Inclusive Workforce Efforts Focus on Childcare Access

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian government is promoting workplace inclusion by expanding childcare services and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Presidential Chief of Staff Dudung Abdurachman says governance and service standards must ensure a safe and inclusive work environment.

“The Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) and I visited a company that provides daycare facilities firsthand. This follows a direct directive from the President in May 2026 to ensure that these services, particularly daycare, fully meet established standards,” Dudung said in an official KSP statement in Jakarta on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

Dudung and PPPA Minister Arifah Fauzi visited several factories in the Cikarang industrial estate, West Java, on Tuesday, September 15, to verify childcare services for workers’ children.

They visited PT Omron Manufacturing Indonesia in the EJIP Industrial Park, South Cikarang, Bekasi Regency, and Amanda Daycare in East Telukjambe, Karawang.

Dudung also highlighted PT Omron Manufacturing Indonesia’s efforts to empower people with disabilities, noting its alignment with President Prabowo Subianto’s Asta Cita program.

The verification visit was conducted as a follow‑up to the President’s directive issued around Labor Day, requiring factories in industrial estates to provide daycare facilities for the children of female workers.

According to Dudung, workplace daycare involves more than simply providing childcare facilities; it also requires service standards that guarantee safety and quality care.

He noted that several areas still require improvement, ranging from requirements and permits for establishing daycare centers to compliance with service standards and childcare management practices.

“We’re pinpointing the issues. Minister Arifah Fauzi’s report covered requirements, proposals for upgrading, and the establishment of daycare centers,” Dudung said.

Daycare centers may be operated by companies or private entities, but they must still meet government childcare standards, specifically the TARA (Child‑Friendly Daycare) standards.

“Children must be safe, caregivers must be qualified, management must be responsible, and parents must have the assurance that their children are protected,” Dudung said.

He added that verification results from the two daycare models would inform policies involving several ministries and agencies. These policies aim to strengthen the governance of temporary childcare services and expand workplace childcare across Indonesia. ***