Question & AnswerQ&A (CWC COUNCIL Resolution NO. 1, S. 2002, APRIL 4, 2002)
The IRR provides guidelines for concerned government agencies, local government units, and private institutions to implement a comprehensive national policy institutionalizing the National ECCD System to ensure the basic health, nutrition, psychosocial, and learning needs of children from conception to age six are met.
The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), which also functions as the National Early Childhood Care and Development Coordinating Council (NECCDCC), is tasked with formulating and issuing the rules and regulations for implementation.
A 'child' refers to a person from conception to age six (below 7 years old).
The components include ECCD Curriculum; Parent Education and Involvement, Advocacy and Mobilization of Communities; Human Resource Development Program; ECCD Program Management; and Quality Standards and Accreditation.
LGUs implement the national ECCD program by providing basic public ECCD services, organizing parent cooperatives, ensuring just compensation for service providers, providing counterpart funds for training and operations, and ensuring active participation of stakeholders in ECCD programs.
The BCPC functions as the Barangay ECCD Coordinating Committee and is responsible for ensuring delivery of ECCD services, early screening and referral systems, conducting information campaigns, maintaining ECCD databases, consolidating reports, and supporting local ECCD legislation.
The NECCDCC develops a national system for recruitment, registration, continuing education, equivalency, and credentialing of ECCD service providers, supervisors, and administrators to professionalize the ECCD sector and improve quality standards.
Funding comes from an appropriation of P400 million per year from PAGCOR over five years, allocations from member agencies' budgets, counterpart funding from LGUs, supplemental resources from private and international sources, and a possible trust fund established by NECCDCC.
A Master's degree in ECCD-related fields such as social work, community development, health, education, nutrition, or psychology and experience in program management in related ECCD fields.
By anchoring the system on the principle that the child is at the center with holistic needs, encouraging integration and convergence of health, nutrition, early education, and psychosocial services through multi-sectoral and inter-agency collaboration at all levels.