress towards many of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, for poor families, national economic improvements have brought only modest gains in health and education. Poverty and the lack of related opportunities continue to challenge the development,school readiness, and educational progress of many of Indonesia’s children. International evidence underscores the importance of attention to ECED policies and services in Indonesia. the early years and the value of early intervention as In the past decade, the government has taken steps to a tool to mitigate the negative effects of poverty on strengthen the policy environment for ECED, including children’s short- and long-term outcomes. It is clear the establishment of an early childhood directorate, the that children’s developmentis the product of multiple, inclusion of ECED as a priority in national planning interconnected influences, from family environments documents, and the creation of national ECED standards. to the availability of community supports to broad national policies and economic resources. These circles The government has also, with support from the World of influence (Figure 1) form the organizing framework Bank and other development partners, provided new of this policy brief. early childhood services in 6,000 poor communities across 50 districts in the country. An impact evaluation Poverty challenges child development at all levels, yet of the ECED project is examining the development of in both developed and developing countries research a sample of children from the project, using a battery of has shown the benefits of early childhood education internationally validated measures in multiple domains. and development (ECED) services for a child’s short- The lessons from this experience are the focus of this and longer-term health and development, as well as brief. A final round of the evaluation is being conducted economic benefits to society from investing in ECED. and further results will be presented in subsequent This evidence has influenced significant government briefs. Figure 1: Circles of influence on a child’s development oa d er In uence Br s-E conomic esources - C s r ult t poli cie C om m u n ity ure an n d e hools - Neighborh c m s - Sc oo e a m l F dr iy rn c us i es rv ve to se on - Par ms i Go cat entin u ou Ed gp Child ED - ra ty rce ct er EC s lth - Curre v ice Hea Po - nt s cs d sti ev orn characteri elo pment status INFLUENCES ON A CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT Inb Adapted from Bronfenbrenner (1979) Aspects of the Project’s Design Community participation was especially important to Working together, the Government of Indonesia and the program design. Using a community-driven development World Bank created the ECED project to: process, trained local facilitators helped village members (1) Increase integrated ECED service delivery through identify their ECED needs and prepare proposals for community-driven mechanisms in targeted poor small grants. Most communities used their resources to communities; establish center-based playgroups in existing, renovated (2) Develop a sustainable system for ECED quality; facilities, primarily serving children ages 3 to 6, with and some satellite services in surrounding areas. Centers (3) Establish effective program management, typically operate at least 3 days a week, usually in monitoring, and evaluation. sessions of 2 hours a day. To date, these centers have served more than 500,000 children. To reach these objectives, project teams implemented multiple activities, including ECED policy development Villages selected local individuals to serve as ECED and capacity-building efforts at central and local levels personnel. Criteria for eligibility included a secondary of government, sensitization about the importance of school education, an interest in young children and ECED within villages, training of community members a commitment to ECED. Using a cascade training to serve as ECED teachers, and monitoring and approach, those selected participated in200 hours of evaluation of project activities. training. 2 Young Children in Indonesia’s Low-Income, Rural Assessment of children’s executive function skills Communities: How Are They Doing and What Do indicated that children in this sample seem to be They Need? developing their abilities to plan and manage their Although there isgeneral enrollment information for thinking and behavior at about the same rate as children ECED services in Indonesia, very little information in other countries. exists on child development outcomes. This study fills this gap through a variety of child assessments carried With respect to communication and general knowledge, out in 2009 and 2010 (see Box 1). Assessments—some children performed well. Mothers reported that their of which were used in Indonesia for the first time—were children speak clearly and can express their wants and based on child performance or mother report. needs to others. Children in this sample are able to play imaginatively, tell stories, and show understanding of Children’s development shows strengths but also areas the everyday world around them. of concern. In physical development, this sample of rural children Finally, in social and emotional development, in most in poor villages showed high rates of stunted growth, respects children in this sample are doing well. Mothers wasting, and being underweight for age. The percentage described their children as independent and cooperative, of children with these growth problems declines and they reported few behavior problems or examples somewhat with age but remains very high in relation of