Childlink is open to partnering with individuals, and organizations for its early literacy program

Recognizing the importance of early childhood education, Childlink Learning Center and Childlink High School Inc. are open to partnering with individuals and organizations for its early literacy program.


Ms. Maria Theresa Tio, Childlink founder and school directress, said they developed a module for the Early Literacy program that children aged four to six could use to build learning.

"There are many benefits if we maximize the teaching to young children of pre-school age, that is, from 0 to 7 years old. From 0-7 years old, the capability of our brains to absorb information and to learn is exponential," Ms. Tio said.

She added that children's learning ability would reduce as they grow older, so it would be better to take the opportunity of teaching children in pre-school so they will have a good start.

"Pre-school education will help develop the child's study habits. In addition, it will develop a love for learning and good values," Ms. Tio pointed out.


"Our school is doing modules for Reading, Math, Science, and Writing. So, the program's anchor is reading for the students," she explained.

Under the program, the teacher reads to the children and, after reading, teaches the children about letters, numbers, and science related to the story read. Writing lessons follows next. Childlink started to implement this program this month of October.

The Childlink Parents-Teachers Association bought 25 modules to kick off the program. The Childlink PTA gave these modules to two institutions: the Ramon Duterte Memorial National High School and the Cebu City Public Library.

According to Ms. Tio, 15 modules were turned over to the Ramon Duterte Memorial National High School, while the remaining ten will go to the Cebu City Public Library.

The Ramon Duterte Memorial High School teachers who will be conducting the classes do this as part of their community extension program.


Meanwhile, a Childlink teacher will be the one to hold classes every Friday at the Cebu City Public Library.

When the program beneficiaries enter formal school, in Kindergarten or Grade 1, they will already be equipped with basic knowledge such as the sound of the letters, the numbers, and the environment. They will also be prepared for writing, Ms. Tio said.

She explained that Childlink would monitor the program's implementation to ensure the Childlink teacher correctly did this. Also, the kids participating in the program must finish the sessions to ensure their learning progress.

The minimum number of sessions is 26. However, teachers may have to increase the sessions to 52, depending on the situation.

The modules, composed of workbooks, will remain in the classroom, but these will be given to the child once they have completed the program.

The target beneficiaries are those in the low-income sector who could not afford to send their children to pre-primary educational institutions.

Childlink is now looking for partners to fund the modules' costs to expand the program. The price is estimated to be between P1,000 to P1,200 each. Each module also includes crayons, pencils, and erasers.

"I want to help more people in the community, but we need partners and organizations who will donate the amount for the modules for their preferred beneficiaries. That's the only way this program can benefit more children and our community," Ms. Tio pointed out.

Childlink will take care of the training of teachers and will monitor the program implementation on behalf of the partners.

Twenty years ago, the school started implementing its Reading program for the children of families living at the Inayawan dump site. However, the school discontinued the program because the mothers/teachers trained to implement the program were no longer around.

Childlink then decided to revive an enhanced Literacy Program with Reading as the program's anchor with the added Math, Science, and Writing components, Ms. Tio said.

UNICEF also underscored the importance of pre-primary education. Noting that children enrolled in at least one year of pre-primary education are more likely to develop the critical skills they need to succeed in school and less likely to repeat grades or drop out.