Butuan day care center bares accomplishments

By Johny S. Natad

BUTUAN CITY, Oct. 1 (PIA) –The Gender and Development (GAD) Learning Resource Day Care Center (DCC) of this city revealed significant accomplishments in its center operations.

Day Care in-charge Fe Techavez-Labitad, in an interview, disclosed an increase of enrollees compared to the previous year. “Our pre-school has raised from 40 enrollees last year to 47 for this school year but it does not mean we are closing our enrolment since day care center is a whole year round program compared to other preschool institutions who have cut-off dates to cater children,” she said.

Labitad said the center also has undergone major makeover since the time they transferred from city hall building to the new location last year.

Labitad added that the continuing development of the center relies on the assistance from the city government, the parents and the concerned groups.

“When it comes to sustainability of the day care operation, it largely depends on the support from the city government since this is a mandatory program directing the national and local government to established a preschool for the employees’ children based on EO No. 340 and funds can be taken from the gender and development (GAD) funds,” Labitad said.

It was learned that the city has three existing workplace-based DCC including those at the DENR and PNP. Butuan was the first LGU to implement the workplace based DCC since 1982 and was nationally recognized since 1985 when the former Senator Letecia Ramos-Shahani provided one DCC at the adjacent building of the old Sangguniang Panglungsod.

“Day care parents group has its vital role to help contribute a minimal monetary cash or in-kind or in a drop-in-a bucket system,” Labitad explained.

According to Labitad, this has been her dream and something hoped for having a permanent building, decent and conducive for learning. “Our DCC served as venue for day care workers conferences in the past few months, and a training center for the newly hired day care workers especially those who are coming from different municipalities to pay visit and learned ideas and techniques of DCC operation.”

Labitad is thankful for the support of City Mayor Amante, City Administrator Leah Mendoza and other concerned people on their concerted efforts to provide one learning school for the employees’ children. “This is one contributing factor how the government galvanizes its support for the renovation of this DCC. City councilors like Ferdinand Nalcot promised to give one unit of air conditioner; Samuel Amante pledged from his CDF an amount of P10,000 for window grill materials; Nestor Amora gave already some materials for the pathway cementing and one unit wall fan,” she bared.

Aside from DCC’s regular activities, Labitad said an enhanced parent effectiveness services (EPES) seminar will be conducted to help parents, surrogate parents, guardians and other care givers to enhance their knowledge, skills and attitudes in parenting where they can be improve their awareness on significant roles and responsibilities to the family especially on health and nutrition, and family planning

Based on the previous year report, the DCC has conducted regular activities like the day care service orientation for the pre-school parents, nutrition month celebration, family day celebration, national children month celebration, Christmas day and outdoor activities like the educational tour to the museum and to the city library. (JSN/PIA-Caraga)