Law Summary
Mandate and Legal Bases for Accreditation
- Presidential Decree No. 603: Day Care Services must be accredited and licensed by the Department of Social Welfare.
- Republic Act No. 6972: DSWD formulates criteria and standards for selection, qualifications, training, and accreditation of day care workers, and implementation standards.
- Executive Order No. 340: DSWD tasked to license and accredit day care services, facilities, and workers within NGAs and GOCCs.
Definitions of Key Terms
- Day Care Center: Community or workplace facility for children aged 3 to 5, providing care during part of the day.
- Day Care Worker: Trained and accredited provider of substitute parental care and early childhood development for children aged 3 to 5.
- Accreditation: Process ensuring minimum day care service standards are met.
- Accreditation Certificate: Recognition for day care centers meeting DSWD standards.
- Identification Card: Issued to day care workers meeting training and standards.
- Authorized DCC/DCW Accreditors: LGU social welfare officers or trained government volunteers authorized by Field Directors, valid for three years.
Coverage and Applicability
- Accreditation covers day care centers run by LGUs, NGAs, GOCCs, POs, NGOs licensed by DSWD.
- Includes day care workers managing these centers.
Accreditation Process
- Application: Requests are forwarded to DSWD Field Offices.
- Assessment: Includes interviews with parent committee members, records review, observation of sessions, and facility assessment.
- Issuance of Accreditation: Certificates and IDs issued upon favorable assessment based on star rating.
- Five stars: valid for 5 years.
- Four stars: valid for 4 years.
- Three stars: valid for 3 years.
- Below three stars: no certificate issued, but technical assistance provided.
Roles of DSWD Central and Field Offices
- Central Office Standards Bureau: Develop/enrich standards, ensure compliance, conduct audits, maintain national data.
- SWADI/CPDD: Develop and conduct training on Early Childhood Care and Development.
- Field Offices: Identify accreditors, monitor accreditation targets, review accreditation instruments, issue certificates and IDs, provide technical assistance, submit reports.
Benefits of Accreditation for Day Care Workers
- Eligibility for monthly allowance from LGUs.
- Access to DSWD capability building activities.
- Inclusion in national and international early childhood development (ECD) networks.
- Invitations to conferences and dialogues on ECD policies and services.
- Possible subsidies for program implementation.
Suspension or Revocation of Accreditation
- Grounds include child abuse, exploitation, neglect, exposure to danger.
- Use of center for immoral purposes.
- Repeated deviations from policies and procedures.
Separability Clause and Effectivity
- This order supersedes inconsistent previous DSWD issuances.
- Takes effect immediately upon adoption on September 4, 2000.