IRR of the Early Childhood Care and Development Act

Legal basis and policy statements

The IRR is issued pursuant to Section 14 of Republic Act No. 8980.
The IRR implements Republic Act No. 8980, titled “Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Act.”
The State policy declares the promotion of children’s rights to survival, development, special protection and participation, with full recognition of the nature of childhood and its special needs.
The IRR commits to institutionalizing a national system for Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) that is comprehensive, integrative and sustainable, involving multi-sectoral and inter-agency collaboration at all levels.
The IRR directs that the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) functions as the National Early Childhood Care and Development Coordinating Council (NECCDCC) and formulates the necessary rules and regulations through consultation with appropriate government agencies and non-government organizations.

Purpose, state policy, and ECCD objectives

The IRR provides guidelines to concerned national government agencies, local government units, other public institutions, non-government organizations, people’s organizations, and private institutions for implementing the National ECCD System to ensure children’s basic health, nutrition, psychosocial and learning needs from conception to age (6) are adequately and substantially met (Section 1).
The IRR declares the policy to institutionalize a National System through complementary strategies to:
- Promote children’s rights to survival, development and special protection while recognizing their childhood and special needs (Section 2).
- Promote inclusion of children with special needs and advocate respect for cultural diversity (Section 2).
- Support and educate parents in their roles as primary caregivers and children’s first teachers (Section 2).
- Promote community development efforts through active involvement of communities to improve the quality of life of young children and families (Section 2).
- Utilize multi-sectoral and inter-agency collaboration at national and local levels among governments, service providers, families and communities, and among public and private sectors and NGOs/professional/academic institutions (Section 2).
The National ECCD System aims to achieve improved child survival by ensuring accessible health and nutrition programs from pre-natal period throughout early childhood years (Section 3).
The National ECCD System aims to enhance multiple dimensions of development and care, including physical, social, emotional, cognitive, psychological, spiritual, and language development; and ensure smooth transition from home/community or school-based care/education to primary school (Section 3).
The National ECCD System aims to include early identification, prevention, referral, and intervention of development disorders and disabilities in early childhood; and improve quality standards through, among others, a registration and credential system for ECCD service providers (Section 3).

Definitions and coverage concepts

The IRR defines “Act” as Republic Act No. 8980 (Section 4(a)).
The IRR defines “Child/children” as persons from conception to age six (below 7 years old) (Section 4(b)).
The IRR defines “ECCD System” as comprehensive, integrative, and sustainable programs, policies, and implementation structures and mechanisms ensuring children’s well-being and optimum growth and development (Section 4(c)).
The IRR defines “ECCD Programs” as the full range of health, nutrition, early education, psycho-social, and other services providing for holistic needs at national and local levels, including center-based and home-based programs (Section 4(d)).
The IRR defines “Center-based programs” as services undertaken in a center, school, workplace, or similar settings, including day care services established under Republic Act No. 6972, public and private pre-schools, kindergarten or school-based programs, community/church-based programs by NGOs/people’s organizations, workplace-related child care and education programs, child-minding centers, and health centers and stations (Section 4(e)).
The IRR defines “Home-based programs” as services at the family level at home or in the neighborhood, including neighborhood play groups, Parent Effectiveness Service (PES), family day care, child-minding homes, parent education, and home visiting programs (Section 4(f)).
The IRR defines “ECCD Service Providers” as professionals, paraprofessionals, volunteer caregivers and organizers directly responsible for care and education of young children through center and home-based ECCD programs (including, among others, social workers, teachers, physicians, nurses, nutritionist-dietitians, psychologists, day care workers, teacher-aides, rural health midwives, community organizers, community health workers, barangay nutrition scholars, PES volunteers, child development workers, and family day care providers) (Section 4(i)).
The IRR defines “ECCD Curriculum” as age- and developmentally-appropriate educational objectives, program of activities, organized learning experiences, and recommended learning materials implemented through center and home-based programs, integrating local learning experiences and indigenous learning materials (Section 4(k)).
The IRR defines “Parent Education” as formal and alternative means providing parents with information, skills, values formation and support to assist their roles as primary caregivers and educators, linked to center/home/media-based child care and education (Section 4(l)).
The IRR defines “Registration and Credential System” as the system dealing with qualification standards, registration, accreditation, and equivalency of ECCD service providers and supervisors based on competencies and skills including work experience and formal and alternative educational qualifications (Section 4(m)).
The IRR defines “User Fees” as payments, monetary or non-monetary, for a child’s participation in public and private ECCD programs (Section 4(n)).

