Jakarta, 7 April 2026
SEAMEO RECFON hosted a consultation and coordination meeting with representatives from the local governments of Brebes and Muara Enim Districts on the Early Childhood Care, Nutrition and Education (ECCNE) Program at its office in Utan Kayu, Jakarta.
The meeting aimed to strengthen cross-regional collaboration to advance holistic, integrated, and sustainable early childhood nutrition and education services.
The Brebes delegation, represented by the Regional Development Planning, Research, and Innovation Agency (Bapperida), engaged in follow-up discussions on refining cooperation documents and the joint roadmap with SEAMEO RECFON. Discussions focused on the revised draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Roadmap, with emphasis on aligning the program scope, simplifying terminology, and strengthening governance and joint communication.
As a next step, the local government of Brebes District, in collaboration with SEAMEO RECFON and the Health Polytechnic of Semarang, will finalize the cooperation documents and roadmap, while coordinating document circulation for final approval.
Meanwhile, the local government of Muara Enim District, represented by the Office of Education and Culture, conducted consultations on implementing the ECCNE Program at the early childhood education (ECE) level. Discussions covered strengthening monitoring and evaluation, developing follow-up action plans by education centers, and optimizing the use of digital monitoring systems.
Despite ongoing progress, implementation of the ECCNE Program in Muara Enim continues to face challenges, including cross-sector coordination in delivering Holistic Integrative ECE, limited infrastructure, and the need to further strengthen educator capacity.
To address these challenges, the program will be implemented through Training of Trainers (ToT) and the use of structured learning modules covering nutrition, caregiving, and service management. Additional efforts will focus on strengthening practice-based training, expanding in-person delivery, and ensuring sustained technical assistance.
At the service delivery level, the PGS-PL Guidelines developed by SEAMEO RECFON serve as a key reference to strengthen balanced nutrition practices and healthy behaviors. The local government has also proposed initial initiatives, such as a fish consumption campaign and creative activities, including healthy menu competitions, which remain in the planning stage.
Aligned with these efforts, the government of Muara Enim District targets increasing the proportion of active Holistic Integrative PAUD centers to at least 50 percent by 2026. The role of the Office of Education is expected to be further strengthened through policy support, including issuing circular letters and establishing recognition mechanisms for committed education centers.
Moving forward, SEAMEO RECFON will continue to provide technical assistance in collaboration with partners, including resource persons for ECCNE ToT implementation. The local government will also strengthen cross-sector coordination through regular coordination meetings and planned follow-up engagements.
Through sustained and strategic collaboration, the ECCNE Program is expected to contribute to improved early childhood growth and development outcomes.