Governance Gaps and Early Childhood Education Access: A Qualitative Case Study in West Kotawaringin, Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v18i4.10498Keywords:
collaborative governance, governance gaps, early childhood education access, Holistic-Integrative PAUD, West KotawaringinAbstract
Equitable access to early childhood education (PAUD) requires effective collaboration among education, health, village government, and community stakeholders. However, fragmented institutional coordination may hinder the integration of Quality PAUD and Holistic-Integrative PAUD services. This study examines collaborative governance practices and identifies governance gaps affecting early childhood education access in West Kotawaringin Regency, Indonesia. An exploratory qualitative single-case study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with five key informants representing the education sector, health sector, village government, PAUD providers, and parents. Data were complemented by non-participant observation and document analysis. Thematic analysis was guided by Emerson et al.'s collaborative governance framework. Cross-sector collaboration was evident in child health monitoring, parenting activities, and village-level support. However, coordination remained predominantly administrative and activity-based rather than institutionalised through collective action. Five interconnected governance gaps were identified: fragmented information systems, limited joint planning, inadequate resource mobilisation, uneven technical capacity, and weak follow-up accountability. These gaps constrained substantive service integration and limited stakeholders' capacity to address barriers to PAUD access collectively. The findings highlight a discrepancy between formal coordination arrangements and the operational capacity for collaborative action. Strengthening integrated data management, shared planning, frontline capacity, and collective accountability may improve service integration and support more equitable PAUD access. The study contributes a context-specific understanding of governance gaps in collaborative early childhood education governance.
References
Afandi, M. N., Anomsari, E. T., Novira, A., & Sudartini, S. (2023). Collaborative governance in a mandated setting: Shifting collaboration in stunting interventions at local level. Development Studies Research, 10(1), Article 2212868. https://doi.org/10.1080/21665095.2023.2212868
Ansell, C., & Gash, A. (2008). Collaborative governance in theory and practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 18(4), 543–571. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mum032
Apriyansyah, C., Tjalla, A., Saptono, A., Hartati, S., Jalal, F., Sukatmi, S., Ismail, M., & Kurniawaty, L. (2024). Early childhood education: Integrative holistic early childhood development program implementation. Child Education Journal, 6(2), 76–87. https://doi.org/10.33086/cej.v6i2.5990
Atashbahar, O., Akbari Sari, A., Takian, A., Olyaeemanesh, A., Mohamadi, E., & Barakati, S. H. (2021). Integrated early childhood development policy in Iran: A qualitative policy process analysis. BMC Public Health, 21, Article 649. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10646-7
Barnett, M. A., Paschall, K. W., Mastergeorge, A. M., Cutshaw, C. A., & Warren, S. M. (2020). Influences of parent engagement in early childhood education centers and the home on kindergarten school readiness. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 53, 260–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2020.05.005
Bianchi, C., Nasi, G., & Rivenbark, W. C. (2021). Implementing collaborative governance: Models, experiences, and challenges. Public Management Review, 23(11), 1581–1589. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2021.1878777
Chiari, A. P. G., Senna, M. I. B., Gomes, V. E., Freire, M. do S. M., Soares, A. R. dos S., Alves, C. R. L., Cury, G. C., & Ferreira, R. C. (2023). Intersectoral collaboration to promote child development: The contributions of actor-network theory. Qualitative Health Research, 33(5), 451–467. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323231153534
Dulal, S., Saville, N. M., Merom, D., Giri, K., & Prost, A. (2023). Exploring the feasibility of integrating health, nutrition and stimulation interventions for children under three years in Nepal’s health system: A qualitative study. PLOS Global Public Health, 3(4), Article e0001398. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001398
Emerson, K., Nabatchi, T., & Balogh, S. (2012). An integrative framework for collaborative governance. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 22(1), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mur011
Fjellfeldt, M. (2022). Developing long-term sustainable collaborations between welfare providers that support and promote child and youth mental health in Sweden: A qualitative interview study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(13), Article 7730. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137730
Griffard, M. R., Sadler, J., Little, M., & Cohen-Vogel, L. (2022). Governing early learning among the American states. Children and Youth Services Review, 143, Article 106625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106625
Hahn, R. A., & Barnett, W. S. (2023). Early childhood education: Health, equity, and economics. Annual Review of Public Health, 44, 75–92. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-071321-032337
Kinder, T., Stenvall, J., Six, F., & Memon, A. (2021). Relational leadership in collaborative governance ecosystems. Public Management Review, 23(11), 1612–1639. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2021.1879913
Kinkead-Clark, Z. (2024). System quality in early childhood care and education in Jamaica: Implications for policy. European Journal of Education, 59(2), Article e12607. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12607
Lee, S., & Esteve, M. (2023). What drives the perceived legitimacy of collaborative governance? An experimental study. Public Management Review, 25(8), 1517–1538. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2022.2026692
Li, M. R., Zhang, X. M., Wu, M., & Lv, Y. (2024). Collaborative governance in integrated preschool education: A quadrilateral evolutionary game model analysis. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 91, 516–534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2024.02.038
Maron, A., & Benish, A. (2022). Power and conflict in network governance: Exclusive and inclusive forms of network administrative organizations. Public Management Review, 24(11), 1758–1778. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2021.1930121
Mosley, J. E., & Wong, J. (2021). Decision-making in collaborative governance networks: Pathways to input and throughput legitimacy. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 31(2), 328–345. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muaa044
Nakajima, N., Hasan, A., Jung, H., Kinnell, A., Maika, A., & Pradhan, M. (2021). Built to last: Sustainability of early childhood education services in rural Indonesia. The Journal of Development Studies, 57(10), 1593–1612. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2021.1873283
Rad, D., Redeş, A., Roman, A., Ignat, S., Lile, R., Demeter, E., Egerău, A., Dughi, T., Balaş, E., Maier, R., Kiss, C., Torkos, H., & Rad, G. (2022). Pathways to inclusive and equitable quality early childhood education for achieving SDG4 goal—a scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 955833. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.955833
Raikes, A., Sayre, R., & Davis, D. (2021). Mini-review on capacity-building for data-driven early childhood systems: The consortium for pre-primary data and measurement in Sub-Saharan Africa. Frontiers in Public Health, 8, Article 595821. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.595821
Rao, N., Yang, Y., Su, Y., & Cohrssen, C. (2023). Promoting equity in access to quality early childhood education in China. Children, 10(10), Article 1674. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10101674
Schmutz, R. (2024). Is universal early childhood education and care an equalizer? A systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 89, Article 100859. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2023.100859
Tesar, M., & Pangastuti, Y. (2024). From colonial legacies to inclusive futures: Transforming and reconceptualising early childhood education in Indonesia. Global Studies of Childhood, 14(3), 264–282. https://doi.org/10.1177/20436106241268149
van den Oord, S., Kenis, P., Raab, J., & Cambré, B. (2023). Modes of network governance revisited: Assessing their prevalence, promises, and limitations in the literature. Public Administration Review, 83(6), 1564–1598. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13736
Wang, H., & Ran, B. (2023). Network governance and collaborative governance: A thematic analysis on their similarities, differences, and entanglements. Public Management Review, 25(6), 1187–1211. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2021.2011389
Yang, H., Rao, N., & Pearson, E. (2024). Inequality in access to early childhood care and education programs among 3- to 4-year-olds: Trends and variations across low- and middle-income countries. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 66, 234–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.10.013
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Arliah Arliah, Nur Intan Rochmawati
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