emotional difficulties. to children in other countries and is consistent with national statistics for Indonesia. Parents are missing opportunities to promote positive development at home. In the domain of language, cognitive, and conceptual Daily activities. Parents or other primary caretakers in development, children in this sample have not gained the study seem not to be taking advantage of everyday foundational, age-appropriateschool readiness skills in opportunities to support development in the home literacy, math, and other aspects of cognitive problem- environment. They do not generally read books to their solving and do not seem to have much interest in these children or tell them stories, for example, activities that domains (as reported by their mothers). Children do predict children’s later competence in language and improve in their cognitive and conceptual development literacy. About one-quarter of mothers in these rural as they get older, but their competencies in this domain villages reported that their children never play outdoors, remain low compared with children of the same age and 17% of 4-year-olds never draw or scribble at home. in other settings. Children’s conceptual development Children living in the greatest poverty are the least was limited at age 4 but improved considerably by age likely to have such positive experiences. 5; however, there were wide variations in children’s abilities. Mothers’ feeding practices. Like mothers in other parts of Indonesia, this sample of mothers does not breastfeed exclusively for as long as recommended. Box 1: Data on Child Development Are Detailed But Not Furthermore, for older children, they reported giving Nationally Representative The study examines the development of a sample of children children snack foods more often than vegetables or residing in 310 poor villages across 9 districts in Indonesia, milk. using a battery of internationally validated measures in multiple domains. Two age cohorts were assessed, first in Parenting practices. Because higher quality parenting 2009, when the children were aged 1 and 4, and again in is associated with better developmental outcomes, a 2010, when they were aged 2 and 5. These 9 districts are 24-item Parenting Practices interview assessed parents’ a subset of the 50 districts involved in an ongoing project warmth, consistency, and hostility in relation to their that provided expanded access to ECED services for children children. There were wide variations across parents in between the ages of 0-6. Final data will be collected in 2013. their child-rearing techniques. 3 Beyond the family: Focusing on communities Children’s “developmental vulnerability scores� on one of the major measures used in this study—the Early Development Instrument—were compared across the sample of districts in this study. Not surprisingly, since these districts were selected for their high levels of poverty, the children’s vulnerability scores were also high. Within districts, however, there was evidence of socioeconomic disparity—that is, those children living in the poorest households have the greatest developmental vulnerability, especially in the language and cognitive skills domain. What Impacts Have We Found So Far? An ongoing impact evaluation, using both experimental and non-experimental analyses, allows assessment of the short-term effects of the project. Data come from two cohorts of children. The younger cohort consisted of children who were one year old when they were first studied (at baseline in 2009) and two years old when they were studied a second time (at midline in 2010). The older cohort consisted of children who were 4 years old in 2009 and 5 years old in 2010. Access to affordable ECED services in poor villages is limited. The evaluation results to date tell us that within the first Because baseline data were collected before project nine months of the project’s implementation: services were available, information was gained about ECED enrollment increased in villages with • what kinds of ECED services are available in typical project-supported services. villages. Only one-third of the communities in this On average, the impact of the project on child • study offered any kind of playgroup or kindergarten. outcomes in villages participating in the project As in Indonesia as a whole, kindergartens typically only was somewhat limited. There were indications of serve children age 4 and up and are privately run, placing positive effects but for the average child in project them out of reach of most of the poorest families. The villages these effects were generally small. most common kind of ECED service is provided through However, for the most disadvantaged children, • the village health post, usually a volunteer-run, once- strong and significant effects were evident. This was a-month service primarily tracking children’s physical particularly true for children from poorer families, growth and well-being. girls, and children who had not been enrolled in any ECED services at baseline. Importantly, these Children from the least-educated and poorest families positive results are seen in the domains of language make the least developmental progress. and cognitive development – areas where children Although the villages in this sample were generally were most behind at baseline. poor, it was possible to look at children’s development No impacts have yet been seen on children’s • in relation to levels of parental education and poverty. nutrition outcomes or parenting practices. Results show that even in low-income communities, the poorest children, and the children with the least- Researchers will collect endline data in 2013 and analyze educated parents, tend to show lower progress than the effects of the project into the beginning of primary other children. school. 