MANILA – At the recent Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) Regional Conference 2025, Tanoto Foundation, a nonprofit organisation supporting change in education and healthcare, shared its early childhood parenting models from Indonesia and China.
These community-based programmes, Rumah Anak SIGAP from Indonesia and the HOPE (Harnessing Opportunity through Parenting and Education) programme from China, highlighted clear methods for helping young children thrive in rural and low-resource settings.
Both projects focus on children aged 0 to 3, a stage marked by significant brain growth. During these years, a young child’s brain can reach 80 per cent of its adult size. Research from the Centre on the Developing Child at Harvard University reports that brain cell development can reach 90 per cent in this stage, building the foundation for how children think, move, communicate, and respond to the world.
This period often brings extra challenges in parts of Asia. Research in 2023 by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) found that 57 per cent of children aged 0 to 3 in parts of Indonesia may not reach their full potential.
It also showed that 26 per cent of these children live with poor caregiving at home. In China, there are similar concerns. A 2019 article in the Journal of Comparative Economics noted that over 80 per cent of young children in rural areas missed at least one key developmental milestone.
Impact in Indonesia: The Rumah Anak SIGAP Programme
The Rumah Anak SIGAP programme in Indonesia has shown strong results. An evaluation found that children in rural areas with early developmental delays saw their scores rise by an average of 1.06 points after joining the programme, compared to a 0.53-point rise among children in cities. By 2024, Rumah Anak SIGAP had reached over 3,000 children and parents through 29 centres in Banten, Central Java, East Kalimantan, Jakarta, and Riau.
Empowering local volunteers is at the heart of this programme. These community members play a key role in making sure the work is relevant and lasting. Ancilla Irwan, Education Development Lead, shared that this partnership with local people and government turns the programme into a strong part of community support for families. The value of this approach was shown by the Mayor of Semarang, Agustina Wilujeng Pramestuti, who spoke at the conference about bringing a Rumah Anak SIGAP centre together with a unit for preventing stunting in her city.
Radi Negara, the Impact Evaluation Lead at Tanoto Foundation, reported, “Of 64 parents interviewed, 59 shared positive changes. They mentioned better breastfeeding, improved nutrition, and stronger connections with their children. The biggest progress often happens at home, where parents start engaging with their children more often and with greater care.”
Scaling Up in China: The HOPE Programme
The HOPE programme in China has grown its community-based model to close gaps in child development. So far, 330 facilitators have been trained and 138 centres opened in Beijing, Guizhou, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Shandong. The programme now reaches more than 16,000 children under 3 and their families in rural areas.
Wu Wei, Country Head of Tanoto Foundation China, points out that spending on Early Childhood Development (ECD) helps reduce inequality, stops poverty from passing between generations, and builds the skills China needs for the future.
As a core member of ARNEC, Tanoto Foundation continues to support the network’s mission to improve ECD by building strong partnerships, sharing knowledge, and standing up for children’s rights. During the conference’s closing, Eddy Henry, Head of Policy and Advocacy at Tanoto Foundation, summed up this shared goal:
“This conference shows how working together can spread knowledge, help more voices be heard, and move forward the ECD agenda in the Asia-Pacific region. I hope each group here will take these lessons home, put them into practice, and help shape policy so every child has a fair start and access to quality early childhood development.”
About Tanoto Foundation
Tanoto Foundation works to unlock human potential, support thriving communities, and create lasting change. Founded in 1981 by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto, the foundation is independent and family-run, focusing on giving everyone the chance to achieve their best.
The foundation drives positive change in education and healthcare, always backing up its work with strong evidence and investing for the long term. Tanoto Foundation believes in developing leaders who can continue to create better opportunities and outcomes for future generations.