ECCD system framework and components

The National ECCD System Framework is anchored on the principle that the child is at the center of development and that needs are holistic, empowering the family, community and institutions to maximize their participation and support (Section 5).
The system’s comprehensive, integrative and sustainable attributes are achieved through convergence of health, nutrition, early education, and psycho-social concepts, goals, processes, approaches and services, through supportive and responsive ECCD growth and learning environment (Section 5).
The IRR institutionalizes a participatory and direct-action approach to delivery of accessible and affordable services supportive of family socio-economic and cultural environments, where families, communities and organizations are equal ECCD partners of the government (Section 5).
The National ECCD System includes these components (Section 6):
- ECCD Curriculum.
- Parent Education and Involvement, Advocacy and Mobilization of Communities.
- Human Resource Development Program.
- ECCD Program Management.
- Quality Standards and Accreditation.
ECCD Curriculum is required to focus on the child’s total development according to individual needs and socio-cultural background, and promote complementary and integrative services, using the child’s first language as medium of communication (Section 7).
ECCD Curriculum must be consistent with national policies and standards, comprehensive and integrative, age- and developmentally-appropriate, and gender-fair, culturally-relevant and responsive to diverse groups of children (Section 7).

Curriculum, parent/community, and HRD duties

The NECCDCC must develop, periodically review, and enrich ECCD curriculum standards in consultation with local ECCD coordinating committees, local ECCD specialists, parents, service providers, and stakeholders (Section 8).
ECCD curriculum standards must consider existing curricula used in day care centers, schools, and parent education/involvement programs; and must be promoted and disseminated for adaptation by public and private institutions and organizations (Section 8).
The Parent Education and Involvement, Advocacy and Mobilization of Communities component must harness and develop parents’ strengths as primary caregivers/providers at home, active partners of stakeholders, advocates for community concerns affecting children, and pillars supporting local and national ECCD programs through community organization efforts (Section 9).
Parent and community support groups must be organized and/or strengthened, with the NECCDCC ensuring—through local ECCD coordinating committees—that such groups:
- Create a family environment conducive to full and harmonious development of children’s personality (Section 10).
- Strengthen and expand parent participation in existing center-based and home-based programs (Section 10).
- Disseminate information and promote knowledge on health, nutrition, early education, psycho-social development, values and spirituality, and other services (Section 10).
- Mobilize communities, people’s and non-government organizations to develop and implement ECCD action plans in partnership with LGUs (Section 10).
- Establish and strengthen linkages with other enabling programs for ECCD (Section 10).
The Human Resource Development Program must define core competency standards, a training framework, strategies and mechanisms for continuing education; institutionalize a recruitment, registration, and credential system; and foster continuing education through formal and complementary/alternative training forms (Section 11).
The NECCDCC must develop and implement the Human Resource Development Program in collaboration with public and private sectors, local ECCD coordinating committees, professional associations, and academic/training institutions and organizations (Section 12).

Program management and quality accreditation rules

ECCD programs must be managed as public or private programs in accordance with the IRR:
- Public ECCD programs include nationally and locally-managed programs funded by government, including school-based ECCD kindergarten and Grade 1 classes and workplace-related ECCD programs (Section 13(a)(i)), and local programs such as maternal and child health services, day care service, parent education, home-based programs, and workplace-related ECCD programs (Section 13(a)(ii)).
- Private sector programs include those managed and funded by private organizations/institutions, NGOs, and POs duly recognized and/or accredited by national government agencies under NECCDCC standards; these include private pre-school programs, family day care, and supervised neighborhood play (Section 13(b)).
ECCD program management must involve continuing processes of planning, implementation, supervision, monitoring, evaluation, and financial management for both public and private ECCD programs (Section 14).
The NECCDCC must set ECCD program standards and guidelines for program management processes in consultation with local ECCD coordinating committees (Section 14).
The NECCDCC must adopt a 5-year ECCD plan at national level as basis for annual workplans prepared jointly by member agencies (Section 15(a)).
Local ECCD coordinating committees must formulate three (3) year ECCD investment plans and annual work and financial plans consistent with NECCDCC guidelines and consistent with the comprehensive local development plan, and submit these to local development councils and Sanggunians for approval (Section 15(b)).
Local ECCD coordinating committees must ensure ECCD plans are formulated before budget preparation and before submission of local development plan and annual investment program to the local finance committee (Section 15(c)).
Integration of health, nutrition, psycho-social development, early education, and other services is mandatory through NECCDCC and ECCD coordinating committees at provincial/city/municipal levels, with member agencies providing supervision and technical assistance (Section 16).
The Barangay ECCD Coordinating Committee (BECCDCC) must ensure comprehensive, integrated, and sustainable delivery of ECCD services in the barangay, and individual members must provide direct ECCD services (Section 16).
The NECCDCC must develop an M&E system for public and private ECCD programs, including common indicators, baseline data generation from implementing agencies and LGUs, integration into management information systems, consolidation by NECCDCC, and use as basis for policy and program development and implementation (Section 17).
NECCDCC funds must be managed directly by implementing LGUs through a special account solely for ECCD programs and services, consistent with financial procedures in the Local Government Code (Section 18(a)).
Other sources of LGU-generated funds must be managed under local fiscal administration procedures under the Local Government Code (Section 18(b)).
Private institutions/NGOs/POs receiving external funds must manage those funds under their governing boards procedures and/or constitution and by-laws (Section 18(c)).
Each ECCD component must conform to national ECCD quality standards established by NECCDCC, and standards must be continuously reviewed and upgraded by NECCDCC based on researchers, pilot studies and best practice models in consultation with local ECCD coordinating committees (Section 19).
Existing accreditation processes and standards of different government agencies must be adjusted to conform to the prescribed national quality standards (Section 20).

