MANAJEMEN PENDIDIKAN ANAK USIA DINI BERBASIS MASYARAKAT (Studi pada TK/RA di Kabupaten Kebumen)

The study aims at discovering a theory on the management of kindergarten and early childhood education institutions (TK/RA) on community basis. Using both empirical and theoretical research, this qualitative study employs a direct field research with descriptive statistics and time series analysis to examine the trend of the management. Field survey was conducted to obtain the needed facts and real data through questionnaire, interview, observation sheet, and guided interview. To assure the validation of the collected data, a method of triangulation from the researcher, practitioner, and directly-involved respondents was used. The respondents in this study are the headmasters, teachers, school committees, public influencers, and the schools’ stakeholders from 69 TK/RA institutions. The involved schools were graded from high, medium, and low clusters with 10, 6, and 4 respectively. The study pragmatically discovered a theory on the function and implementation of management of the community-based institutions managed professionally with people’s support. In general, the theory claimed that the management did things together with its community, decided something democratically, based on community’s norms, involved all components to obtain information freely, and stimulated the people’s involvement. The organization was based on its job description; there was a collaboration among the school, community, and the students’ parents. Each element had equal roles and participation. Responsibility was meant deciding things together for the sake of the school’s improvement, professionalism, and competitiveness. The programs initiated by community conducted by the teachers under the supervision of the community who then evaluated the results. The community functioned as facilitator in developing building, facilities, and professionalism