Kindergarten education is essential

Kindergarten education is essential "I am not married to the father of my daughter, so we are having disagreements about when to send her to school. She just turned five years old, and I want to enroll her in kindergarten. The father is refusing because according to him, kindergarten education is not essential as she will not learn anything at a young age, and it is not even mandatory before going to elementary. He is insisting that we should consider the cost and anyway, our daughter can just go straight to grade school. Is there a law I can cite to convince him otherwise?Jessi Dear Jessi,Yes, and the law that is pertinent to your concern is Republic Act (RA) 10157, or the ""Kindergarten Education Act."" Contrary to the opinion of your child's father, said law makes kindergarten a prerequisite for enrollment to Grade I. Its Declaration of Policy states: ""In consonance with the Millennium Development Goals on achieving Education for All (EFA) by the year 2015, it is hereby declared the policy of the State to provide equal opportunities for all children to avail of accessible mandatory and compulsory kindergarten education that effectively promotes physical, social, intellectual, emotional and skills stimulation and values formation to sufficiently prepare them for formal elementary schooling. This Act shall apply to elementary school system being the first stage of compulsory and mandatory formal education. Thus, kindergarten will now be an integral part of the basic education system of the country.""xxx"" Your daughter is covered by RA 10157 because it defines kindergarten education as ""one (1) year of preparatory education for children at least five (5) years old as a prerequisite for Grade I."" Kindergarten education was institutionalized as part of basic education and partially implemented in school year 2011-2012. Henceforth, it became ""mandatory and compulsory for entrance to Grade 1.""Kindergarten education is essential as it impels teachers to develop teaching strategies which would enhance the child's ""interactive strategies, total physical response,"" among others, and, in turn, could equip her going forward as she prepares for elementary and higher education. ""Universal Kindergarten,"" included in the K to 12 program, has been proven effective in child development. The article titled ""Strengthening Early Childhood Education"" noted the following:""Research shows that children who underwent kindergarten have better completion rates than those who did not. Children who complete a standards-based kindergarten program are better prepared for primary education.Education for children in the early years lays the foundation for lifelong learning and for the total development of a child. The early years of a human being, from 0 to 6 years, are the most critical period when the brain grows to at least 60-70 percent of adult size xxx"" (officialgazette.gov.ph/k-12/).We hope that we were able to answer your queries. This advice is based solely on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. Our opinion may vary when other facts are changed or elaborated. Editor's note: Dear PAO is a daily column of the Public Attorney's Office. Questions for Chief Acosta may be sent to dearpao@manilatimes.net" - https://www.affordablecebu.com/