Home » Issuances » DepEd Order » Policies and Guidelines on the Implementation of the Universal Kindergarten Education Program

Policies and Guidelines on the Implementation of the Universal Kindergarten Education Program

March 20, 2012

DepEd Order No. 21, s. 2012

Policies and Guidelines on the Implementation of the Universal Kindergarten Education Program

To:

Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries Bureau Directors
Directors of Services, Centers and Heads of Units Schools Division/City Superintendents
All Others Concerned

1. The Department of Education (DepEd) shall continue with its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) particularly MDG No. 2, which is to attain universal primary education by 2015, and Education for All (EFA) objectives, particularly Critical Task No. 2, to expand the coverage of the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Program to yield more EFA benefits giving priority to those who are in vulnerable, disadvantaged and underserved areas.

2. Beginning School Year (SY) 2011-2012, this Department has intensified efforts to attain universal Kindergarten coverage through different modalities and in coordination with concerned agencies on health, welfare, and education of five (5)-year old children. Providing universal Kindergarten will prepare children physically, emotionally, socially and mentally for Grade I Curriculum which increases their chances of surviving and completing elementary education, reducing dropout and ensuring better school performance.

3. For SY 2012-2013, the schedule for the opening of classes shall conform with the regular grades/level. Pursuant to the Republic Act No. 10157 approved on January 20, 2012 otherwise known as “An Act Institutionalizing the Kindergarten Education Into the Basic Education System and Appropriating Funds Therefore,” the Policies and Guidelines on its Implementation as provided in Enclosure No. 1 will be guided by the following components:

a. Overall Principle; g- Instructional Support to
b. Objectives of the Program; Kindergarten;
c. Enrolment Requirement; h. Contingency Measures; and
d. Kindergarten Education Program; i. Monitoring and Evaluation
e. Curriculum and Training; (M & E).
f. Teacher Deployment and Provision of Classrooms;

4. The annual funding allocation is chargeable to the Kindergarten Education for All Children per General Appropriations Act (GAA), which shall be downloaded to regions/divisions nationwide. This will support the implementation of various activities embedded in the above indicated components e.i. payment for compensation of Kindergarten teachers/volunteers, orientations/trainings, monitoring, and other related activities subject to the usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations.

5. To facilitate release of funds, all regions and divisions are required to submit physical and financial report. Enclosure No. 2 contains the format of the Report on the Utilization of the Downloaded Kindergarten Funds, duly certified true and correct by the schools division/city superintendents (SDSs) and the regional directors (RDs) to be forwarded to the Central Office (CO), attention: Budget Division and copy furnished Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE).

6. All previous policies and issuances inconsistent with the herein policies are hereby rescinded or modified accordingly.

7. These guidelines shall remain in force and in effect during the succeeding school years until revised or repealed.

8. Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with this Order is directed.

BR. ARMIN A. LUISTRO FSC
Secretary


(Enclosure No.l to DepEd Order No. 21, s. 2012)

POLICIES AND GUIDELINES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UNIVERSAL KINDERGARTEN EDUCATION PROGRAM

A. Overall Principle is promoting inclusive education in reaching all five-year old children.

B. Objectives of the Program: The following objectives of this program set forth in DepEd Order 37, s. 2011 will still be pursued in School Year (SY) 2012-2013:

1. to reach out all five-year old children particularly those in the poorest household, vulnerable, disadvantaged and underserved areas; and

2. to improve their readiness and foundational skills to be ready for primary grades.

C. Enrolment Requirement

1. This Department has issued DepEd Order No. 4, s. 2012 entitled Declaring January 28, 2012 as the Early Registration Day for SY 2012-13 to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Objectives of Education for All (EFA) in order to strengthen advocacy and likewise address the above-mentioned objectives; and

2. All regional directors (RDs), schools division/city superintendents (SDSs) and school principals/heads of all public elementary schools are directed to accept children in accordance with the following guidelines:

a. Only children who are 5-years old by June and until October 2012 will be eligible for enrolment;

b. A certificate of Live Birth will be required for submission until December of the same school year;

c. Six (6)-year old children who were not able to attend the Kindergarten Summer Program (KSP) shall be enrolled in Grade 1 and will undergo the Eight (8)-Week Curriculum on readiness and foundational skills.

d. It is stressed that no five year old child shall be refused enrolment; and

e. All school principals and school heads shall submit to the Division Office (DO) the official list of enrolment in the different Kindergarten programs using the enclosed required forms. The duly certified true and correct enrolment report shall be forwarded to the Regional Office (RO) which in turn shall indorse the same to the Central Office (CO), addressed to the Bureau of Elementary Education, Attention.: Curriculum Development Division, not later than the following dates of every year:

Early Registration – March 16

Kindergarten Summer Program – March 16
Kindergarten Regular/Volunteer – August 15
Kindergarten under LGU/DCCs/Private – August 30

The said report must be submitted in hard and electronic copies through e-mail address: kindergartenproject@,yahoo .com.ph.

