Will PH see funding boost for early childhood care in 2027?

EARLY CHILDHOOD. Inside a national child development center, which serves as a convergence point for efforts related to early childhood care and development.

Early Childhood Care and Development Council's website

A lower budget for the Early Childhood Care and Development Council is seen to ‘greatly affect’ the upgrade of existing daycare centers to child development centers in 2027

AT A GLANCE

• The proposed 2027 budget significantly cuts the Early Childhood Care and Development Council's funding by 65%.
• Concerns were raised about the lack of financial assistance for local government units and the reduced budget for feeding programs.

This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors.

MANILA, Philippines – In his 2027 budget message, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. acknowledged the importance of investing in the development of young Filipinos, especially in their formative years.

“The journey toward quality education begins long before a child enters the classroom. Strong foundations in early childhood development are essential to improving learning outcomes, reducing inequality, and enabling every learner to succeed throughout life,” Marcos said.

But it seems such a pronouncement did not fully materialize in the proposed 2027 budget, as the government is set to cut by more than half the budget of the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council.

According to the National Expenditure Program, the ECCD Council was allocated P123.84 million for next year.

That is 65% lower than the P356.79 million given in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) or the national budget. 

The ECCD Council, which is the lead agency in implementing programs for health, nutrition, early education, and social services provided to children aged 5 years old and below, originally proposed P1.06 billion as its 2027 spending plan.

No exact reason was given during budget deliberations at the House of Representatives regarding the lower allocation.

Among the differences between the 2027 NEP and the 2026 GAA is the lack of financial assistance for local government units (LGUs) lodged with the ECCD Council next year.

Last year’s aid was for the repair, rehabilitation, and conversion of existing daycare centers into child development centers (CDCs) in fourth- and fifth-class municipalities or low-income and remote areas.

CDCs have a more structured system, where professional child development workers and child development teachers provide care and services to children.

Republic Act No. 12199 or the ECCD System Act, which was enacted into law in May 2025, requires a CDC in every barangay. The law also transferred the ECCD Council from the Department of Education (DepEd) to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

“The conversion of these daycare centers [into] child development centers will be affected greatly,” ECCD Executive Director Teresita Inciong said in a House briefing on the DILG’s budget on August 27.

The ECCD Council’s original proposal earmarked P881 million for the provision of learning materials, furniture and fixtures, and other essential components in upgrading existing facilities to CDCs.

According to the Second Congressional Commission on Education, 96.9% of existing daycare centers have yet to be converted into CDCs.

Inciong also said there are still 3,743 barangays without CDCs in the country.  

She said that under the new law, funding for the establishment of CDCs will be lodged with LGUs already. The LGUs can tap the Local Government Support Fund for this matter.

“‘Yan ang malaking butas ngayon sa ating national budget. Sabi natin palalakasin natin ang ECCD System, pero bakit pagdating sa pondo lahat ngayon ay nakaasa sa LGU?” Gabriela Representative Sarah Elago said during the plenary deliberations on the DepEd’s budget on Tuesday, September 22.

(That’s a big gap in our national budget. We said we would strengthen the ECCD System, but why are we placing all funding concerns in the hands of the LGUs?)

Elago has been signaling that she would propose a special provision in the 2027 GAA to fund the CDCs of low-income areas, something that was also seen in previous national budget laws.

Feeding programs

Another issue related to ECCD is the slashed budget for feeding programs next year. 

The DepEd’s school-based feeding program is set to have P11.43 billion next year, which would force it to be scaled down, according to a lawmaker.

“The implementation will be affected if we approve only the proposed allocation. The implementation will be shortened to 120 days and limited to kindergarten learners,” Davao de Oro 1st District Representative Maria Carmen Zamora, the DepEd’s budget sponsor, said in a mix of English and Filipino. 

The DepEd is seeking an additional P19.30 billion to set the universal coverage of the school-based feeding program to 180 days for both kindergarten and Grade 1 learners — the same coverage in 2026.

Funding for the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Supplementary Feeding Program, which provides milk and hot meals in CDCs, may also decrease from P9.56 billion in 2026 to P6.36 billion in 2027, based on the latest NEP.

According to the ECCD Council, only around a third of Filipino children aged 3 to 4 years old were enrolled in CDCs for school year 2025-2026.

ECCD Council budget

For 2027, much of the budget of the ECCD Council will go to maintenance and other operating expenses.

Here are the proposed allocations for the council’s programs: 

• Capacity-building and institutional development of intermediaries and other partners – P55.58 million
• General management and supervision – P41.23 million
• Accreditation of ECCD service providers – P25 million
• Development of policies, standards, and guidelines – P2.36 million

Meanwhile, Marcos said the government will set aside P227 million for the scholarship program for child development workers next year. – Rappler.com