Coverage expansion: priority areas selection

The NECCDCC must select at least three (3) regions for each year to achieve national coverage for a period of five (5) years, and all provinces/cities/municipalities within selected regions must establish their respective ECCD System within three (3) years (Section 21).
Selection of priority regions must consider:
- Low level of participation of 3-5 year old population in existing day care and pre-school services (Section 22(a)).
- Number of provinces and cities with high incidence of poverty, low birth weight, infant and under five (5) mortality, malnutrition, maternal mortality, low participation rate in Grade I, and high drop-out rate among Grade I pupils (Section 22(b)).
The Provincial ECCD Coordinating Committee must determine priority component cities/municipalities based on:
- Number of barangays with most number of unmet 0-6 year old focused minimum basic needs (MBN) indicators (Section 23(a)).
- Number of barangays with low participation rate in Grade I and high drop-out rate among Grade I pupils (Section 23(b)).
- Willingness to participate and has ECCD as a priority program (Section 23(c)).
- Capacity to provide counterpart funds and resources under a viable cost-sharing scheme developed by NECCDCC ensuring equitable access to special resources for ECCD by poorest municipalities (Section 23(d)).
Component cities/municipalities (including highly urbanized cities) must determine priority barangays using the same criteria (Section 23).
LGUs not selected as priority sites for a given year may use a self-selection alternative by institutionalizing an ECCD System in their locality through counterpart funding to be determined by NECCDCC (Section 24).

