328 child dev’t centers to be built this year in poor villages
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and Department of Education (DepEd) signed in Malacañang on Wednesday an agreement to build 328 more child development centers (CDCs) in low-income villages this year.
President Marcos witnessed the signing of the agreement that would further implement the 34-year-old law, Republic Act (RA) No. 6972, requiring such facilities in every barangay nationwide.
The President said that 89 of the 328 low-income villages are in Luzon, 106 in the Visayas, and 133 in Mindanao, including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The need for more CDCs emerged following reports from the Early Childhood Care and Development Council that at least 3,800 villages have yet to set up their centers.
The number was a far cry from the intention of RA 6972, or the “Barangay-Level Total Development and Protection of Children Act,” that was enacted in November 1990.
Mr. Marcos also ordered the DepEd and DBM to prioritize the funding for CDCs which were identified by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2).
In its Year Two Report, “Fixing the Foundations,” Edcom 2 noted that at least 5,800 villages, of which 229 belong to low-income local government units (LGUs), still have no CDCs.
There are a total of 1,642 cities and municipalities and 42,011 villages in the country as of 2024, data from the Department of the Interior and Local Government showed.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized the role of early childhood education in “breaking the cycle of learning poverty.”
“Early childhood education is a game changer. It shapes lifelong learning outcomes and impacts the trajectory of a child’s future,” he said in a statement.
Guidelines
The CDCs can be converted or refurbished into multipurpose buildings, as long as they stand on at least 150 square meters of land.
Under Edcom 2 guidelines, LGUs must submit their funding requests which will then be evaluated and endorsed by DepEd to DBM for final approval.
Edcom 2 officials welcomed the approval of a P1-billion fund for investment in the CDCs in low-income villages.
In a joint statement, Edcom 2 executive director Dr. Karol Mark Yee, as well as the commission’s joint chairs, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian and Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo, said the new CDCs would help ensure that children in marginalized areas have the support they need to thrive.
“Studies show that early childhood care and development is a critical investment that reduces dropouts in school, improves likelihood of mastering foundational skills, and even boosts achievement and income many years later in life,” Yee said.
