IRR of the Early Childhood Care and Development Act

Implement guidelines for national ECCD System ensuring health, nutrition, psychosocial, and learning needs from conception to age 6 are met.
State policies include promoting children’s rights, inclusion of special needs children, parental support, community involvement, and multi-sectoral collaboration.

Improve child survival rates via accessible health and nutrition programs.
Promote holistic development: physical, social, emotional, cognitive, psychological, spiritual, and language.
Enhance caregiver roles and facilitate smooth transition to formal education.
Develop service providers’ capabilities and community participation.
Early identification and intervention of developmental disabilities.
Improve quality through registration and credentialing of ECCD service providers.

"Child" refers to persons from conception to under 7 years.
ECCD System encompasses integrative health, education, nutrition, and psychosocial services.
ECCD Programs include center-based (schools, day care centers) and home-based (parent education, playgroups) services.
ECCD service providers range from professionals to volunteers tasked with child care and education.
Registration and Credential System regulates qualifications and accreditation of providers.

Child-centered, holistic approach engaging family, community, institutions.
Integration of health, nutrition, early education, and psychosocial services.
Five key components: ECCD curriculum; parent education, community mobilization; human resource development; program management; quality standards and accreditation.

Aims at total child development sensitive to socio-cultural background.
Characteristics: policy consistency, comprehensiveness, age and development appropriateness, gender fairness, cultural relevance.
Standards developed and periodically updated by NECCDCC with stakeholder consultation.

Develop parent strengths as caregivers, partners, advocates.
Organize parent/community groups focusing on family environment, participation, information dissemination, resource mobilization, and linking with related programs.

Professionalize ECCD service providers through competency standards, training, recruitment, registration, credentialing, and continuing education.
Collaborative program development with public/private sectors and academic institutions.

Public programs categorized as national or local government-managed; private programs managed by NGOs, POs, and private institutions.
Management involves planning, implementation, supervision, monitoring, evaluation, and financial management.
NECCDCC sets standards and guidelines for management.
LGUs prepare multi-year ECCD investment plans aligned with local development plans.

Develop M&E system assessing impact on children's quality of life, integrating data with government information systems.
Funds for ECCD managed by LGUs and private organizations following relevant fiscal laws and regulations.

National ECCD quality standards continuously developed and upgraded by NECCDCC.
Existing government accreditation processes adjusted to conform to national standards.

NECCDCC selects at least three regions annually based on participation rates and poverty indicators, aiming for national coverage in five years.
Priority cities/municipalities determined by unmet basic needs, low school participation, commitment, and funding capacity.
LGUs can self-initiate ECCD system establishment by counterpart funding.

National government agencies develop supportive policies, provide technical assistance, coordinate efforts, conduct advocacy, and mobilize resources.
LGUs provide basic public ECCD services, support parent cooperatives, ensure service provider compensation, and encourage stakeholder participation.
Accredited NGOs/private organizations collaborate in services, supplement resources, and participate in coordinating committees.
Families and communities contribute financially, volunteer, mobilize resources, and engage in planning and evaluation.

CWC functions as NECCDCC with members from various government agencies, two private ECCD experts, and a child/youth representative.
Four secretaries co-chair the Council.
Functions include policy promulgation, standards setting, program coordination, evaluation, early identification systems, resource maximization, funding support, private sector promotion, user fee monitoring, and reporting to Congress.
Secretariat managed by an Executive Director and two Deputy Executive Directors supported by seconded senior technical staff from member agencies.
Regional committees serve as sub-national extensions for coordination and advocacy.

Established at provincial/HUC, city/municipality, and barangay levels, integrated with existing development councils and child protection councils.
Committees chaired by local chief executives and comprise key local officials and NGO representatives.
Functions include service coordination, resource support, human resource development, program accreditation, documentation, database maintenance, local legislation promotion, and reporting.
Appointed ECCD Officers head secretariats at provincial and city/municipality levels, with specified qualifications and salary sources.

Funded by a mix of public and private sources prioritizing impoverished children.
LGUs support health and nutrition, day care, parent services, preschool/kindergarten programs.
National agencies include ECCD funding in annual budgets with dedicated line items.
Additional funds sourced for poor municipalities via inter-governmental institutions.
NECCDCC may establish trust funds.
Corporations encouraged to support workplace-based ECCD, with operating costs tax-deductible if no user fees charged.

PHP 400 million per year allocated from PAGCOR over five years.
Funds released quarterly to NECCDCC special account and allocated to LGUs via MOAs.
Funds managed following Local Government Code and other applicable guidelines.
PHP 30 million Organizational Adjustment Fund allocated for NECCDCC operationalization.

Invalidity of any provision does not affect remaining rules.
Supersedes inconsistent laws and regulations.
IRR effective 15 days after publication in two newspapers of general circulation.