D. Different Kindergarten Programs

1. Kindergarten Regular Program (KRP). This is a ten (10) month program provided for regular children and those with special needs; the gifted and those with disabilities handled by teachers with permanent items. The KRP for regular children follows the standards for 5-year old children and the National Kindergarten Curriculum Guide (NKCG).

To maximize the utilization of permanent teachers handling these classes, school heads (SHs) shall ensure that each kindergarten teacher handles two (2) classes with twenty-five to thirty (25-30) enrollees per class.

2. Kindergarten Volunteer Program (KVP). This is also a ten (10) month program which shall be organized for five (5)-year old children who cannot be accommodated in the KRP following the same standards and NKCG:

2.1 The KVP classes shall be handled by volunteer teachers who will meet the qualifications mentioned in DepED Order No. 37, s. 2011 reiterated below:

– Bachelor’s degree holder in education or education related courses;
– Preferably resident of the community where the school is located, and
– Registered as volunteer in the school and/or division office.

2.2 A volunteer teacher shall be allowed to handle two (2) classes of twenty-five to thirty (25-30) pupils per class/session and shall be paid an honorarium of Three Thousand Pesos (PhP3,000.00) per month for each class.

2.3 In cases when enrolment is ten (10) or less or in multigrade (MG) schools, the volunteer who handles the class shall be paid an honorarium of Two Thousand Pesos (PhP2,000.00) per month. However, when enrolment is only five (5) or less, the children should be made to attend the KSP class.

2.4 Day Care Workers who meet the qualification requirements can serve as volunteer teacher after their classes for the three to four (3-4) years old children. They shall be paid an honorarium of Three Thousand Pesos (PhP3,000.00) per month for handling separate session with eleven to thirty (11-30) pupils or One Thousand Five Hundred Pesos (PhPl,500.00) for handling ten (10) or less but not less than five (5) pupils.

3. Kindergarten Summer Program (KSP). This is an eight (8)-week program for five-year old children who have not availed of the ten (10)-month program either through the KRP or the KVP. This is for prospective Grade I enrolees who are supposed to be provided with readiness and foundational skills for them to be able to tackle formal Grade I work. For Summer 2012, classes will be on April 9, 2012 until June 1, 2012.

a. A permanent and a volunteer teacher shall handle one (1) or two (2) classes and shall be paid Six Thousand Pesos (Php6,000.00) per month for two (2) classes or Three Thousand Pesos (PhP3,000.00) for a single class.
b. A KSP class shall have an enrolment of twenty to thirty (20-30) children for 3 1/3 hours daily using the Eight Week Curriculum.

4. Kindergarten Education Program for Children with Special Needs

4.1 Headstart Program fqr the Gifted

4.1.1 All Special Education Centers are encouraged to organize Headstart Program for the Gifted and Talented children. Implementation of this program shall follow the policies and guidelines set forth in DepED Order No. 99, s. 2009.

4.1.2 Regular schools are also encouraged to organize Fast Learners class.

4.1.3 These classes shall use the Learning Continuum for the Gifted.

4.2 Early Intervention Program for Children with Disabilities

4.2.1 Upon registration children with disabilities shall be identified and enrolled in an Early Intervention Program shall be given to any age child as soon as disability is detected in any of the following:

a. nearest school with special education class;
b. kindergarten class in the SPED Center; and
c. regular class with inclusive education setting.

4.2.2 The Implementation of the Early Intervention Program shall follow the policies and guidelines issued by the Central Office.

Curriculum and Training

1. The Kindergarten Education Program (KEP) shall continue to use the following curriculum materials:

1.1 Standards and Competencies for Five-Year Old Children

This material contains standards and competencies expected of 5-year old children along the different domains for growth and development.

This should served as guide for teachers in tracking the development of children along each of the seven domains.

