The programme aimed to undertake a formative evaluation of the National ECCD System to provide insights into how its design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation may be further improved.
We conducted the study to assist National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the ECCD Council in how they can best assess different ECCD efforts and contribute to PDP-level outcomes. This included the readiness of 4-year-old children for kindergarten, ECCD Council’s efforts to determine its future strategic direction, particularly in strengthening its capacity to enable the achievement of desired ECCD goals. We adopted a highly-participatory approach by engaging with a range of stakeholders who are making and / or influencing policies and implementing ECCD programmes at the national, regional and municipal levels in Philippines. The exercise followed a rights-based and equity-focused approach for all ECCD interventions along with mixed-methods data collection and OECD-DAC criteria for evaluating the full range of services — health, nutrition, early education and social services programmes that cater to the holistic needs of children aged 0-8 years.
