Day care centers and backyard gardens.

Day care centers and backyard gardens
By: Rina Jimenez-David, Philippine Daily Inquirer
March 12, 2012

In reaction to Sunday’s column on “Batang hamog and other children in the city,” Elon Sison, the indefatigable 90-plus-year-old mother-in-law of my cousin Ruben Pascual (his wife is Mayang Sison-Pascual), writes of her continuing concern about early childhood education for children of the urban poor.

“Yes, there are Barangay Day Care Centers mandated by an executive order (which requires) at least one (day care center) in each barangay where 3-6-year-olds are brought for a few hours under the care of day care workers while their mothers do some work. But how many such centers are there?” Lola Elon asks.

In Quezon City, where she resides and where she has long been an advocate for children and (many) other causes, Lola Elon reports that before former Mayor Sonny Belmonte was elected to the House of Representatives (subsequently becoming the Speaker), the local government funded 257 day care centers, with many of the city’s 140 barangays having more than one.

In 2005, Mayor Belmonte even allotted P800,000 for a workshop for day care workers (who are mostly volunteers), that was conducted by a professional early childhood education group (headed by Sr. Harriet Hormillosa) and the federation of homeowners associations (the AQCHAI). There were 257 participants who took part in a values-oriented workshop during the summer break. And from the participants themselves, says Lola Elon, “we learned how unprepared (they) were to handle properly these very impressionable and vulnerable children from poor families.” As a result, she adds, “Mayor Sonny signed a MOA with Miriam College (bless them) to give Saturday classes (to) groups of 100 (children) at a time. This (went on) until the 257 received their Teacher’s Certificates.”

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Under the new Quezon City administration, though, reports Lola Elon, the same group’s offer to give a Refresher Seminar on Early Childhood Development for the day care workers was refused by the head of the Q.C. Social Welfare Department, Ma. Teresa Mariano.

Read full article @ opinion.inquirer.net