Thursday, July 26, 2007

Aklan Children To Benefit Early Childhood Care Program

Thousands of Aklanon children in the province’ six municipalities will benefit much from the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) program of the government, now ready for implementation in Aklan this year.
These municipalities are Altavas, Banga, Buruanga, Libacao, Malay and Malinao. Their inclusion in the program was based on their children’s mortality rates.
For the ECCD program, Evangeline Gallega, the PSWDO ECCD Assistant Provincial Officer, said a total of P23.57 million will cover the program in three years, which will be equally divided among the 6 municipalities.
Of this fund amount, P16.5 million is provided by the Philippine Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) through the Council for the Welfare of Children, while the local government units will provide a counterpart of P7.07 million.
According to Gallega who attended the Visayas Cluster of the Seminar Workshop on ECCD held in Tagbilaran City, Aklan’s counterpart fund, will be P7.07 million, 50 percent of which will be shouldered by the provincial government while the six municipalities will share equally the remaining fifty percent counterpart.
“The 3-year implementation of the ECCD program in Aklan will focus on the improvement of day care centers and barangay health stations, conduct of supplemental feeding, micronutrient supplementation to pregnant and lactating mothers, Vitamin A supplementation for children, new born screening, and tetanus toxoid immunization for pregnant mothers”, Gallega said.
One unique aspect of the ECCD program which will be practiced in the barangays is the supervised neighborhood play, where a mother who cannot leave her household to bring her child or children to the day care center, will take charge herself of a learning activity among children in the neighborhood.
Under this arrangement, a mother will be given play and learning materials. Act as a day care worker for the neighborhood children in the vicinity of her home. The mother, however, makes sure that the area is safe for the children, and conducive for their learning and playing activities.
The ECCD program will be implemented all over the country, according to Gallega. In Aklan, with the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s passage of a resolution updating the Local Development Plan for Children and adopting the 2007-2009 ECCD Investment Plan and Work for Financial Plan as requested by Aklan Governor Carlito S. Marquez, the first tranch of the fund amounting to P5.5 million was released July 15 this year and equally divided among the 6 municipalities.
The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) was created through PD 603 under the Office of the President, but is now under the Department of Social Welfare and Development through E.O. 630. The ECCD, is mandated under RA 8980.
Aklan’s Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Elma Malbas is ECCD’s action officer (PIA-Aklan). /MP

No comments: