Cultivating Environmental Responsibility In Early Childhood: An Implementation Study Of The Eco-Schools Program For Character Development

Environmental education in early childhood plays an important role in developing children’s environmental care character through meaningful real-life experiences. This study aims to analyze the implementation of the Eco-Schools program in fostering environmental care character among young children at POS PAUD Dahlia Mangli Randudongkal, Pemalang Regency. This research employed a descriptive qualitative approach, with data collected through observations, documentation, and field notes. The research subjects involved young children and teachers as facilitators of environment-based learning activities. The findings indicate that the Eco-Schools program was implemented through various concrete activities, including planting and caring for plants, watering plants, feeding animals, maintaining environmental cleanliness, and developing habits of disposing of waste properly. These activities provided children with direct experiences in understanding the relationship between humans and the environment while fostering values of responsibility, discipline, care, cooperation, and empathy toward living organisms. This study demonstrates that Eco-Schools can serve as an effective character-based learning strategy in early childhood education by integrating environmental education into the daily school culture. Sustainable implementation involving teachers, parents, and the community is essential to strengthen environmental awareness and care from an early age.