<![CDATA[Institutional reputation and public trust are consequential for the sustainability of early childhood education (ECE) institutions, yet the mechanisms through which everyday pedagogical, managerial, and relational practices jointly shape these outcomes remain insufficiently integrated. This study explored how learning quality, school leadership, parent partnerships, and digital communication contribute to sustaining reputation and public trust in an ECE setting. A qualitative single-case study was conducted at Sekolah Kreatif Ananda Kendal, Indonesia, involving 15 purposively selected participants: one principal, five teachers, six parents, and three school-committee or community representatives. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and document analysis and were examined iteratively through data condensation, display, and conclusion drawing/verification. Six themes were identified. Learning quality provided the most immediate evidence of institutional competence; leadership translated quality commitments into credibility through transparency and continuous improvement; and parent partnerships converted routine interactions into relational trust and advocacy. Digital communication expanded institutional visibility and stakeholder access but also increased exposure to rapidly circulating reputational risks. Across themes, durable trust depended on the alignment of pedagogical quality, accountable leadership, reciprocal family engagement, responsive communication, and continuous improvement. The study advances an interpretive model in which reputation is understood as a relational and evidence-based institutional outcome rather than a promotional attribute. For ECE leaders, the findings indicate that reputation management should be embedded in quality assurance, leadership practice, family partnership, and digital governance.]]>
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