Early Childhood Education and Development in Indonesia: An Assessment of Policies Using SABER

Abstract

Investing in children in their early years represents a unique window of opportunity to improve individual, community, and societal outcomes. For poverty reduction and shared prosperity, investments in early childhood development (ECD) or early childhood education and development (ECED), are among the best investments that countries can make. This study provides an assessment of ECD policies and programs in Indonesia based on the World Bank’s Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER). Developed by the education global practice, SABER provides a set of diagnostic tools to assess country policies in a number of areas including ECD. The SABER-ECD tool employs a diagnostic framework structured around three policy goals: establishing an enabling environment, implementing widely, and monitoring and assuring quality. For each goal, three policy levers are analyzed, ranging from the legal framework for ECD services to the extent to which service providers such as care centers or preschools comply with national standards. The SABER-ECD tool to a large extent focuses on policy intent, but as its name indicates, the second policy goal in the ECD module is about implementation. The study relies on administrative and household survey data in order to provide a diagnostic of policies and programs related to ECD in Indonesia. Administrative data are used to assess ECD policies and programs at the national and district levels. The study consists of five chapters: chapter one gives overview. Chapter two applies the SABER-ECD framework at the national level. Chapter three focuses on measuring in a more comprehensive way the coverage of essential ECD interventions nationally and at the provincial level. Chapter four provides results from the application of the SABER-ECD framework to five districts. Chapter five compares the SABER-ECD ratings obtained for Indonesia with the ratings for other countries (in total, the tool has been implemented in about 28 countries so far).