KPAI Finds Unlicensed Daycares Are Business-Oriented and Poorly Supervised

The Indonesian Commission for Child Protection (KPAI) has revealed alarming findings regarding the proliferation of childcare facilities, or daycares, that lack official permits. Based on monitoring results, these institutions are deemed to prioritise business orientation over aspects of child protection and safety.

KPAI Chairman, Aris Adi Leksono, stated that weak legality allows daycare operations to run without adequate control. This was conveyed during a working meeting with Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) in Jakarta on Tuesday.

“At our monitoring sites, we found daycares without permits or with weak legality, meaning managers tend to act without control, and we often find the orientation is purely business-driven,” said Aris.

In addition to licensing issues, KPAI highlighted the weakness of child protection policies, or safe child guarding, in many monitored areas. Aris assessed that efforts to establish a comprehensive protection system for children remain very minimal.

This condition is exacerbated by inadequate caregiver competence and a caregiver-to-child ratio that is disproportionate to the number of children. It is suspected that this imbalance is intentionally implemented by managers to reduce operational costs and maximise profits.

“The caregiver ratio is inadequate, meaning for a certain number of students, the number of caregivers is relatively low. It is highly suspected this is done to generate profit,” he emphasised.

KPAI also issued sharp criticism towards both the central and regional governments. According to Aris, relevant authorities tend to act reactively only after cases of child violence go viral on social media.

“The state, in this case, both central and regional governments, moves only after something goes viral. Therefore, we still need to strengthen systemic measures,” Aris added.

KPAI’s monitoring was conducted across five regions, including Depok, Pekanbaru, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, and Banda Aceh. This move is a response to a series of child violence cases that emerged, such as the cases at the “Little Aresha” daycare in Yogyakarta and “Baby Preneur” in Banda Aceh in April 2026.

KPAI is urging for the strengthening of regulations and routine supervision to ensure that incidents of violence in childcare environments do not continue to recur due to administrative negligence and minimal state oversight.