Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. joins ECCD Council as they team up with private sector organizations for children’s mental health

Last November 24, the Early Childhood Care and Development Council (ECCD Council) and its partners – Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC), Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. (KCFI), Ayala Foundation, Zuellig Family Foundation, and Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) - held a Multi-Sectoral Symposium via Zoom, Facebook Live, and YouTube Live for policymakers, non-government organizations, and the private sector as part of the ECCD Council’s 2022 Early Years Fair which had the theme, “Sama-Samang Alagaan at Pagtibayin ang Kaisipan ng Bawat Bata at Pamilyang Pilipino.” 

The Multi-Sectoral Symposium, with the full title “Multi-Sectoral Collaboration in Supporting Programs and Policies for the Mental Health of Filipino Children in the Early Years and their Families,” focused on how the public and private sector can work together to advocate for and improve young children’s mental health in the country. With a reach of over 21,000 and almost 2,000 engagements across various platforms, the Symposium also became an avenue for the greater public to learn more about the importance of children’s mental health, as well as the programs and policies that can support it.

The Multi-Sectoral Symposium, hosted by Ms. Trina Libron and interpreted live into sign language by Ms. Myla Hernandez, opened with remarks from ECCD Council’s Officer-in-Charge, Mr. Rommel Isip, followed by a message from Ms. Rina Lopez, Board Member of the Asia Philanthropy Circle and President and Executive Director of KCFI. Afterwards, Senator Risa Hontiveros, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, delivered her keynote speech, sharing with the audience the importance of children’s mental health in the early years and how it affects them – and society as a whole – in the future. “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken adults,” said Senator Hontiveros, borrowing the quote from American political figure, Frederick Douglass. 

After the keynote speech, resource speakers from different organizations and agencies shared their knowledge and expertise about programs and policies for children’s mental health. The Chair of Learning through Play of the LEGO Foundation, Dr. Bo Stjerne Thomsen, talked about why play is a basic need for children and how it is important for not only the children’s mental health, but also for their relationship with their caregiver. He also shared what the LEGO Foundation has been doing in various countries to promote play. 

One Sky Foundation, represented by their Chief Impact Officer, Mr. Tim Huang, and their Program Director, Ms. Vo Thi Hien, shared their learnings and experiences when they launched and implemented the Early Learning Center in 2017 and the Home-Based Childcare Provider Training Program in 2018. Through their presentation, they were able to share lessons and their best practices when it comes to working with private sector partners and the government from the national level, all the way down to the community level, as well as the community itself. 

Before moving on with the second half of the program, Mr. Ridentor Balmores of RAFI asked the participants to join him in a quick ice breaker activity. Through the ice breaker, participants were able to share snippets of their childhood as they were asked about their favorite childhood game and what play meant to them as a child. 

Afterwards, researchers from the Centre for Evidence and Implementation, Dr. Gayatri Kembhavi-Tam and Ms. Esther Goh, showcased their findings from their research presentation titled, “Sharing on mapping of ECD models and policies in the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, and China,” funded by the APC. The Philippines’ policy landscape regarding early childhood care and development was discussed in-depth, with Dr. Kembhavi-Tam and Ms. Goh giving recommendations for action per component of the Nurturing Care Framework (good health, adequate nutrition, responsive caregiving, safety and security, and opportunities for early learning). According to them, the Philippines and the entire region have been focusing and investing more on early childhood care and development, positive parenting, and responsive caregiving; however, there are still gaps that need to be addressed. Dr. Kembhavi-Tam and Ms. Goh recommended three main points of action that can help bridge these gaps: building the local knowledge base, strengthening the local government capacity, and strengthening data-driven decision making. 

Before moving on to the question-and-answer portion of the program, Dr. Beverly Lorraine C. Ho, Officer-in-Charge and Undersecretary of the Public Health Services Team of the Department of Health (DOH), shared the country’s current mental health situation, along with the DOH’s current programs and policies, as well as their plans moving forward to improve the access to and quality of mental healthcare in the Philippines. After Dr. Ho’s talk, President of RAFI, Ms. Amaya Aboitiz, and Ms. Stella Aguila from the Education Team of Ayala Foundation shared what their organizations have been doing to advocate for children’s mental health. 

The Q&A was facilitated by Ms. Suyin Liu of APC, accommodating various questions from the audience, like how to convince local governments and communities to invest in child mental health and how to adequately situate the shared best practices in the Philippine context.  Following the Q&A, the program was ended after a message from the Chairperson of APC, Mr. Laurence Lien.  

Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. has been committed to improving learning outcomes in early childhood since 1999. To learn about how you can help us reach more and teach more, visit our website at https://knowledgechannel.org, message us on Facebook, or send us an email at info@knowledgechannel.org.