Following the kickoff of the National Children’s Month celebration this November, Senator Win Gatchalian pressed the need to improve the quality and delivery of early childhood care and development (ECCD) services, including nutrition programs.

Mobilizing local government units (LGUs) will be key to achieving this goal, Gatchalian said. Under the Basic Education and Early Childhood Care and Development Alignment Act (Senate Bill No. 2575), which Gatchalian authored and sponsored), LGUs shall be responsible for the implementation of ECCD programs, which covers the full range of health, nutrition, early childhood education, and social services development programs for the holistic needs of children below five years old.

To achieve universal coverage for the National ECCD System, LGUs shall identify young children, including the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized, and support their parents or parent-substitutes. LGUs shall also be responsible for providing facilities and resources and creating plantilla positions for child development teachers and child development workers, among others. 

According to a May 2024 discussion paper by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), around 3.7 million or one in every three Filipino children below five years old are stunted or too short for their age. The study added that for 2022, only 20% of Filipino children aged three to four participate in pre-kindergarten programs.

“Bahagi ng pag-angat ng kalidad sa edukasyon ng bansa ang pagpapatatag sa pundasyon ng ating mga kabataan sa pamamagitan ng early childhood care and development o ECCD. Sa pagkamit ng layuning ito, mahalaga ang papel ng ating mga LGUs upang maabot natin ang bawat bata, matiyak na makakalahok sila sa mga programa ng ECCD, at matugunan ang kanilang pangangailangan sa kalusugan at nutrisyon,” said Gatchalian, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.