In April 2018, members of the Early Childhood Education Development (ECED) Frontline team traveled to the regency and spoke with village, sub-district and district officials to understand what drives and inhibits investment in early childhood education services in a decentralized Indonesia.

Indonesia continues to make strides in expanding access to early childhood education (ECE) across its vast archipelago, now reaching some 70.1% of 3-6 year olds. Yet despite this increased availability, quality of services continues to be poor, especially in rural and low-income areas. In particular, there continues to be reliance on under-qualified teachers, with many having received inadequate formal training, or none at all.