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Parenting within the Preschool System in Malaysia
Principal investigator: Professor Rumaya Juhari and Associate Professor Zainal Madon (Universiti Putra Malaysia); Professor Jamie Lachman (University of Oxford)
Funded by: LEGO Foundation, Oak Foundation, The Human Safety Net
Start date: January 2023
End date: September 2027
Project outline
Overview
The Parenting within the Preschool System project examines whether low-cost parenting support can be effectively embedded within Malaysia’s government preschool system. The project focuses on Naungan Kasih, a locally adapted positive parenting programme for caregivers of children aged 4 and 5.
The study examines how the hybrid Naungan Kasih programme can be delivered through Malaysia’s preschool system, and whether it is effective when embedded in routine services for low-income families. The programme combines ParentChat delivered through teacher-facilitated WhatsApp groups, NKText, a chatbot-based programme adapted from ParentText, and light-touch in-person support.
The study is being conducted in rural and peri-urban Malaysian communities selected through KEMAS, the government agency responsible for community development preschools. It looks at outcomes for parenting, caregiver wellbeing, child development, early learning and family relationships.
Significance
Early childhood is a critical period for learning, development and family relationships. Parents and caregivers can play a major role in supporting children’s early learning and wellbeing, but many families do not have access to structured parenting support.
Government preschool systems offer a practical route for reaching families at scale. This project asks whether evidence-informed parenting support can be delivered through existing preschool services in a way that is effective, useful for caregivers, feasible for staff and sustainable for the system.
The work also contributes to broader understanding of how playful parenting interventions affect parenting practices, learning through play, and early educational outcomes. Findings support advocacy for scaling human-digital evidence-based parenting programmes across Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
Implementation
The project tests a hybrid delivery model combining ParentChat delivered through teacher-facilitated WhatsApp groups, NKText, and light-touch in-person support.
Delivery takes place through KEMAS preschools in rural and peri-urban Malaysian communities. By working through preschool teachers and existing community development services, the study examines whether Naungan Kasih can be integrated into routine early childhood systems serving low-income families.
- Cooper, H., Nadzri, F. Z. M., Vyas, S., Juhari, R., Ismail, N., Arshat, Z., et al. (2024). A hybrid digital parenting program delivered within the Malaysian preschool system: Protocol for a feasibility study of a small-scale factorial cluster randomized trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 13(1), e55491.
- Lachman, J. M., Juhari, R., Stuer, F., Zinser, P., Han, Q., Gardner, F., et al. (2023). “Before I was like a Tarzan. But now, I take a pause”: Mixed methods feasibility study of the Naungan Kasih parenting program Malaysia. BMC Public Health, 23(1), 241.
- Senesathith, V., Lachman, J., Rajandiran, D., Han, Q., Bala, A., Melendez-Torres, G. J., et al. (2026). Preliminary outcomes of a hybrid-digital parenting intervention in routine services in Malaysia. Research on Social Work Practice.
- Juhari, R., Mohd Nadzri, F. Z., Madon, Z., Hasbullah, M., Gardner, F., Cooper, H., et al. (2026). Building impact through government partnerships: The Naungan Kasih Positive Parenting Program in Malaysia. Prevention Science.