Gender Equality

UNESA provides daycare that student parents can use while they attend classes

UNESA SDGs Center · 20 October 2026

Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA) provides childcare facilities and family-friendly campus provisions to support students who have children and need to balance their academic responsibilities with childcare. In its latest announcement on 20 October 2026, UNESA reaffirmed its commitment to providing breastfeeding rooms, daycare services, and children's play areas across its faculties, as part of its institutional efforts to promote gender equality and support students and staff in balancing educational or professional commitments with family responsibilities (UNESA, Childcare, Breastfeeding Rooms, and Children's Play Areas Across Faculties, 20 October 2026; MEP News, UNESA Provides Breastfeeding Rooms, Daycare, and Children's Play Areas, 20 October 2026). UNESA operates two childcare services highlighted in its official institutional reporting: TPA Labschool UNESA 1 at the Ketintang campus, which is certified, and Sunshine Daycare at the Faculty of Education (FIP), located at the Lidah Wetan campus. Sunshine Daycare operates on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and provides indoor and outdoor play areas, sleeping facilities, and access to child psychology consultation. These services are intended to help students with young children continue their studies while ensuring that their children receive care in a supportive environment (UNESA, Childcare and Breastfeeding Facilities Supporting SDG 5). The university's commitment is further demonstrated by the Faculty of Education's provision of two breastfeeding rooms and child-friendly facilities, including playgrounds and access to counselling services, as well as the introduction of a dedicated breastfeeding room by the Special Education Study Programme (Pendidikan Luar Biasa) in June 2026. The latter is available to students, lecturers, administrative staff, and visitors who are breastfeeding, providing a private and comfortable space for breastfeeding or expressing and storing breast milk (UNESA Special Education Study Programme, Breastfeeding Room Supporting an Inclusive and Family-Friendly Campus, 4 June 2026). These provisions demonstrate UNESA's institutional commitment to reducing childcare-related barriers to higher education, supporting student parents, particularly women, and promoting a more inclusive, family-friendly learning environment in line with Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and Target 5.4 on recognising and valuing unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services and supporting infrastructure.

Official evidence

1. Childcare facilities and student access: UNESA official website, 5 November 2025. This explicitly identifies childcare services intended to support students, lecturers, and staff who have young children.

2. University policy and facilities: UNESA official website, 7 November 2024. This explains the university's family-friendly and gender-responsive approach and describes the role of childcare facilities in supporting students and staff with parenting responsibilities.

3. Sunshine Daycare at FIP: Faculty of Education, UNESA, 8 October 2026. This faculty-level publication explicitly describes Sunshine Daycare as a service intended to support students, lecturers, and staff with young children.

4. Latest university-wide announcement (20 October 2026): UNESA, Breastfeeding rooms, daycare, and children's play areas across faculties.

5. Independent news coverage (20 October 2026): MEP News, UNESA provides breastfeeding rooms, daycare, and children's play areas.

6. Faculty-level evidence (4 June 2026): Special Education Study Programme, FIP UNESA, Breastfeeding room supporting an inclusive and family-friendly campus.