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Jakarta looks to provide more early education centers, daycares to support child development
Jakarta has relatively low rates of children participating in early childhood education, Governor Anies Basewdan said. He noted that currently only 20 percent of children in the capital were receiving early childhood education.
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Children play in a playground at the Alternative School for Street Children (SAAJA) in Rasuna Said, South Jakarta. The school provides free early education for children from poor families and children whose parents are street buskers. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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or the last two weeks, Elly Subagyo, a woman living in West Jakarta, has been sending her 2-year old daughter to a public daycare center located inside the West Jakarta mayoral office, where her husband works.
Even though Elly is a stay-at-home mom, she prefers to send her daughter to the free daycare because she wants her daughter to learn how to socialize with other children.
“I think it’s better for her to go to daycare as she would only watch TV and play with mobile phones at home. Meanwhile, she can study and make friends in daycare,” she said on Wednesday.
Elly expressed satisfaction with the daycare service saying that since she began attending, her daughter had learned how to share her toys and food with other children, which her mother said was important for her character development.
Almost every day, Elly sends her daughter to the daycare, called Bale Belajar Pelangi (Rainbow Learning Hall), for a few hours.
“I’ll send my daughter to the daycare for as long as she likes. Whenever she wants to go home, I’ll take her home. However, sometimes she has to stay at the daycare from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. especially when I have other activities like Dharma Wanita meetings” Elly said referring to the organization for the wives of civil servants.
Sari, a 35 year-old mother from Tangerang, Banten, also sends her 2.5-year-old daughter to the same daycare while she works nearby. Even though her daughter has a babysitter at home, Sari chooses to take her daughter to the daycare because she believes it gives her the opportunity to learn new things.