Roles of national agencies, LGUs, NGOs, families

The establishment of the National ECCD System is the joint responsibility of national government agencies, LGUs, NGOs, and accredited private organizations to provide services, training, and/or technical assistance (Section 25).
Member national government agencies of NECCDCC must develop supportive policies and programs, provide technical assistance and support, jointly prepare annual workplans, consolidate implementing guidelines for integrated service delivery, integrate ECCD data/indicators into management information systems, conduct information/education/advocacy campaigns, and undertake resource generation and mobilization to support LGUs (Section 26).
DSWD must (among others) develop social technologies and set standards for family and child welfare ECCD programs; register/license/accredit public and private ECCD centers, programs, and service providers for children below 5 years of age; conduct research; encourage home/community/workplace-based ECCD services; promote technical support for developmental screening tools; and conduct capability-building activities (Section 27(a)).
DepEd must (among others) promote and support ECCD in schools; make accessible public elementary school facilities for ECCD classes; supervise school-based ECCD programs; set standards for curriculum, staff requirements and physical facilities for preschool registration; conduct early identification/screening/surveillance of early childhood disabilities, developmental problems and giftedness; and issue permits to public/private pre-schools through division offices (Section 27(b)).
DOH must (among others) develop guidelines/standards/plans/projects on ECCD; develop capabilities of health workers and ECCD service providers; ensure EPI vaccine and micronutrient supplementation nationwide; ensure health services at DOH-retained hospitals; provide technical assistance on maternal and child health; support developmental screening tools; and conduct research (Section 27(c)).
DILG must (among others) develop LGU capabilities for ECCD system management; formulate and issue LGU-support policies; assist in organizing LCPCs/ECCDCCs; and monitor and evaluate functionality of LCPCs/ECCDCCs (Section 27(d)).
DOJ must (among others) review and recommend reforms in ECCD-related laws/policies; issue legal opinions on ECCD implementation; promote rights of young children among justice pillars; and promote and monitor child protection services with ECCD as integral to prevention of child abuse and exploitation (Section 27(e)).
DA must (among others) encourage mainstreaming ECCD activities in DA programs, facilitate better access to food by farming and fisherfolk families, and integrate ECCD concerns in training modules of concerned agencies (Section 27(f)).
DOLE must (among others) encourage workplace-based ECCD services in private establishments; ensure a workplace conducive to pregnant and lactating mothers; and strictly monitor ECCD-related policies and labor standards by private establishments (Section 27(g)).
NEDA must ensure ECCD integration in the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) and companion documents (MTPIP and RDPs), assist NECCDCC in sourcing Official Development Assistance funds including scholarship grants, provide technical assistance for project development and monitor ODA-funded priority child projects, and facilitate discussions in NEDA social development committees and inter-agency fora (Section 27(h)).
NNC must mainstream ECCD in relevant nutrition plan action programs, particularly capacity building for nutrition planners/managers at national and local levels, and disseminate information on proper nutrition (Section 27(i)).
LGUs must implement the national ECCD program through basic public ECCD services, support organization of parent cooperatives for ECCD programs, ensure just compensation and adequate funds and conducive working conditions for public ECCD service providers to meet national quality standards, provide counterpart funds for training and continued education of ECCD service providers and for supporting provincial/city/municipal/barangay ECCD coordinating committees/LCPCs, and ensure active stakeholder participation in ECCD planning/implementation/monitoring/evaluation (Section 28).
Accredited NGOs and private organizations must initiate or collaborate with government in establishing and implementing ECCD programs through service delivery/training/technical assistance, supplement resources for needy and high-risk children from poor communities, and actively participate in ECCD coordinating committees as appropriate (Section 29).
Families and communities must support local ECCD programs by participating in projects for their children’s overall development, including contributing monthly to subsidize recurrent costs, volunteering time/services for those who cannot afford contributions or user fees, mobilizing and generating resources with local ECCD coordinating committees for maintenance and sustainability, and participating in planning/implementation/monitoring/evaluation (Section 30).

NECCDCC structure and operations

The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) also functions as the NECCDCC and must ensure sustained inter-agency and multi-lateral collaboration at national, provincial, city/municipal, and barangay levels (Section 31).
The NECCDCC is composed of CWC member departments/agencies (DSWD, DepEd, DOH, DILG, DOJ, DA, DOLE, NEDA, NNC), the CWC secretariat, two private individuals, and a child/youth representative, in addition to existing CWC membership items enumerated in the IRR (Section 32(a)-(l)).
The President appoints two (2) private individuals who are ECCD practitioners and experts for a term of two (2) years, subject to only one (1) reappointment (Section 32).
The Secretaries of DSWD, DepEd, DOH, and DILG act as co-chairpersons and must be represented by persons with rank not lower than an Undersecretary (Section 33).
The NECCDCC must promulgate ECCD policies and implementing guidelines; establish ECCD program standards; develop and implement a national system for recruitment, registration, continuing education, equivalency, and credentialing of ECCD service providers/supervisors/administrators; develop a system of awards and recognition; coordinate line-agency ECCD programs and monitor nationwide delivery to beneficiaries; evaluate and assess impact/outcomes through an effective management information system; establish early identification/screening/surveillance for early childhood disabilities, developmental problems and giftedness; implement support mechanisms prioritizing needy/high-risk children from poor communities; provide counterpart funds for establishing/expanding public ECCD; promote private sector initiatives; monitor user fees and contributions to ensure affordability and reasonable limits; provide guidelines for ECCD coordinating committees’ solicitations and requests for assistance from local and international civic organizations and private philanthropic foundations; and submit an annual report to Congress (Section 34).
The CWC secretariat serves as the Secretariat of the NECCDCC (Section 35).
The Secretariat must be headed by an Executive Director appointed by the President upon recommendation of the Council, with rank, privileges and emoluments of a Career Executive Service Officer (CESO) (Section 36).
The Executive Director must be assisted by two (2) Deputy Executive Directors, one exclusively for ECCD programs/activities and the other for existing CWC functions (Section 37).
Each member agency must assign a senior technical staff with salary grade (SG) not lower than eighteen (18) to assist the Deputy Executive Directors, serving at least two (2) years subject to renewal, and entitlement to additional remuneration allowed by law; secondment is subject to Civil Service secondment rules unless otherwise provided (Section 38).
Secretariat functions include coordinating and monitoring implementation/enforcement of NECCDCC policies and guidelines; coordinating establishment of ECCD systems at various levels; conducting ECCD information/education/advocacy campaigns; managing funds for establishment and implementation of the National ECCD System; and performing other NECCDCC-directed functions (Section 39).
The Regional Committee/Sub-Committee for the Welfare of Children (RCWC/RSCWC) of the Regional Development Council (RDC) acts as an extension of NECCDCC and must coordinate planning/implementation/monitoring/evaluation of regional child policies/programs particularly ECCD; appraise and recommend approval of work and financial plans of Provincial/HUC ECCD coordinating committees; advocate ECCD and provide technical assistance; and perform other functions directed by NECCDCC (Section 40).

