Nur Hayati, Nurul Arifiyanti, Nur Cholimah, Prayitno, Luthfi Amalia Khusnul Khotimah
This study aimed to identify key problems, improvement strategies, and future prospects for enhancing the quality and sustainability of Early Childhood Education (ECE) in the region by integrating perspectives from teachers and school leaders. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through focus group discussions (FGDs) involving 30 purposively selected kindergarten teachers and principals. Semi-structured discussion guides were employed, and all discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis to systematically identify recurring themes related to challenges, strategies, and future directions for ECE quality improvement. The findings revealed five major issues influencing ECE implementation, including economic constraints that limit parents' ability to enroll their children, low parental education levels and limited awareness of the importance of ECE, parental preferences for schools perceived as more academically advanced, declining enrollment rates of early childhood learners, and intense competition among schools situated in close proximity. To address these challenges, participants emphasized improvement strategies such as strengthening collaboration with parents and the surrounding community, enhancing teacher competence through continuous professional development activities including workshops, comparative studies, and teacher working groups and reinforcing learning practices through routine and innovative activities that support instructional quality. The provision of adequate facilities, including access to educational technology, was also identified as a critical supporting factor. This study contributes to the literature by offering an integrated framework that links economic, parental, institutional, and pedagogical dimensions of ECE quality improvement. The findings underscore the need for flexible financing schemes or scholarship programs, structured parenting education initiatives, and innovative teaching approaches to sustain enrollment and improve service quality. Strengthening teacher professionalism and community-based collaboration emerges as a key driver for achieving sustainable and contextually responsive ECE quality development. © Copyright (c) 2025 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commonss Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia
