CITY of San Fernando Mayor Edwin Santiago Tuesday, April 2, told parents of kids under the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) program to “move up” and “grab the opportunity and gift of education” the city offers.
During the ECCD moving up ceremonies at the mini-convention of Heroes Hall where completers received their Pre-K1 and Pre-K2 certificates of completion, the reelectionist mayor stressed that the ECCD is his personal favorite part of the education phase.
“Sa lahat ng kabanata ng edukasyon, personally, yung ECCD ang pinakapaborito ko. Dahil dito sa stage na ito mararamdaman mo yung unang kalinga at pagmamahal mula sa iyong mga magulang at mga child development workers. Ito yung unang hakbang sa karunungan na madadala mo na hanggang sa magtapos ka (In all chapters of education, ECCD is my favorite. This is the stage where children really feel the love and care of parents as well as child development workers. It is also the initial step in gaining knowledge that you will bring until you finish your studies,” said Santiago.
“That is why I urge all of you to grab the gift of education the city offers. In San Fernando, education is our top priority because we believe that the future lies in the hands of our well-educated youth. With this in mind, we can attain our goal of inclusive economic growth. Definitely, sa San Fernando, walang maiiwan (no one will be left behind)”, he added.
The moving up ceremony marked the children’s completion of the 10-month ECCD program of the city government, earning their Pre-Kinder 2 certificates. The program was implemented through the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).
CSWD officer Aileen Villanueva said the children, aged four to five years old, will now move up to kindergarten, which marks the beginning of their “formative years” or “formal schooling” under the mandate of the Department of Education.
The ECCD program, Villanueva said, is composed of several domains of development for the children before entering kindergarten, including physical, socio-emotional, cognitive, and language, among others.
The next moving-up rites for the ECCD program will be on April 3 and 4, where some 3,000 completers are set to receive their Pre-K1 and Pre-K2 certificates of completion. (JTD)