EMPOWERMENT OF FOSTER PARENTS BASED ON TRANSFORMATIONAL PARENTING TO SUPPORT THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE "BACK TO SCHOOL" (BTS) MOVEMENT FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE COASTAL AREA OF ​​SDN 8 BILATO, GORONTALO REGENCY

Background: The sustainability of the Back-to-School Movement (Gerakan Kembali Bersekolah/GKB) in coastal areas faces multidimensional challenges, particularly the low involvement and parenting capacity of foster parents. Objective: This community service aims to empower foster parents through the Transformational Parenting School (TPS) model to support the sustainability of GKB at SDN 8 Bilato, Gorontalo Regency, through the synergy of formal education management and primary school education. Method: The approach used was Participatory Action Research (PAR) incorporating education, clinical coaching, and the implementation of a learning monitoring card system. The targets were foster parents of children at risk of dropping out. Data were analyzed descriptively using qualitative approaches and quantitatively through the Gain Score test to measure the increase in partners' understanding. Results: The implementation of the TPS program successfully shifted the parenting paradigm from conventional-authoritarian to transformational. There was an 84% increase in the cognitive understanding of foster parents regarding motivating and facilitating the psychological needs of primary school-aged children. Managerially, the structured partnership between the school and foster parents effectively reduced GKB student absenteeism by 90% within the first two months. Conclusion: The integration of school-based transformational parenting contributes significantly as a preventive solution in maintaining the learning resilience of coastal children and ensuring the bottom-up sustainability of the GKB program.