Uncovering What Works: Supporting the Last-Mile Delivery of Early Childhood Education and Development Programs

About the Showcase

Parents, caregivers, and the broader community—including program facilitators, community health workers, teachers, and volunteers—play an essential role in the last-mile delivery of early childhood education and development (ECED) programs. Large-scale interventions are unlikely to succeed if those delivering services or adopting practices at home lack the necessary knowledge, skills, or support. However, key actors in the last-mile delivery of ECED programs often face persistent barriers, including limited training, insufficient resources, and inadequate incentives. Parents, in turn, may struggle with limited access to reliable information, competing time demands, and difficulties maintaining consistent, responsive caregiving.

To identify ready-to-implement solutions that can help those working at the last-mile to ensure the quality of ECED program delivery, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Southeast Asia (J-PAL SEA) is organizing a Research-to-Policy Showcase, "Uncovering What Works: Supporting the Last-Mile Delivery of ECED Programs.”

The event will feature:

• Public Talk Show Session: Insights from practitioner and program owner perspectives on real-world implementation challenges and evidence-based responses.
• Learning Collaborative Session (limited invite): A targeted session for ECED program implementers to identify scalable, light-touch interventions.

Note: The Talk Show is open to the public.  The Learning Collaborative is a closed-door session designed for ECED program owners and implementers. The session can only be attended if you received an invitation from J-PAL SEA.

If you did not receive an invite but are interested in participating, please review the eligibility here. If you believe you meet the requirements, please reach out to Maria Sarah via e-mail at [email protected] to express your interest.

Registration

Register your attendance here. 

Objectives

Throughout the event, participants will have the opportunity to:

• Hear from government officials, researchers, and civil society representatives about last-mile challenges in ECED program implementation, policy priorities, and evidence-based strategies to address the challenges.
• Learn about programs rigorously evaluated by J-PAL affiliated researchers and partners, such as home-based growth monitoring in East Nusa Tenggara and parenting sessions delivered by community health workers in East Java.
• Identify and discuss light-touch interventions for addressing the last-mile delivery barriers, and assess their feasibility in the Indonesian context.
• Connect with and exchange ideas with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, the private sector, civil society organizations, and philanthropic organizations working in ECED. 

Overview

Session 1: Talk Show

Theme: Strengthening partnerships for effective last-mile delivery of ECED programs
In Indonesia, health and education programs often depend on program facilitators or cadres—healthcare workers, teachers, or volunteers who operate at the village level and have direct access to the community—to deliver knowledge and skills to parents and/or caregivers that can help them make the right decisions about their children’s education and development. However, these key actors frequently encountered challenges to reach parents, including limited human resources, insufficient knowledge and skills, lack of training, and inadequate support facilities and incentives.

The session will explore how collaboration with civil society organizations, caregivers, and other stakeholders can strengthen these efforts, particularly in resource-constrained settings.

Speakers include:

Opening remarks

• Lina Marliani, Executive Director, J-PAL Southeast Asia

Keynote speaker

• Woro Srihastuti Sulistyaningrum, Deputy for Improvement of Family and Population Quality, Coordinating Ministry of Human Development and Culture

Talk show panelists

• Astuti Kusumaningrum, Research Manager, J-PAL Southeast Asia
• Gumilang Aryo Sahadewo, Associate Professor and Vice Dean, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Gadjah Mada
• Dadan Wildan, Deputy for Policy Support on Welfare Improvement and Human Resource Development, Office of the Vice President (Setwapres)
• Lailatul Machfudhotin, Head of Partnership Team, Directorate of Early Childhood Education (PAUD), Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education
• Liest Pranowo, Founder, Yayasan Langit Biru Cantigi 

Session 2: Learning collaborative (By invitation only)

This closed-door session is designed for ECED program implementers and officers. It will facilitate collaborative learning and the co-creation of scalable, evidence-informed solutions. Participants will work together to identify low-cost, high-impact interventions that address specific barriers in last-mile program delivery.

(Full session details and agenda will be shared with invited participants)