Evolving
from the traditional day care services of DSWD, complemented
by the Montessori system in pre-school education, this comprehensive
and innovative program addresses the need for improved access
and equity in quality education for the city residents.
The city government, in cooperation with the parents association,
barangay councils and NGOs, conceptualized this program.
Since
its inception in 1992, the NEED program has successfully
revolutionized the concept of day care service in Naga City.
To date, it has established a total of 54 daycare centers
that implement an educational program patterned after the
Montessori system. This initiative at the pre-school level
has translated into an improved performance of the graduates
as they transition into the elementary level. Moreover,
the comprehensive services provided through the program
have attracted the enrollment of children from families
belonging to the higher income brackets, whose contributions
in turn subsidize those children from indigent families.
Another
contribution of the program is the provision of education
services for children with disabilities. The special education
component is responsive to needs of such children through
(1) the conduct of a survey for early detection of development
and congenital abnormalities, (2) the development of appropriate
programs that account of each of the children’s disabilities,
and (3) the establishment of a learning center for mental
and physical therapy.
