AN ACT RECOGNIZING THE AGE FROM ZERO (0) TO EIGHT (8) YEARS AS THE FIRST CRUCIAL STAGE OF EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND STRENGTHENING THE EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Fifteenth Congress

Third Regular Session

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-third day of July, two thousand twelve.

REPUBLIC ACT No. 10410

AN ACT RECOGNIZING THE AGE FROM ZERO (0) TO EIGHT (8) YEARS AS THE FIRST CRUCIAL STAGE OF EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND STRENGTHENING THE EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the "Early Years Act (EYA) of 2013″.

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared the policy of the State to promote the rights of children to survival, development and special protection with full recognition of the nature of childhood and as well as the need to provide developmentally appropriate experiences to address their needs; and to support parents in their roles as primary caregivers and as their children’s first teachers. Further, the State hereby recognizes the age from zero (0) to eight (8) years as the first crucial stage of educational development of which the age from zero (0) to four (4) years shall be the responsibility of the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council. Therefore, the responsibility to help develop children in the formative years between age five (5) to eight (8) years shall be with the Department of Education (DepED).

The State shall institutionalize a National System for Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) that is comprehensive, integrative and sustainable, that involves multisectoral and interagency collaboration at the national and local levels among government; among service providers, families and communities, and among the public and private sectors, nongovernment organizations; professional associations and academic institutions.

The System shall promote the inclusion of children with special needs, provide for reasonable accommodation and accessible environments for children with disabilities and advocate respect for cultural and linguistic diversity, including the use of Filipino Sign Language as the visual language of the deaf community. It shall be anchored on complementary strategies for ECCD that include service delivery for children from age zero (0) to four (4) years, educating parents and caregivers, encouraging the active involvement of parents and communities in ECCD programs, raising awareness about the important efforts that improve the quality of life for young children and families.

Section 3. Objectives. – The National ECCD System shall pursue the following objectives:

Section 4. Definitions. – The following terms are defined as follows:

Section 5. System Framework and Components. – The ECCD System shall ensure that the National ECCD Program is implemented in accordance with quality standards for accreditation and for this purpose there shall be established a National ECCD Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. The ECCD System shall include the following components:

Section 6. Expanding the ECCD System. – The National ECCD System shall henceforth apply to all provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays as may be determined by the ECCD Council to achieve universal ECCD coverage for all children from age zero (0) to four (4) years.

Section 7. Implementing Arrangements and Operational Structures. – The implementation of the National ECCD System shall be the responsibility of the ECCD Council.

(a) Responsibilities of the ECCD Council. – The ECCD Council shall he responsible for establishing national standards, developing policies and programs, ensuring compliance thereof providing technical assistance and support to the ECCD service providers in consultation with coordinating committees at the provincial, city, municipal and barangay levels.

The Department of Education (DepED), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of Health (DOH), the National Nutrition Council (NNC) and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (HEAP) shall meet in an annual workshop to prepare work and financial plans that will coordinate their technical assistance and support for the National ECCD Program. They shall observe existing implementing guidelines that ensure consistency in integrated service delivery within the National ECCD System, as follows:

(b) Responsibilities of Local Government Units. – Local government units (LGUs) shall include allocations from their Special Education Fund (SEF) and Gender and Development (GAD) Fund in addition to other local funds to be utilized for the following purposes:

Section 8. Strengthening the ECCD Council. – The ECCD Council shall be strengthened to ensure the State’s focus on building a strong foundation for the development and learning of children during the early years from age zero (0) to four (4) years, to support the full range of health, nutrition, early education and social development programs for the child’s holistic development and ensure sustained interagency and multisectoral collaboration. The Council shall he attached to the DepED.

Section 9. Organization of the ECCD Council. – The ECCD Council shall be composed of the following.

Section 10. Functions of the ECCD Council. – The ECCD Council shall carry out the objectives of the National ECCD System by performing the following functions:

Section 11. Appropriations. – The amount needed for the initial implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current year’s appropriations of the DepED, the DSWD, the DOH and the NNC for the purpose. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall he included in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA).

In addition, the Philippine Amusement and Gaining Corporation shall contribute an amount of Five hundred million pesos (500,000,000.00) per year for five (5) years from its gross income to fund the establishment of National Child Development Centers and the conversion of existing Day Care Centers into Child Development Centers in various LGUs upon approval of this Act. Said amount shall he directly remitted in four (4) quarterly installments to a special account of the ECCD Council.

Section 12. Financing ECCD Programs. – ECCD programs shall be financed through a combination of public and private funds. All public ECCD program providers shall prioritize children from age zero (0) to four (4) years horn families who are in greatest need and who can least afford private ECCD programs.

(a) Financial and Technical Support. – The DepED, the DSWD and the DOH shall support the implementation of the National ECCD System by providing financial and technical support packages to ECCD programs.

(b) Other Forms of Support for ECCD Programs. – LGUs shall be encouraged to support public ECCD programs in their respective localities. Additional funds may be generated from intergovernmental donors and government financial institutions to support the public programs including the urban poor.

There shall be established a fund for an ECCD Program Contracting Scheme with accredited private providers at the community levels.

(c) Fees and Contributions. – Fees and contributions collected for both public and private ECCD programs shall be monitored by the ECCD Council to ensure that these are affordable and within reasonable limits. Families are encouraged to contribute their time and services to support the ECCD programs.

Section 13. Annual Report. – The ECCD Council shall, at the close of each calendar year, submit annual physical and financial reports to Congress, giving a detailed account of its proceedings and accomplishments during the year, making recommendations for the adoption of measures that will improve the National ECCD System and ensuring achievement of universal coverage of ECCD benefits to all children from age zero (0) to four (4) years, within a period of five (5) years.

Section 14. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The ECCD Council, in consultation with appropriate government agencies and nongovernment organizations, shall formulate and issue the necessary rules and regulations within sixty (60) days after the effectivity of this Act.

Section 15. Repealing Clause. – Republic Act No. 8980, otherwise known as "An Act Promulgating A Comprehensive Policy And A National System For Early Childhood Care And Development (ECCD), Providing Funds Therefor And For Other Purposes", is hereby repealed.

All laws, decrees, executive orders, presidential proclamations, rules and regulations or parts thereof contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 16. Separability Clause. – If, for any reason, any portion of this Act shall be declared unconstitutional, other parts or provisions hereof which are not affected shall continue to be in full force and effect.

Section 17. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,

This Act which is a consolidation of House Bill No. 6694 and Senate Bill No. 3206 was finally passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on November 28, 2012 and January 23, 2013, respectively.

Approved: MAR 26 2013

(Sgd.) BENIGNO S. AQUINO III
President of the Philippines