Australia/Indonesia partnership supports revitalisation of ECEC

ACER Indonesia has been commissioned by William-Lily Foundation (WLF) and Yayasan Adaro Bangun Negeri (YABN) to conduct a two-year pilot program supporting community-based services in early childhood care and development in South-West Sumba from 2020–2021. 

The study aims to develop an intervention program by revitalising and refining the existing government intervention program related to holistic and integrated early childhood care and development (PAUD-HI) and identify an intervention program that can be replicated elsewhere.

The study will consist of two phases. Phase one involves a programmatic evaluation of previous interventions and baseline data collection on early learning, health and nutrition, parenting and education, and child protection. 

Phase two will be about the intervention and training for ECD and health personnel in the pilot area based on the evaluation on the first phase. This will be ACER Indonesia’s first opportunity to model a full cycle of evidence-based practice where we will design and redevelop the capacity development programs based on the formative studies in phase one.

As part of the first phase, the ACER Indonesia team visited South-West Sumba with WLF and Sumba Integrated Development (SID) earlier in the year. During the short visit, the team conducted an initial coordination meeting with the Regent of South-west Sumba, dr Nelis Kodi Mete, the Head of Education Office, and the Head of Health Office on 15 January 2020. 

The government of South-West Sumba committed to support the program and approved the pilot area, which comprises Kodi Balaghar Sub-district, Kodi Sub-district, and South Wewewa sub-district. These areas were selected due to the high prevalence of childhood growth stunting. 

The next step in the program, involving data collection, was to have been conducted in March 2020 for approximately two weeks, with the team visiting 12 early childhood centres to gather both qualitative and quantitative data including children, parents and ECD personnel, however it is likely this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Further information about the project is available here.