Section 8December 05, 2000, Sec./Art. 8

Creation of National Coordinating Council and Coordinating Committees for ECCD. - To ensure the sustained inter-agency and multi-sectoral collaboration from the national, provincial, city/municipal to barangay levels, a National Coordinating Council and provincial, city/municipal and barangay coordinating committees shall be organized.

(a) National ECCD Coordinating Council - The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) shall also function as the National ECCD Coordinating Council, hereinafter referred to as the Council, and shall hereby be under the Office of the President.

(1) Composition - In addition to the existing members of the CWC, two (2) private individuals, who are ECCD practitioners and experts shall be appointed by the President, upon recommendation of the Council, for a term of two (2) years subject to one (1) reappointment. The Council shall meet once a month or as often as necessary. The Secretaries of the DSWD, DECS, DOH, and DILG shall act as co-chairpersons of the Council and must be represented by a person with a rank not lower than an Undersecretary.

(2) Council Secretariat - The CWC Secretariat shall also serve as the secretariat of the Council. It shall be headed by an executive director, who shall be appointed by the President, upon the recommendation of the Council. He/She shall have the rank, privileges, and emoluments of a Career Executive Service Officer I. Nothing herein shall prejudice any right vested prior to the enactment of this Act.

There shall be created two (2) permanent positions of Deputy Executive Directors to be appointed by the Council, one of whom shall be exclusively concerned with ECCD programs and activities and the other exclusively with the existing functions of the CWC. The Deputy Executive Directors shall be assisted by senior technical staff to be seconded from the DSWD, DECS, DOH, DILG, DOLE, DA, DOJ, NEDA and NNC for a period of at least two (2) years, subject to renewal, and shall be entitled to whatever additional remuneration the law allows for such secondment.

(3) Functions of the National ECCD Coordinating Council. - The Council shall:

(i) Promulgate policies and implementing guidelines for ECCD programs in consultation with stakeholders at various levels, including the regional level when appropriate, consistent with the national policy and program frameworks as defined in this Act;

(ii) Establish ECCD program standards that reflect developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant practices for ECCD programs, which shall interface with the primary school curriculum of the DECS;

(iii) Develop a national system for the recruitment, registration, continuing education and equivalency, and credential system of ECCD service providers, supervisors and administrators to improve and profesionalize the ECCD sector and upgrade quality standards of public and private ECCD programs;

(iv) Develop and implement a system of awards and recognition to deserving ECCD program implementors and service providers;

(v) Coordinate the various ECCD programs of each line agency and monitor the delivery of services to the ECCD program beneficiaries nationwide;

(vi) Evaluate and assess the impact and outcome of various ECCD programs nationwide through an effective information system;

(vii) Develop and establish a national system for early identification, screening, surveillance of early childhood disabilities, developmental problems, and giftedness;

(viii) Develop and implement various support mechanisms that maximize the public and private resources for implementing ECCD programs, giving priority to the needy and high risk children from poor communities;

(ix) Provide counterpart funds to poor and disadvantaged communities for the establishment and expansion of public ECCD programs, improvement of physical facilities and for hiring of ECCD service providers;

(x) Promote and encourage private sector initiative for the establishment of ECCD programs; and

(xii) Provide guidelines for ECCD Coordinating Committees at the provincial, city/ municipal and barangay levels for the conduct of solicitations and requests for assistance from local and international civic organizations, private philanthropic foundations to supplement available resources.

(b) Provincial ECCD Coordinating Committee. Composition, Function, Secretariat. - There shall be created in every province a Provincial ECCD Coordinating Committee.

(1) Composition. - The Provincial ECCD Coordinating Committee shall be composed of the Governor of the Province as Chairperson, Division Superintendent of DECS, Provincial Planning and Development Officer, Provincial Budget Officer, Provincial Health Officer, Provincial Director of DILG, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer, Provincial Treasurer, President of the Provincial League of Municipal Mayors, and two (2) representatives of nongovernment organizations operating ECCD programs appointed by the Committee, for a two-year term, subject to one (1) reappointment, as members;

(2) Functions - The Provincial ECCD Coordinating Committee shall be under the Provincial Development Council and shall perform similar functions as the National ECCD Coordinating Council as appropriate, including other functions that may be provided in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of this Act. It shall coordinate the delivery of services and support from the National ECCD Coordinating Council and the national line agencies involved in ECCD programs. It shall also support and complement the resources available to municipalities and barangays in the province in the expansion and improvement of ECCD programs, as well as be responsible for the registration of ECCD programs and service providers: and

(3) Secretariat - The Provincial ECCD Coordinating Committee shall organize a secretariat which shall coordinate and monitor the effective implementation of ECCD programs in the province. It shall be headed by the provincial ECCD Officer, who shall be appointed by the Governor, upon the recommendation of the Provincial ECCD Coordinating Committee. He/She skill have the rank, privileges and emoluments of a Department head.

For the first three (3) years of the establishment of the ECCD system in the province, the salary, allowances and other benefits of the Provincial ECCD Officer shall be paid for by the Council. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the salaries, allowances and other benefits of the Provincial ECCD Officer shall be provided by the province.

(c) City/Municipal ECCD Coordinating Committee. Composition, Functions, Secretariat. -There shall be created in every city and municipality a City/Municipal ECCD Coordinating Committee.

(1) Composition - The City/Municipal ECCD Coordinating Committee shall be composed of the City/Municipal Mayor as Chairperson, the Division Superintendent/ District Supervisor of DECS, City/Municipal Planning and Development Officer, City/ Municipal Budget Officer, City/Municipal Health Officer, City/Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer, City/Municipal Local Government, Officer, City/Municipal Treasurer, City/Municipal Nutrition Officer, President of the Association of Barangay Captains in the City/Municipality, President of the Parent Teachers-Community Federation in the City/Municipality, and two (2) representatives of non-government organizations involved in ECCD programs in the City/Municipality appointed by the Committee for a two-year term, subject to one (1) reappointment, as members.

(2) Functions - The City/Municipal ECCD Coordinating Committee shall be under the city/municipal development council and shall perform similar functions as the council as appropriate, including other functions that may be provided in the Implementing Rules and Regulations. It shall likewise support and complement the resources available to barangays in the expansion and improvement of ECCD programs, coordinate and monitor the delivery of services at the barangay level, ensure accurate reporting and documentation of service delivery, as well as mobilize and encourage private sector initiatives for the establishment of ECCD program implementors in tile city/municipality that conforms to National ECCD System Standards.

(3) Secretariat. - The City/Municipal ECCD Coordinating Committee shall organize a Secretariat which shall coordinate and monitor the effective implementation of ECCD programs in the city/municipality. It shall be headed by the City/Municipal ECCD Officer, who shall be appointed by the mayor, upon the recommendation of the City/Municipal ECCD Coordinating Committee.

(d) Barangay ECCD Coordinating Committee - The Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC), created under Presidential Decree 603, shall also function as the Barangay ECCD Coordinating Committee. The BCPC shall be responsible for the proper and effective implementation of public ECCD programs and maintenance of database system at the barangay level. Pursuant to this, all barangays shall organize BCPCs in their respective areas.

The BCPC shall be composed of, among others: the Barangay Captain, the school head/s in the barangay, the Barangay health midwife, the Barangay health worker, the Barangay nutrition scholar, the day care worker/s, parents, the Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman, and a representative from child-focused non government organizations/people's organizations, as members. The members of the BCPC shall elect from among themselves the Chairperson.