P80 million in scholarships for daycare workers in 2025 budget

MANILA, Philippines — The government has allocated P80 million in scholarships for child development workers in the 2025 budget — funding that education champions in Congress hope will raise early childhood education standards nationwide.  

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will prioritize giving out the scholarships to workers whose highest educational attainment is high school or lower, which the Department of Social Welfare and Development estimates make up about 16.8% of the daycare workforce. 

"These efforts respond to EDCOM 2 findings, which reveal a pressing need for more specialized training paths, considering that many CDWs do not have qualifications specific to early childhood education," the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) said in a press release on Wednesday, January 8.

TESDA will partner with the Early Childhood Care and Development Council to develop program implementation guidelines for the scholarships for "the upskilling and reskilling" of child development workers. 

"This initiative represents a significant step toward empowering our CDWs to effectively fulfill their responsibilities," Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said in the EDCOM 2 press release.

Government findings show that even those with college degrees (77%) often lack specialized training in early childhood education, the commission added.

In all, at least P104 million will be spent on early childhood education programs in 2025 — around 1.6% of the country's record P6.3-trillion national budget approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last month.
 
The remaining P24 million will be used to establish eight new childcare centers in select barangays in fifth-class municipalities, which are towns that earn only an average annual income of P15 to P25 million. 

These funds will be used to assist local government units in constructing child development center facilities and procuring furniture, equipment, and educational materials, according to EDCOM 2. 

“These special provisions laid out in the General Appropriations Act form a strong foundation for the future of Early Childhood Care and Development programs in the country," EDCOM 2 Executive