Rumah Anak SIGAP by Tanoto Foundation Supports Holistic Early Childhood Development for Ages 0-3

Research shows that during early life, particularly in the first 1,000 days, plays a critical role in a child's growth and future. However, in Indonesia, early childhood education programs often focus primarily on children aged 4-6 years. This creates a gap in services that support the holistic development of children aged 0-3 years.

In response to this issue, Tanoto Foundation—an independent philanthropic organisation in education founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981—along with ACER Indonesia and Myriad Research, collaborated to evaluate the impact of the Siapkan Generasi Anak Berprestasi (SIGAP) program. The program was initiated to ensure optimal development and school readiness for children in Indonesia. One of SIGAP’s key strategies is establishing learning centres called Rumah Anak SIGAP, which provides training for parents and early stimulation activities for children aged 0-3 years.

The first phase of Rumah Anak SIGAP was conducted from December 2021 to September 2023 in 16 villages across three provinces: DKI Jakarta, Pandeglang district in Banten province, and Kutai Kartanegara district in East Kalimantan province.

The implementation team in each Rumah Anak SIGAP learning centre consists of coordinators and facilitators who are collaboratively selected by the local government and Tanoto Foundation, ensuring strong community involvement in every process. In addition to evaluating the program's impact on child development, this phase also focused on identifying local environmental and cultural factors that influence parenting practices and recommending ways to improve the quality of the program and related Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) policies.

The evaluation results from the one-year phase indicate that the Rumah Anak SIGAP program has contributed positively to both child development and parenting practices, with room for further improvement in the future.

The evaluation phase of Rumah Anak SIGAP confirms findings from various studies that the most significant period in a child’s mental development is between 24-29 months. The program highlights the importance of stimulation as early as possible, with noticeable improvements typically appearing in the second year. Therefore, policies and programs related to ECDE would be most effective if initiated as early as possible, starting at age 0, and maintained for at least two years.

Learn more

Read The impact of Child Learning Centres on parenting practices and early childhood development: Lessons from the Rumah Anak SIGAP Program 2021 - 2023 by Bakir Haryanto, Fayna Faradiena et al.