Left to navigate alone: school–parent collaboration and struggles in teaching daily living activities to children with Down syndrome

Collaboration between parents and early childhood education (ECE) institutions is increasingly recognized as essential for fostering independence in children with Down syndrome, yet how this collaboration unfolds in practice remains underexplored, particularly in low- and middle-income country contexts. This study examines parent–teacher collaboration in supporting daily living activities (DLAs) for children aged 0–8 with Down syndrome in two Indonesian ‘inclusive cities,’ Banjarmasin and Banjarbaru. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, in-depth interviews were conducted with 21 parents and 16 teachers selected purposively. Findings highlight a persistent gap between inclusive policy aspirations and practice: collaboration was largely informal, emotionally driven, and dependent on individual teacher initiative rather than systemic structures. Religious framing and affective trust supported parental acceptance but often delayed structured interventions, while fragmented communication and gendered caregiving roles undermined reinforcement at home. At the systemic level, misaligned curricula, limited teacher preparation, and inadequate infrastructure constrained sustainable inclusion. This study advances existing literature by demonstrating how non-Western, resource-constrained settings shape distinctive collaboration models that differ from Western family-centered approaches, and it calls for a transition from ad hoc emotional support to institutionalized, policy-backed partnerships that strengthen both DLAs outcomes and the credibility of inclusive education.