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An impact evaluation of Plan Indonesia’s early childhood program

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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: High-quality preschools are known to prepare children for success in primary school. Over half of Indonesia’s children now pass through preschools whose quality and effectiveness are unknown. Our goal was to evaluate two government preschool models, namely kindergarten (TK) and the less formal health-post (PAUD), with and without capacity-building efforts of a non-governmental organization (NGO-Plan), on children’s language and math skills.

METHODS: Thirteen TK and 17 PAUD Plan-supported and the same number of government-supported preschools were randomly selected from East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Five children from each (n = 292) and five who had graduated from each and were now in first grade (n = 241) were randomly selected and tested on language and math measures. The Plan-supported preschools were assessed for quality. Mothers reported on their family’s socio-demographic situation and their child’s preventive health practices, illnesses and diet over the previous two weeks.

RESULTS: Analyses of covariance adjusting for clusters indicated that children attending Plan-supported preschools performed better overall, and especially those in TK preschools. Plan-supported TKs were observed to have higher quality than Plan-supported PAUDs. First graders who graduated from Plan-supported preschools, both TK and PAUD, achieved higher scores on language and math tests than government-supported graduates. Preventive health practices were better in the Plan group, though diet and height-for-age were poor overall.

CONCLUSIONS: Upgrades to the government preschool program are needed to raise its quality and effectiveness, specifically by introducing a mix of instructional and indoor free-choice play, resources and teacher training to support children’s learning.

Résumé

OBJECTIFS: On sait que l’enseignement préscolaire de haute qualité prépare les enfants à réussir à l’école primaire. En Indonésie, plus de la moitié des enfants suivent maintenant des programmes préscolaires, mais on en ignore la qualité et l’efficacité. Nous avons cherché à évaluer l’impact de deux modèles gouvernementaux d’enseignement préscolaire, à savoir l’école maternelle (ÉM) et les services éducatifs et de garde à l’enfance moins structurés (dont l’acronyme est PAUD), avec et sans les efforts de renforcement des capacités d’une organisation non gouvernementale (Plan-ONG), sur les habiletés linguistiques et mathématiques des enfants.

MÉTHODE: Treize ÉM et 17 PAUD soutenus par le Plan et le même nombre d’établissements préscolaires soutenus uniquement par le gouvernement ont été sélectionnés au hasard à Nusa Tenggara Est, en Indonésie. Cinq enfants fréquentant chaque établissement (n = 292) et cinq enfants ayant terminé le programme de chaque établissement et étant maintenant en 1e année (n = 241) ont été sélectionnés au hasard, et leurs niveaux linguistiques et mathématiques ont été testés. Nous avons évalué la qualité des établissements préscolaires soutenus par le Plan. Les mères ont fourni des renseignements sur la situation sociodémographique de leur famille et sur les habitudes de santé, les maladies et le régime alimentaire de leur enfant au cours des deux semaines antérieures.

RÉSULTATS: Après ajustement liés aux grappes, des analyses de covariance ont indiqué que les enfants fréquentant les établissements préscolaires soutenus par le Plan obtenaient de meilleurs résultats dans l’ensemble, surtout dans les ÉM. Nous avons observé que les ÉM soutenues par le Plan étaient de qualité supérieure aux PAUD soutenus par le Plan. Les élèves de 1e année ayant terminé le programme préscolaire des établissements soutenus par le Plan (ÉM et PAUD) ont obtenu des notes supérieures aux tests linguistiques et mathématiques que les élèves ayant terminé un programme préscolaire soutenu uniquement par le gouvernement. Les pratiques de santé préventives étaient meilleures dans le groupe du Plan, bien que le régime alimentaire et l’indice taille/âge soient médiocres dans l’ensemble.

CONCLUSIONS: Des améliorations au programme préscolaire gouvernemental sont nécessaires pour en hausser la qualité et l’efficacité, spécifiquement en introduisant un mélange de jeu pédagogique et de jeu libre à l’intérieur des locaux, de ressources et de formation des enseignants pour appuyer l’apprentissage des enfants.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, McGill University, 1205 Dr Penfield Avenue, Montreal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada

    Frances E. Aboud PhD

  2. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Kerrie Proulx PhD

  3. Yayasan Zairahaes (Foundation), Jakarta, Indonesia

    Zaitu Asrilla BA (Consultant for SUMMIT Institute of Development)

  4. Mataram, Lombok, Indonesia

    Zaitu Asrilla BA (Consultant for SUMMIT Institute of Development)

Authors
  1. Frances E. Aboud PhD
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  2. Kerrie Proulx PhD
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  3. Zaitu Asrilla BA
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Frances E. Aboud PhD.

Additional information

Funding Source: The research was funded by Plan International Australia, with support from Australian Aid. It was designed, conducted, analyzed and written entirely by the authors without influence from the funders.

Conflict of Interest: None to declare.

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Aboud, F.E., Proulx, K. & Asrilla, Z. An impact evaluation of Plan Indonesia’s early childhood program. Can J Public Health 107, e366–e372 (2016). https://doi.org/10.17269/CJPH.107.5557

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.17269/CJPH.107.5557

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