The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), has recently created the Early Childhood Care and Development Information System (ECCD-IS) to monitor the nationwide implementation of the ECCD – a comprehensive, integrative and sustainable program addressing the holistic needs of children five years old and below.

DSWD Acting Secretary Celia Capadocia-Yangco said that “ECCD-IS is a new automated and web-based reporting system that will generate reliable, comprehensive and timely information on the ECCD Program from service providers such as day care workers at the city and municipal levels.”

Acting Secretary Yangco added that profiles of ECCD service providers, facilities, children and other relevant information generated by the system, would enable the DSWD to determine the status of existing ECCD center-based and home-based services and aid policy makers, program planners and managers in implementing the ECCD Program effectively.

The DSWD has already conducted demo-orientations on the ECCD-IS in 16 provinces of Regions VI, VII and VIII which were attended by the provincial, city and municipal social welfare and development officers, day care officers, and day care supervisors.

The ECCD-IS is consistent with the DSWD’s efforts to automate its monitoring and reporting systems and maximize the use of information and communications technology to support the implementation of social protection programs. ### (DSWD-Social Marketing Service, February 15, 2010)