Aklan children to benefit from Early Childhood care program

Kalibo, Aklan -- Thousands of Aklanon children from the province’ six municipalities will benefit much from the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) program of the government, now ready for implementation here this year.

According to the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) here, these municipalities are Altavas, Banga, Buruanga, Libacao, Malay and Malinao, and their selection for inclusion in the program was based on their children’s mortality rates.

For the ECCD program, Evangeline Gallega of the PSWDO here who is designated as ECCD Assistant Provincial Officer, said a total of P23.57 million will cover the program in three years, which will be equally divided among the 6 municipalities.

Of this fund amount, P16.5 million is being provided by the Philippine Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) through the Council for the Welfare of Children, and while the local government units here will provide a counterpart of P7.07 million.

Gallega, who attended the Visayas Cluster of the Seminar Workshop on ECCD recently in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, said that in the case of Aklan’s counterpart fund, fifty percent of the P7.07 million will be shouldered by the provincial government while the six municipalities will share equally the remaining fifty percent counterpart.

“The 3-year implementation of the ECCD program in Aklan will focus on the improvement of day care centers and barangay health stations, conduct of supplemental feeding, micronutrient supplementation to pregnant and lactating mothers, Vitamin A supplementation for children, new born screening, and tetanus toxoid immunization for pregnant mothers”, Gallega said.

Gallega said that one unique aspect of the ECCD program which will be practiced in the barangays is the supervised neighborhood play, wherein a mother who cannot leave her household to bring her child or children to the day care center, will take charge herself of a learning activity among children in the neighborhood. Under this arrangement, she will be given play and learning materials and act as a day care worker for the neighborhood children, but only in the vicinity of her home. The mother, however, should make sure that the area is safe for the children, and conducive enough for the children’s learning and playing activities.

The ECCD program will be implemented all over the country, according to Gallega. In Western Visayas, the province of Capiz has a year ahead of implementing this program while the remaining provinces are now readying necessary arrangements for the program’s implementation this year.
Here in Aklan, with the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s fast passage of a resolution updating the Local Development Plan for Children and adopting the 2007-2009 ECCD Investment Plan and Work for Financial Plan as requested by Aklan Governor Carlito S. Marquez, the first tranch of the fund amounting to P5.5 million will be released July 15 this year which will be equally divided by the 6 municipalities.

The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) was created through PD 603 under the Office of the President, but is now under the Department of Social Welfare and Development through E.O. 630 issued by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The ECCD, on the other hand, is mandated under RA 8980, according to the PSWDO here.

Aklan’s Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Elma Malbas is ECCD’s action officer. (PIA/Venus G. Villanueva)