Do you know that the Day Care Service originally started as play and socialization among young children, and now, a very fundamental program that every Filipino Child must go through?

The Day Care Service is part of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD’s) commitment to the human development concerns of children as a response to the country’s ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) where the Philippines as a state party, recognizes the significant role of Day Care Service in the development of children’s well-being.

The agency is mandated to accredit Day Care Centers (DCCs) and Day Care Workers (DCWs) for children three to below five years by virtue of such laws as Republic Act 8980 or the Early Childhood Care and Development Act, and Executive Order No. 221 series of 2003, Redirecting the Functions and Operations of DSWD which states that to accomplish its roles and functions the Department shall “set the standards, accredit and provide consultative services to public and private institutions, organizations and persons engaged in social welfare activities and monitor performance and compliance to standards by institutions, organizations and persons engaged in social welfare activities both public and private.”

In order to provide an enhanced set of standards for the DCCs and DCWs for a more efficient and effective delivery of Day Care Services, protect and promote the best interest of children availing of the Day Care Service, and promote accountability in the implementation of the service in the community and in the workplace, the standards had been revised, using a new assessment tool.

A team from the Standards Regulation Unit of the Field Office has started since late June in going round the region for the accreditation with the use of said tool. Said Focal Person, Irene Permejo, there are to date a total of 4, 220 Day Care Centers for Children, with 4,240 workers workers regionwide. These centers, she reported, cater to some 115,112 pre-schoolers.

Out of said number, 185 day care centers and workers have availed of the new accreditation.