March 29, 2024

The efficient delivery of Early Childhood Care and Development(ECCD) programs will be highly dependent on the involvement of the parents or guardians of pre-schoolers.
The City Social Welfare and Development Office Officer Betty Fangasan has announced the office will adopt the home-based learning approach in which parents will be trained or oriented on how to deliver the ECCD services to children at home.
Fangasan briefed the city council last week on how the CSWDO will implement programs under the ECCD curriculum in light of the Covid-19 pandemic that has altered the manner by which classes are delivered.
She said the child development workers or day care workers will train or orient parents or guardians on how they will teach or deliver the activities that children need to accomplish in each ECCD module.
She said the challenge now for the CSDWO is on how to get working parents to be involved in the new learning approach, especially since they are required to meet with the child development worker for orientation or briefing on the lesson or activities that they will demonstrate to their kids.
“Parents need to inform the child development workers of their preferred schedule or availability for the mentoring. We (acknowledge) the challenge involving the working parents, but they really need to find time,” Fangasan said.
She said a workshop will be held to capacitate child development workers on how to approach or deal with parents who have no time to meet with them for mentoring.
Another challenge that the CSWDO is trying to address is the concern on parents or guardians who may be available, but could not be able to deliver the ECCD services.
Fangasan said they will tap unemployed adults to become the partners of child development workers in mentoring children at home.
She said senior citizens could not be involved in the delivery of ECCD services as they are among the age groups that are vulnerable to the Covid-19 infection.
Daycare workers will conduct weekly home visits to follow-up on the accomplishment of the child, following the minimum health and safety protocols to mitigate the spread of the Covid-19.
Fangasan said they will also ask the help of the barangay council for the protection of children to help them in monitoring the home-based approach implementation of the ECCD services.
She added there has been a decline in the number of children who were registered under the ECCD. So far, 1,250 parents have signified their intention to register their kinds for school year 2020-2021.
In the past, about 5,000 kids are enrolled for the ECCD.
Fangasan said she hopes the number will increase in the coming months before ECCD classes start on Sept. 14. – Jane B. Cadalig