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Also, the matters contained in the following were written in accordance with the law, rules, and jurisprudence prevailing at the time of writing and posting, and do not include any future developments on the subject matter under discussion.
AT A GLANCE:
Republic Act (RA) No. 12199, or the Early Childhood Care and Development System Act (ECCD) was enacted in view of the declared policy of the State to safeguard and promote the right of every child to holistic well-being, growth, and dedicated care, reorganizing the age-appropriate stages of development.
The State commits to creating nurturing environments for children that ensure a healthy and sustainable program for nutrition, age-appropriate development, and special protection with full recognition of the nature of childhood, as well as the necessity to provide developmentally appropriate experiences to address their needs. The State shall also support parents and parent-substitutes in their roles as primary caregivers and as their children’s first teachers. Further, the State hereby recognizes the age from zero (0) to eight (8) years as the first crucial stage of educational development. Without limiting the primary right and duty of parents to rear their children, the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council shall be responsible for children below five (5) years of age, while the responsibility to help develop children in the formative years between age five (5) to eight (8) years shall be with the Department of Education (DepEd) consistent with Republic Act No. 10533 or the “Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013”.
Towards this end, the State shall institutionalize an ECCD System, as defined in Section 4 of this Act, that is comprehensive, integrative, and sustainable, even during times of emergency, that involves multisectoral and interagency collaboration at the national and local levels in government; among the public and private sectors and non-government organizations (NGOs); and professional associations and academic institutions.
Pursuant to Republic Act No. 11650 or the “Instituting a Policy of Inclusion and Services for Learners with Disabilities in Support of Inclusive Education Act”, the ECCD System shall promote the inclusion of children with disabilities, where they shall be accorded the services stipulated under the law and provided with reasonable accommodation and accessible environments, and advocate respect for cultural and linguistic diversity.
The ECCD System shall be anchored on complementary strategies that include service delivery for children below five (5) years of age, educating and training parents and parent-substitutes on responsible caregiving, encouraging the active involvement of parents and communities in ECCD programs, and raising awareness about the important efforts that improve the quality of life for young children and families.
What are the objectives of RA No. 12199?
Section 3. Objectives. – The ECCD System shall pursue the following objectives:
(a) Reduce infant and child mortality rates, and subsequently eliminate preventable deaths, by ensuring that adequate health and nutrition programs are accessible to young children and their parents and parent-substitutes, from the prenatal period throughout the early childhood years;
(b) Enhance the physical-motor, socio-emotional, cognitive, language, psychological, and spiritual development of infants and young children;
(c) Facilitate a seamless transition to, and ensure that young children are adequately prepared for, the formal learning system that begins at kindergarten;
(d) Establish an efficient system for early identification, prevention, referral, and intervention for the wide range of children with special needs below five (5) years of age, using the Child Find System under Republic Act No. 11650;
(e) Reinforce the role of parents and parent-substitutes as the primary caregivers and educators of their children especially those below five (5) years of age;
(f) Improve the quality standards of public and private ECCD programs through, among others, recognition and accreditation; and upgrade and update the capabilities of service providers and their supervisors through their continuing education, reskilling, and upskilling;
(g) Ensure that special support is provided in the delivery of the ECCD programs and services for the poor, disadvantaged, and minority communities, and that children with disabilities are accommodated through the most appropriate languages and means of communication, and in environments that maximize academic and social development; and
(h) Employ teachers, including teachers with disabilities, who are qualified to manage young children with developmental delays and disabilities, and train professionals and staff who work at all levels of education.
What is the ECCD System?
The ECCD System refers to the full range of health, nutrition, early childhood education, and social services development programs that for the basic holistic needs of young children below five (5) years of age, and promote their optimum growth and development.
The modalities for the delivery of these programs shall include:
(1) Center-based modalities, such as the day care service established under Republic Act No. 6972 or the “Barangay-Level Total Development and Protection of Children Act”, community or faith-based early childhood education programs initiated by NGOs or people’s organizations, workplace-related child care and education programs, child-minding centers, and health centers and stations;
(2) Home-based modalities, such as the neighborhood-based play groups, family child care programs, parent education, and home visiting programs; and
(3) Other alternative modalities that provide innovations, including those to be employed during and after disaster and emergency situations, for the development, effective implementation, and continuous delivery of ECCD services.
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