The study, led by Haifa Farras Izdihar alongside Laili Komariyah, Akhmad, Widyatmike Gede Mulawarman, Usfandi Haryaka, and Azainil, was published in 2026. It highlights how the kindergarten managed by the Prima Swarga Bara Education Foundation (YPPSB Kindergarten) in North Sangatta District, East Kutai Regency, East Kalimantan Province, successfully optimized its school governance within a unique partnership ecosystem between the educational foundation and the coal mining corporation PT Kaltim Prima Coal (PT KPC). This directed management strategy has proven vital for educational units navigating local competitive challenges and contemporary educational issues.
Addressing Foundation Skill Declines and High Parental Expectations
Over the past five years, YPPSB Kindergarten has consistently maintained its status as the private kindergarten with the highest enrollment in North Sangatta District, serving between 288 and 300 children. It also recorded a high Customer Satisfaction Index (IKP) for the 2024/2025 Academic Year, exceeding 91.00 in both semesters, placing it in the "very satisfied" category. Despite this strong reputation, the institution faced internal managerial challenges that demanded an in-depth intervention.
According to the school's Education Report Card and Workbook documents, the internal quality achievement showed a decreasing trend in core learning indicators. Specifically, the indicator for "Learning that Builds Foundational Skills" dropped from a "Good" score of 88.75 in the 2023/2024 Academic Year to a "Medium" score of 79.06 in the 2024/2025 Academic Year. This significant decline of 9.69 points coincided with a leadership transition at the beginning of the school year.
Furthermore, the school operates in a distinctive environment where the majority of parents are corporate employees with high educational backgrounds and rigorous expectations. Surveys revealed that parental satisfaction was lowest regarding the effectiveness of the school's security system in preventing bullying, harassment, and security issues. This was a critical point since the school holds a formal status as a Child-Friendly School and an Inclusion School. Additionally, relying heavily on corporate operational expenditure (OPEX) from the mining industry poses a long-term sustainability risk due to market and regulatory dynamics, prompting a need for highly adaptive internal governance.
To analyze these complex management problems, Haifa Farras Izdihar and her team deployed a qualitative case study method. The research was conducted from July to November 2025 through in-depth interviews, direct observations, and documentation studies. To ensure data validity, the team used source and technique triangulation to cross-verify all field findings.
The Four Pillars of Strategic Leadership in Governance
The field findings from Mulawarman University revealed that the Principal of YPPSB Kindergarten, Yenny Ary Kresnawati, successfully reversed the declining trends and maintained organizational quality by operating as a strategic leader rather than a mere administrator. Her management strategy is built upon four integrated functions:
- Data-Driven Planning: Rather than relying on guesswork, the principal utilizes a systematic, data-based planning framework established during semester work meetings. These meetings translate the foundation's four strategic pillars into measurable, digitally tracked operational programs. The planning process involves meticulous infrastructure inventory mapping across 21 management points managing approximately 959 types of goods, alongside transparent budget estimations divided across three funding sources: state assistance (BOSP), corporate funds (OPEX), and parental contributions.
- Formalized and Distributed Organization: The school's tiered structure explicitly defines duties and responsibilities, legalized through the Decree of the Head of YPPSB Kindergarten Number 166/4-7e/2025. Responsibilities are evenly distributed among vice-principals, administrative staff, special education supervisors, and three distinct layers of teachers to prevent a single point of failure. Communication is systematized through daily morning briefings, weekly discussions, and integrated digital platforms like PRIMASI and SiPinter.
- Child-Centered Implementation: The school executes the Independent Curriculum at its highest reference level ("Mandiri Berbagi") using an active moving center system on a nine-day rotation. Progress tracking abandons traditional testing, opting for a multi-instrument assessment method that combines learning objective checklists, anecdotal notes, radiant photos, and student works. To boost parental collaboration, the principal launched four adaptive communication channels: monthly meetings, parent classes, direct classroom engagement, and digital portals.
- Multi-Instrumented Supervision: Quality control is maintained through a layered evaluation cycle. This includes biannual internal academic classroom supervisions, continuous reviews of annual Education Report Cards, and formal external quality audits through two-layer ISO 9001 certification. This quantitative data is paired with a 15-item customer satisfaction survey to ensure rapid response to parent and child safety needs.
Strategic Position and Policy Implications
By analyzing the school's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT), the study maps YPPSB Kindergarten into Quadrant I (Aggressive Growth Strategy). The institution holds massive internal strengths, including highly qualified educators holding bachelor's degrees in early childhood education, solid multi-channel funding, and exceptional campus facilities.
While external threats persist—such as the migration of private teachers to government contract pathways (PPPK), funding dependency on a single corporation, and rapid technological shifts—the strategic management approach allows the school to transform these threats into growth avenues through multi-agency partnerships and modern digital tracking systems.
Haifa Farras Izdihar notes that these findings yield significant policy implications for educational foundations and government offices across Indonesia. Early childhood units within corporate ecosystems must be supported with integrated information systems that bridge communication between educators and families. Furthermore, implementing established international quality management frameworks, such as ISO 9001, serves as a powerful, highly accountable external supervision mechanism that complements national accreditation systems for private schools.
Researcher Profiles
- Haifa Farras Izdihar, S.Pd. is the lead researcher from Mulawarman University, focusing on strategic management in early childhood education and curriculum development within unique corporate-industrial environments.
- Dr. Laili Komariyah, M.Si. is an expert in educational leadership at Mulawarman University, specializing in the impacts of transformational leadership styles on learning recovery and educator morale.
- Widyatmike Gede Mulawarman and Usfandi Haryaka are school governance specialists from the same institution, whose joint research focuses on Public-Private Partnerships in education financing and the implementation of safe, Child-Friendly School guidelines.
Research Source
- Journal Article Title: Strategic Management of Principals in Improving the Quality of Education in Kindergarten of the Prima Swarga Bara Education Foundation
- Authors: Haifa Farras Izdihar, Laili Komariyah, Akhmad, Widyatmike Gede Mulawarman, Usfandi Haryaka, Azainil
- Journal Name: International Journal of Advancing Social Sciences and Education (IJASSE)
- Volume & Year: Vol. 4, No. 3, 2026: 255-270
- Official DOI / URL:
https://doi.org/10.59890/ijasse.v4i3.9 https://journalijasse.my.id/index.php/ijasse
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