Professionalizing early childhood care
We often speak of upskilling our workforce for the fourth industrial revolution, but the truth is, the most critical skills development begins long before a Filipino steps into a factory or an office. It begins in the first 1,000 days of life. As the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) has repeatedly stressed, the foundations of learning are laid before a child even enters kindergarten. The brain’s plasticity is greatest from birth to 5 years old.
Yet, these foundations are severely compromised. Edcom 2 reports reveal that 23.6 percent of Filipino children under 5 are stunted, irreversibly impairing their cognitive development. By age 15, nine in 10 Filipino learners cannot read with understanding. At the frontlines of this hidden educational emergency are our child development workers (CDWs) and child development teachers (CDTs).
For decades, they have been the unsung heroes of our communities. But Edcom 2 uncovered a heartbreaking reality: prior to recent reforms, 89 percent of CDTs and CDWs remained in nonpermanent positions, receiving average monthly salaries of only P5,000, and honoraria as low as P1,000, or sometimes even P500. Furthermore, nearly 13,000 of the CDW workforce had only completed high school, while the country faces a staggering shortage of approximately 240,000 workers needed to achieve universal access to Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD). We cannot expect to fix the foundations of Philippine education if we do not support the very people tasked with shaping them.
The passage of Republic Act No. 12199, or the ECCD System Act, marks a historic turning point for our nation. This landmark legislation finally recognizes CDWs not as informal community volunteers, but as professional educators deserving of dignity, security of tenure, and commensurate compensation. By mandating minimum salary grades—at least Salary Grade (SG) 8 for CDWs and SG 11 for CDTs—and requiring local government units to create plantilla positions, the law provides the much-needed structural support for our early childhood workforce, and concomitantly better attention to the learning opportunities and environments of our younger learners.
But the law also demands capacity-building, and this is where the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) steps in. Recognizing that upskilling is essential to delivering quality early childhood care, the Tesda board approved the prioritization of training regulations for CDWs. In June 2025, we proudly signed a joint memorandum circular with the ECCD Council to provide standardized training and assessment for CDWs in line with Tesda’s new training regulations for a National Certificate (NC) III in ECCD services, crafted with United Nations Children’s Fund and the ECCD Council. This new NC III program equips our frontline workers with vital competencies—from managing center operations and tracking child development to implementing effective ECCD curricula.
To ensure that no CDW is left behind, Tesda is backing this policy with unprecedented resources. We have successfully allocated P240 million to fund scholarships for 9,796 incumbent CDWs to attain their NC III in ECCD services. This includes P80 million from the 2025 General Appropriations Act and an additional P160 million from Tesda’s internal scholarship programs. For 2026, the agency is targeting to reach over 18,000 ECCD learners with a budget of P440 million. These scholarships specifically target and prioritize incumbent CDWs whose highest educational attainment is a high school diploma, providing them with a concrete pathway to professionalization.
Tesda has also launched online modules on the free eTesda platform, called Tesda Online Program, to increase access to these trainings, while also developing a diploma ladderized into the early childhood education bachelors alongside the Teacher Education Council.
The transformation of our technical-vocational ecosystem must be lifelong and inclusive. By bringing our child development workers into the fold of formalized, high-quality technical vocational education and training through the NC III in ECCD services, we are not just upgrading careers and professionalizing our care economy; we are safeguarding the future of the Filipino child. When we empower our CDWs with the right skills and recognition, we ensure that every Filipino learner is given a fighting chance to succeed from day one. At Tesda, we remain committed to upskilling the Filipino workforce—starting with those who hold our nation’s future in their hands.
—————-
Kiko Benitez is the director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, holding the cabinet rank of secretary. He also served as a commissioner of Edcom 2.
