Early childhood care law awaits Aquino’s approval

MANILA, Philippines - The proposed Early Years Act (EYA), which seeks to implement a system of boosting the physical and mental development of young children, awaits the signature of President Aquino.

House Bill 6694, or the Act Recognizing the Age from Zero to Eight Years as the First Crucial Stage of Educational Development and Strengthening the Early Childhood Care and Development System, was adopted in full by the Senate.

EYA seeks to institutionalize a national system for Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) which aims to provide health, nutrition, early education, and social services development programs for young children aged zero to four years, children aged zero to eight with special needs and disabilities, and children who are blind, deaf or deaf-blind.

ECCD is a comprehensive and integrative system that involves multi-sectoral and interagency collaboration among government agencies, service providers, families and communities, private sectors, non-government organizations, professional associations, and academic institutions.

Under the proposed measure the ECCD Council, the Departments of Education, Social Welfare and Development, Health, the National Nutrition Council, and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines shall provide continuing professional development program support, supplementary learning and reference materials, and supplemental nutrition and health care services.

The local government units, meanwhile, shall include allocations from their Special Education Fund and Gender and Development Fund to support the implementation of ECCD programs.

Manila Rep. Rosenda Ann Ocampo, chair of the House committee on basic education and culture and one of the authors of the bill, said it is the policy of the State to promote the rights of children to survival and their development and special protection with full recognition of the nature of childhood.

“The State also recognizes the age from zero to eight years as the first crucial stage of educational development of which the age from zero to four years shall be the responsibility of the Early Childhood Care and Development Council,” Ocampo said.

“The responsibility to help develop children in the formative years between age five to eight years shall be with the Department of Education,” she added.

The late Sorsogon Rep. Salvador Escudero was also one of the principal authors of the measure.