The Implementasi kebijakan PAUD PRA-SD dalam memfasilitasi kesiapan belajar anak usia dini di kota Batu

Abstract

In order to support the successful transition of early childhood education (ECE) to Primary School (PS), the Government of Batu City enacted policy concerning the Implementation of ECE. Research examining the implementation of this policy remains limited, as previous studies have predominantly focused on pedagogical aspects and child development. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the implementation of the policy in supporting children's school readiness. This study employed a descriptive qualitative method with a multi-site study design. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with ECE principals and teachers, direct observations of school readiness activities for PS, and documentation studies related to policy implementation. Data analysis followed the framework of Miles et al. (2014), which consists of four stages: data collection, data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification. The findings indicate, the implementation of the policy supports early childhood learning readiness, and participation in ECE contributes to children’s preparedness for entering PS. Supporting factors include school principals’ transformative leadership, appropriate ECE curricula, clear institutional organization, availability of ECE, adequate facilities and infrastructure, and parental participation. Meanwhile, several challenges were identified: suboptimal coordination between ECE and PS, parenting practices, discontinuity in instructional methods, limited public understanding of ECE, high teacher workload, curriculum changes, limited human resources, unequal quality of ECE institutions, and the limited of free ECE financing. This study contributes to enriching the literature on policy implementation supporting ECE and recommends the adoption of a collaborative governance approach to strengthen policies that facilitate successful transitions for young children into PS.