Abstract

This paper studies the sustainability of preschools established under a large-scale project in rural Indonesia. We returned to project villages three years after the project closed to understand why some preschools were able to sustain operations while others closed. We present four key findings. First, 92 per cent of preschools from the project remained open three years after project funding ended. Second, preschools planned for sustainability by taking into account six factors: preschool quality, finance, supplementary services, market condition, household wealth, and parental involvement. Third, each of these factors predicts sustainability after project closure. Finally, interviews with former teachers show that the few preschools that closed were those that struggled to find both the financial and human resources needed to continue operating. We discuss actionable lessons for the design and sustainability of future early childhood education projects.

摘要

本文研究了在印度尼西亚农村的大型项目下建立的学前班的可持续性。我们在项目结束三年后回到项目村，以了解为什么有些幼儿园能够维持运营而其他幼儿园则关闭。我们提出了四个主要发现。首先，该项目 92% 的学前班在项目资助结束三年后仍然开放。其次，幼儿园的可持续性规划考虑了六个因素：幼儿园质量、财务、补充服务、市场状况、家庭财富和家长参与。第三，这些因素中的每一个都可以预测项目关闭后的可持续性。最后，对前任教师的采访表明，少数关闭的幼儿园是那些努力寻找继续运营所需的财务和人力资源的幼儿园。