The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) guarantees every child's right to education and protection, with schools serving as a primary venue for fulfilling this right. The concept of Child-Friendly Schools (CFS) embodies this right, particularly when contextualised through local socio-cultural values. In the culturally diverse province of Jambi, Indonesia, the integration of local wisdom within CFS initiatives serves as a medium for cultural preservation and character education from an early age. This study aims to explore practical strategies for enhancing institutional readiness in implementing CFS, drawing on local wisdom, and to identify the challenges and opportunities associated with its application in Early Childhood Education (ECE) institutions across Jambi Province. Employing a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis involving school principals and teachers across 12 selected ECE institutions. The findings reveal that while most institutions have initiated culturally based innovations, significant improvements are still needed in institutional readiness, particularly in policy development, teacher competencies, and the provision of safe and inclusive learning environments. Furthermore, the integration of local wisdom into CFS has shown strong potential to reinforce children's character development, provided adequate facilities, institutional policies, teacher capacity building, and collaborative stakeholder involvement support it. These results suggest that a culturally grounded approach to child-friendly education can serve as a strategic model for sustainable, inclusive early childhood development.
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