Day Care Centers Construction Guidelines

The Order recognizes day care centers as a critical service where they address a need among disadvantaged families, particularly for children.
The Order treats early childhood care as determining factors for children’s development in later youth and adulthood.
The Order aims to assist working mothers by providing opportunities for children under five years old in development areas including physical, intellectual, socio-emotional, spiritual and language development.
The Order allows parents to concentrate on work with the assurance that children are cared for during the day care center’s hours.

Priority shall be given to targeted CIDSS barangays where minimum basic needs (MBN) results indicate a need for a day care center and/or where clustering of target day care center (DCC) clients requires additional DCC structure.
Target areas shall have a lot owned by the barangay, municipality or province or with a provision for tenure of at least 10 years.
The center’s construction site shall be accessible to target beneficiaries and shall not be located near a primary road or within a safe distance from major highways and thoroughfares.
The site shall be away from dangerous and unsanitary places and preferably near the rural health center.
The area shall have open spaces with trees to support outdoor activities for children.

The project implements day care as a service providing supplemental parental care to promote the physical, intellectual and social well-being of 0 to 5 years old children during part of the day when parents cannot attend to children’s needs.
Project implementation shall be facilitated by a trained worker and a Day Care Parents Committee, in cooperation with LGUs and other non-government agencies in the locality.
Construction is primarily a function of the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children, which shall organize a Day Care Parents Committee as a subcommittee to plan for and manage project implementation.
The Day Care Parents Committee shall be composed of parents of target beneficiaries, a representative of the barangay council, and a representative from an NGO if applicable.

The Day Care Parents Committee shall prepare the project proposal with the parents committee as proponent.
The project proposal shall contain: (1) Rationale/Justification; (2) Proposed site/location and Deed of Donation and/or MOA; (3) Description including objective/purpose, manpower to undertake construction, procurement/management/control of construction materials, and safe-keeping, maintenance and inventory of materials; (4) Program of Work; (5) Detailed Estimates.
Different sub-committees shall be created for specific tasks, including manpower and the community’s labor contribution for construction.
Negotiations with the local government shall be undertaken for the required LGU counterpart if appropriate.
The construction design shall follow standards and floor plans developed by the Bureau of Child and Youth Welfare, appended in the Order’s framework for compliance.
The building shall be structurally safe, able to withstand strong winds/typhoons, and shall protect children and facilities from heat of the sun and rain.

The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Municipal Government and DSWD shall include responsibilities of the Municipal Government, Parents Committee, Barangay Council, and DSWD.
DSWD shall review and approve the project proposal, program of work, and detailed estimates; and shall prepare documents such as the Certificate of Availability of Funds and notice to commence work.
DSWD shall conduct periodic monitoring and evaluation to ensure progress and accomplishment in accordance with program specifications.
DSWD shall inspect the site before disbursing funds and shall disburse funds directly to the Day Care Parents Committee as proponent in accordance with existing government rules and auditing procedures.
DSWD shall provide to the LGU the prescribed building design for DCC and shall conduct accreditation of the day care worker/center and provide skills enhancement opportunities for the Day Care Worker.
DSWD shall monitor and provide technical assistance in implementation of Day Care Service and shall submit pre and post inspection reports to COA.

For construction of DCC, an amount not less than PHP 200,000.00 shall cover materials, labor, and finishing excluding lot procurement cost.
For construction of DCC, DSWD funding assistance of PHP 150,000.00 shall be provided, and PHP 50,000.00 shall be sourced from LGU/Parents Committee/NGOs.
For repair/upgrading of DCC, funding assistance shall be maximum PHP 80,000.00 for repairs of an existing center to comply with standard specifications.
For repair/upgrading where the fund is insufficient, LGU/Parents Committee/NGO shall provide augmentation as counterpart.
Funds shall be sub-allotted to DSWD Field Offices.
Field Directors are authorized and held accountable for entering into an MOA with GO, LGU and NGO on CIDSS day care center construction and for approving vouchers and entering contracts within specified voucher/transaction limits: vouchers and transfers shall be approved for in excess of PHP 100,000.00 but not more than PHP 150,000.00 per barangay and/or within the bonding limit per transaction.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development shall monitor construction progress and ensure submission of the duly audited fund utilization report in coordination with Local Government Units.
The funding release, voucher approvals, contract entry, and disbursement shall follow existing budgeting and accounting rules and regulations.