4 Implications for Policy and Practice: Insights from Indonesia This section draws on these insights about Indonesian children’s development and about the ECED project’s planning, implementation, and midline evaluation, and links these insights to emerging ECED priorities. To organize these priorities, we return to the circles of influence that form the framework of this study. ader In uences Bro Community (1) The Influence of Children’s Current Characteristics: An effort to Family obtain valid assessments of young children’s health and development Child must be made, so that the results can inform the focus of ECED interventions. This is critical because (a) Information on children’s developmental strengths—not just their vulnerabilities—is a useful basis for planning interventions; and (b) Assessing children’s development holistically can identify areas of risk or vulnerability in more than one domain, suggesting priorities for intervention. (2) Family Influences: A key role exists for families and family-focused ader In uences Bro interventions in promoting positive outcomes for children. Community (a) Parents’ education and home practices predicted child Family development, suggesting that parenting education should be a Child priority in government programs and policies; (b) Parents in poor villages are generally eager, motivated supporters of ECED for their children, making them a valuable resource; (c) In the absence of explicitly family-focused interventions, it is unlikely that improvements in parenting practices or home environments will be seen; (d) Information about home environments and parenting practices is useful in identifying specific targets for family support—such as, low incidences of book-reading and storytelling, or shorter than optimal periods of exclusive breastfeeding. ader In uences Bro (3) Community Influences—Community-Based ECED Services: A Community focus on providing comprehensive, community-based ECED services Family across age groups and sectors can facilitate holistic development. Lack Child of accessible, affordable ECED services continues to challenge the holistic development of poor children in Indonesia and elsewhere. Insights from the data and implementation experiences suggest that: Enrollment in ECED services helps children’s development, (a) especially children from the poorest environments, suggesting that some targeting of services may be effective; Data on village-level enrollment patterns by age provide practical (b) insights and allow regulations tomatch local preferences and realities; 5 (c) Communities are ready and willing to engage in a well-facilitated planning process to identify their own ECED needs, but long-term impact may be enhanced through involvement of aninfluential village leader; (d) It is important to locate services in places convenient for families, especially the poorest; (e) Teachers selected from rural villages can, with adequate training, serve as motivated ECED personnel; and (f) Center-based ECED programs that are organized to serve preschool- aged children have great difficulty meeting the needs of infants, toddlers, and their families. Other approaches to providing holistic services may be more effective for the youngest children. (4) Broader Influences: Policies, systems, and resources that contribute ader In uences Bro to long-term sustainability of quality ECED services are needed. Community (a) Government commitment to ECED is essential. Such Family commitments build capacity, contribute to sustainability, and Child provide models for other poor districts. (b) The presence of significant disparities in children’s progress across and within districts suggests that governments should consider increased support for areas most in need. (c) National policies are needed to promote holistic, integrated services for young children and their families, addressing common barriers created by the separation of ECED functions into separate ministries and directorates. (d) A cost-effective, practical system of supports is needed for current and future ECED personnel. Government efforts to implement a variety of in-service activities such as teacher cluster groups and internships may yield promising directions for the future. (e) Quality assurance systems, including systematic evaluation mechanisms, are essential. (f) Monitoring and evaluation efforts are vital if interventions are to be continously improved. Program evaluation design needs to be sensitive to program implementation realities, but once a design has been agreed upon, project implementation needs to ensure that the design is adhered to in order to ensure a quality evaluation. This brief was produced by Amer Hasan and Heather Tomlinson using research presented in detail in Hasan, Hyson and Chang (eds.), 2013. Early childhood education and development in poor villages of Indonesia: Strong Foundations, Later Success. Washington DC: World Bank. Preparation of this document received partial funding from the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, under the supervision of the World Bank. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of Indonesia, or the Government of the Netherlands. For more information, please contact Megha Kapoor (mkapoor1@worldbank.org). Human Development Sector World Bank Office Jakarta Indonesia Stock Exchange Building Tower 2, 12th Floor Jl. Jenderal Sudirman Kav. 52 - 53 Phone: (021) 5299 3000 Fax: (021) 5299 3111 Printed on recycled paper www.worldbank.org/id/education