1.2 National Kindergarten Curriculum Guide (NKCG). This contains daily learning activities developed in thematic integrated manner for all the four (4) grading periods. Teachers should familiarize themselves with the learning activities to ensure that they are able to use them to develop the competencies. Although there are learning materials such as stories and games, included in NKCG, teachers are encouraged to add or localize the activities they believe can be best taught using local resources.

1.3 Eight (8)-Week Summer Curriculum (EWSC). This curriculum material contains learning activities in which the children will develop confidence and gain readiness for formal Grade I curriculum. This will be used during summer and during the first 8 weeks in Grade 1 for children who were not accommodated in the KRP or KVP.

2. Medium of Instruction (MOI). Teacher shall use the Mother Tongue as MOI in developing the competencies for Kindergarten learners.

3. Training and Orientation. Teachers shall be provided with training and/or orientation on the use of the various curriculum materials and the mother-tongue-based by trained trainers designated by the division and region.

Teacher Deployment and Provision of Classrooms

1. Schools Division/City Superintendents (SDSs) shall ensure the following:

1.1 strict adherence to the policy on the deployment of teacher items identified for Kindergarten teachers;

1.2 exploration of all possible options to provide classrooms for Kindergarten equipped with appropriate facilities such as the school library, home economics building, learning resource center, and other available spaces; and

1.3 prompt action on the bidding for the construction of Kindergarten classroom allocated for the division and ensure that the specifications for said building are adhered to.

2. In cases where classrooms and alternative spaces are not available, SHs are encouraged/urged to link with the LGUs for use of existing facilities as K classrooms.

G. Instructional Support to Kindergarten

1. To support the delivery of the different thematic-learning activities, the Department of Education (DepEd) shall provide the Basic Instructional Package for Kindergarten classes and children.

Package 1: Instructional Materials for Teachers Use (one per teacher)

Contents:

a. Standards and Competencies for Five-Year Old Children
b. National Kindergarten Curriculum Guide (NKCG)
c. Eight-Week Curriculum

Package 2: Instructional Materials for Children

Contents: Readiness Skills Workbook (Activity Sheets by Quarter) (1 per pupil)

Package 3: Instructional Materials for the Class

Contents:

a. manipulatives (table blocks, lacing beads, tangrams, counting frame, picture dominoes, puzzles, etc. (at least 1 set per class composed of twenty-five to thirty (25-30) learners)
b. supplementary reading materials (story books of at least fifty (50) titles per class)
c. songs, rhymes, in CD/DVD with player (at least 1 cd/dvd of 25 titles with teachers guide per class)

2. The Budget and Finance Office shall download funds for the construction of standard Kindergarten classrooms, training of teachers, volunteers, and allowances of volunteer teachers, incentives for teachers and other expenses which maybe authorized by DepEd Management.

H. Contingency Measures: In cases where there are no volunteers for Kindergarten classes, Grade I teachers shall be utilized without jeopardizing their functions as Grade I teachers. Their incentive pay follows the number of pupils indicated in 2.2.2 and 2.3.

I. Monitoring and Evaluation: Regional directors (RDs) and schools division/city superintendents (SDSs) shall ensure that:

1. all schools shall continuously administer the School Readiness Assessment (SRA) and use the results as basis for planning and formulating appropriate interventions of the children’s needed educational development;

2. close monitoring shall be undertaken to ascertain compliance to the herein policies and guidelines; and

3. within three (3) months from the issuance of this Order, all DepED regional and division offices shall submit the required enrolment reports using the enclosed forms to other support DepEd Offices and Bureau of Elementary Education, DepEd Central Office, 2nd Floor, Bonifacio Building, DepEd Complex, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City or at e-mail address: kindergartenproiect@yahoo.com.ph.

Read:

  1. Manifestation to Serve as a Volunteer Kindergarten Teacher
  2. Hiring Guidelines for Kindergarten to Grade 10 Teaching Positions
  3. DepEd Kindergarten Catch-Up Education Program (KCEP)
  4. 3rd Kindergarten Summer Camp
  5. Clarification on the Enlistment of Children Below Five Years Old by June 1
  6. Implementing Brigada Eskwela 2016
Share with your friends!

Mark Anthony Llego

Mark Anthony Llego, from the Philippines, has significantly influenced the teaching profession by enabling thousands of teachers nationwide to access essential information and exchange ideas. His contributions have enhanced their instructional and supervisory abilities. Moreover, his articles on teaching have reached international audiences and have been featured on highly regarded educational websites in the United States.

Leave a Comment

Can't Find What You'RE Looking For?

We are here to help - please use the search box below.