(Left photo) Former Senator Ernesto Maceda graced the annual congress for DCWs in Pagadian City last April 16-17, 2012 (Right) Zambo. Sur District 1 Congresswoman Aurora Cerilles expressed her appreciation to the workers for their continued dedication to the program.

MACEDA LAUDS EFFORT, DEDICATION OF DAY CARE WORKERS

One of today’s unsung heroes are the workers of day care centers who tend to preschoolers on a day-to-day basis.

Identified as second mothers to our young children of today, being a day care work entails dedication and energy to be able to manage 20-30 kids a day. Commitment to the role is what a day care worker must possess. This is what former senator Ernesto Maceda confirmed, who praised this group of devoted women during the Provincial Congress for Zamboanga del Sur day care workers (DCWs) held in Pagadian City last April 16-17, 2012.

Almost 700 DCWs in attendance from all over the province, each was inspired with the message and admiration declared by the veteran senator who is a staunch supporter of the Day Care Service. Maceda, who graced the affair with the invitation of Governor Antonio Cerilles and Congresswoman Aurora Cerilles, promised to continually support the program. He also expressed his support to the ECCD program as he believes that early child brain development must be given much attention. Taking the opportunity with the DCWs as his audience, he challenged them to give their best and to make their time with the children as productive as possible. He also discussed highlights of the ECCD law otherwise known as RA 8980 of which he is one of its authors.

New Assessment Tool

One of the objectives of the congress is to update the workers on new provisions and policies in implementing the day care program. New policies on accreditation includes the new assessment tool which every worker must comply. However, Ms. Greta Martinez, DSWD focal person for Day Care Programs revealed that the new tool is more attainable compared to the previous tool embodied in the Administrative Order No. 15 (AO 15). The old tool necessitates a college degree as qualification for a day care worker, while the new tool allows even a high school graduate to qualify as a worker, provided that he/she demonstrates competence for the vocation and exudes good qualities that his/her wards could emulate.

ECCD in Emergency Situations

With the evolving societal challenges and with the frequent occureence of natural calamities resulting to evacuations of families, the DSWD with some experts on child development, developed a new module to prevent dormancy in a child’s early development. Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) in Emergencies aims to provide continuous physical and mental exercises for children even in emergency shelters or evacuation centers. Through the conduct of play therapy, trauma in children who experienced disasters will be lessened compared to those who did not undergo such sessions. Supervised Neighborhood Play (SNP) one activity for ECCD in Emergencies, is fully supported by UNICEF and is stipulated in the National Risk Reduction and Disaster Management Council Plan (NRRDMC) for 2012.

With the orientation, the challenge is now thrown at the lap of every day care worker as the government taps their help to become active partners in molding the future citizens of the nation.###(NZBUE)