by Narabelle Z.. Bue (DSWD)
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Apr. 26, (PIA) - -
One of today’s unsung heroes are the workers of day care centers who attend to
preschoolers on a day-to-day basis.
Identified
as the second mothers to our young children of today, being a day care worker
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 said former senator
Ernesto Maceda, who praised this group of women for their effort and dedication
during the two-day Provincial Congress for Zamboanga del Sur Day Care Workers
(DCWs) held in Pagadian City recently.
Close
to 700 DCWs from all over the province were in attendance, who were 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 Early Child Care Development (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.
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 occurrence 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.
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. (JPA/NZB/CIO/PIA
9-ZBST)