Local ECCD coordinating committees

A Provincial/HUC ECCD Coordinating Committee must be created in every province and highly urbanized city under the Provincial/City Development Council (Section 41).
The Provincial/HUC ECCD Coordinating Committee is chaired by the Provincial Governor/City Mayor and includes listed officials (Schools Division Superintendent; planning and development coordinator; budget officer; health officer; DILG director; social welfare and development officer; treasurer; nutrition action officer; president of provincial league of municipalities or City Liga ng mga Barangay) plus two (2) NGO representatives appointed for a two (2) year term subject to one (1) reappointment (Section 42).
The Provincial/HUC ECCD Coordinating Committee must coordinate service delivery and support from NECCDCC and national agencies; support municipalities and barangays in expansion/improvement; support HRD program development; maintain ECCD management information system with registry/directory of programs and service providers; facilitate accreditation; prepare provincial/HUC program and action plan and annual investment plan integrating municipal/component city inputs; adapt provincial early identification/prevention/referral/intervention system consistent with the national system; assist organization of component ECCD coordinating committees; monitor ECCD programs including workplace-based programs and submit periodic reports to RSCWC; initiate/support ECCD legislations; promote private initiatives; and perform other NECCDCC-directed functions (Section 43).
A Provincial/HUC ECCD Coordinating Committee secretariat must be organized and headed by the Provincial/City ECCD Officer appointed by the Governor/City Mayor upon recommendation of the committee, with rank/privileges/emoluments of a Department Head (Section 44).
The Provincial/HUC ECCD Officer must have a Master’s degree in an ECCD-related field and experience in program management in related ECCD fields (Section 45).
For the first three (3) years of ECCD System establishment in the province, salaries/allowances/benefits of the Provincial ECCD Officer are sourced from NECCDCC; afterward, the province provides them; the province may create positions or detail staff and provide logistics; for highly urbanized cities, the officer’s salaries/allowances/benefits are paid and charged against local government funds (Section 46).
A City/Municipal ECCD Coordinating Committee must be created in every city and municipality under the City/Municipal Development Council (Section 47).
The City/Municipal committee is chaired by the City/Municipal Mayor and includes listed officials plus two (2) NGO representatives appointed for a two (2) year term subject to one (1) reappointment, and includes Parent-Teachers-Community Federation President and City/Municipal President of the Liga ng mga Barangay (Section 48).
The City/Municipal ECCD Coordinating Committee must coordinate and monitor delivery at barangay level; support expansion/improvement; develop and implement HRD for providers/supervisors; facilitate accreditation; ensure proper documentation and timely reporting to PECCDCC; establish and maintain an ECCD database; prepare city/municipal program/action plan and annual investment plan for PECCDCC; organize/strengthen barangay ECCD committees/Barangay Councils for the Protection of Children; implement early screening/intervention for children with disabilities and other special needs; mobilize private initiatives; recommend local ECCD legislations; provide support/subsidy for improvement/expansion in neediest barangays; and perform other NECCDCC-directed functions (Section 49).
The City/Municipal committee must organize a secretariat headed by the City/Municipal ECCD Officer appointed by the Mayor upon recommendation of the committee; the officer may be the Social Welfare and Development Officer if supported by sufficient staff (Section 50).
The City/Municipal ECCD Officer must have a college degree in an ECCD-related field and direct experience in ECCD service delivery (Section 51).
The salaries/allowances/benefits of the City/Municipal ECCD Officer and other staff assuming secretariat work are charged against local government funds (Section 52).
The Barangay ECCD Coordinating Committee is the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC) created under Presidential Decree No. 603, and all barangays must establish BCPC in their respective areas (Section 53).
The BCPC/BECCDCC composition includes the Punong Barangay, school heads, barangay health midwife, barangay health worker, barangay nutrition scholar, day care workers, Sangguniang Kabataan Chairperson, an NGO/PO representative, and **two (2) representatives of parent organization in the barangay, if any, or any two (2) responsible