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Prabowo's free lunch program must reach more toddlers
While the president-elect's free lunch program is nothing new in the world, to work in Indonesia, it must be customized to meet local conditions and needs to address urgent issues like malnutrition and childhood stunting, as well as raise awareness about early childhood care and education.
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Students take part on Feb. 29, 2024 in a pilot school lunch program at a junior high school in Tangerang, Banten. (Reuters/Stefanno Sulaiman)
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child's brain, body and immune system develop significantly in the first 1,000 days of life, so president-elect Prabowo Subianto should pay more serious attention to toddlers in implementing his free school lunch program.
Apart from providing food and milk, the program should also ensure high-quality childcare and parenting for children under 3 years old.
Studies have found that early childhood development has five crucial components: physical, cognitive, communicative, socio-emotional and adaptive. The perfect time for toddlers to master these skills is between the ages of 0 and 3 years.
Prabowo's free lunch program is nothing new. Many countries and even major developing nations like India provide free nutritious meals to young children at schools.
I believe Prabowo will try hard to realize his campaign promise, albeit in stages, by 2029.
Policymakers and even the public often overlook the necessity of childcare and parenting support for children under 3. A recent study in Jakarta, Banten and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) by leading philanthropy Tanoto Foundation found widespread perception that children’s education should be entirely their parents’ responsibility and that the state can intervene only after they turn 6, which is far too late.
According to the study, the prevalence of insufficient childcare during early childhood, including physical abuse, is relatively high in Indonesia and affects four in 10 children. Decent childcare is crucial during early childhood, when the brain grows to form strong connections.
