Entering Joglo Preschool from the street.
Witnessing the power of compassion demonstrated by Friends Peace Teams is deeply moving—a power embodied in the way the community cares for children and families when committed to justice, peace, and nonviolent conflict transformation.
Joglo Preschool is such a place. Every day we strive to create a safe space where children practice community agreements to respect their peers while learning together. They learn life skills through hands-on play experiences: touching, experimenting, and exploring to understand themselves, others, and the world around them. Interacting in the environment and with children of varying abilities helps both children, families, and teachers become more aware, connected, caring, and understanding of life on this planet.
Joglo grounds are also cool and comfortable, a pleasant place to be, even though lately the temperatures have been 32–33 degrees Celsius (90-92F).
The positive changes in children are a tremendous source of inspiration for parents. To support all children with varied abilities and disabilities, however, requires more funding than the parents can afford. This inclusive, quality education has become a demonstration site for educators, therapists, counselors, administrators to come and see what quality, inclusive education looks like. But, to sustain this requires subsidy. So, Joglo Preschool is reaching out to caring individuals who can share their love through funding student scholarships or offering professional development to our teachers.
In 2025, Joglo offered two levels, beginning and advanced, with 20 students each, 40 students in total. It costs an average of AU$820 or US$582/student/year to attend Joglo Preschool. To cover the staffing needed for inclusion, Joglo requested ten scholarships of Rp8 million (AU$635 / US$450). The Joglo community donated one and FPT donated nine. This made creative activities, experiments, and group collaboration possible to enhance the students’ abilities while developing their social skills. They learned to listen, resolve conflicts peacefully, and respect differences. As a result, Joglo children are:
- Calmer and more confident when interacting with others.
- Stronger speakers (some were non-verbal when they arrived), showing progress in communication and developing their vocabulary.
- More enthusiastic about participating in activities and joining larger groups.
- Better able to express their emotions & ask for what they need when something bothers them.
For the parents, this scholarship is invaluable. It allows them to breathe a sigh of relief amid increasingly difficult economic conditions. They feel much more at ease and capable of supporting their children. Many have expressed their gratitude for this support that is a source of strength, reminding them that there is a community that cares and is willing to share its love.
For the teachers, this scholarship is invaluable. To provide quality education already requires a lot of time out of class to keep up their own learning, organize materials and activities, be creative, document each child’s progress, and much more. These scholarships provide additional support for the teachers to continue developing inclusive learning based on Universal Design for Learning. Teachers provide visual aids such as props and images related to various lessons, and use sign language so children can be included. The school has become a demonstration site for others – teachers, therapists, and parents.
We learn so much from the Quaker faith that life is a blessing and ways to live in accord with our faith, such as being good companions: listening while staying in one’s core selves – Spirit within oneself – and focusing on the core self of the other — Spirit within them. The children follow our example, then they become examples in their families, which changes and reduces violence in our community. We at Joglo are sincerely grateful for your support, which is a source of love and hope for us all. You not only bring the resources, but also the understanding and commitment to resolve issues through nonviolent means and embrace children with diverse abilities, disabilities, and needs. Together we are sowing the seeds of a better, fairer, and more humane future.
Student Examples with Parent Testimonials
All the children attending Joglo Preschool, of varied abilities and needs, show significant social and developmental progress over time.
Aka, enrolled in our advanced class, has ADHD and speech delay and now engages in two-way communication and is able to answer questions. He can tell stories, even though he sometimes still mixes up words. He recognizes sequences and can put pictures and symbols in order. Aka is calmer and more confident when he’s with his friends. Aka’s mother says, “At home, I try my best to spend time with him, support him as much as I can, and practice speaking slowly and using words rather than assuming he knows what I want. Aka often apologizes when he feels he’s done something wrong and says thank you after receiving help. As a single parent, the scholarship has greatly eased our burden in sending Aka and his younger sibling to school. Once again, thank you for your support!”
Abiel is brought to school by his mother, who is nonverbal and frequently uses sign language. Abiel has a speech delay. Watching YouTube has proven to be an effective way for them to relax together. He remains calm while engaging in activities or listening to music and easily mimics the words and songs he hears. At the same time, he’s often absorbed in his own world and unresponsive. He’s gaining a larger vocabulary, especially about his feelings or needs. Still, he often appears to be imitating the words he hears without clear understanding, and sometimes his words are not clear. Abiel can listen to instructions and follow simple steps and describe objects he likes. His grandmother said, “We practice using words and tidying up after finishing something. We feel that the parenting materials and nonviolent approach are very beneficial for us in supporting the child’s development. The scholarship he received has been extremely helpful. His mother has no income. We still support Abiel and his mother’s basic needs, but we no longer work. Thank you so much for the support provided!”
Samuel didn’t seem to care at first; he would focus for only a short time, then wander around… then cry if he didn’t get what he wanted. Now he has changed a lot. He’s much calmer, can read, and is interested in books. We supported his development by buying him an encyclopedia. He reads every book he owns cover to cover, even memorizing the sentences on every page. He understands sequences and can pronounce numbers up to the hundreds in order. However, his other skills aren’t developing as quickly as his reading. He faces challenges with social skills, focus, and fine motor skills. He also often babbles, repeating random advertising jingles he hears on YouTube. He wants to join large groups and seeks out activities he enjoys, such as building block patterns and playing in water and mud. His mother says, “When I’m with Samuel, I practice stopping and taking a breath. After calming down, I can reconnect with Samuel. The scholarship he received has been very helpful and has eased my burden as a single parent. I thank you for supporting my family and Samuel’s learning!”
Friends’ generosity has covered this for the coming 2026-27 school year. So again, Thank you!!!
Children eat together outdoors.
When children arrived in the morning, they greeted one another. From left to right: Geva Gembira, Hosea Hebat, Aska Aman, and Leandra Lucu.