Negros Oriental Gov. Pryde Henry Teves is looking at improving and expanding the Early Childhood Development Program in the province through the adoption of the Montessori learning system for daycare pupils.

Capitol information officer-designate Oliver Lemence said Tuesday Teves initially identified some areas for the proposed expanded daycare program to be done in coordination with the local chief executives.

“The governor wants to replicate the ‘best practice’ Day Care program in Bayawan City, where the Montessori learning approach was adopted, in Bais City, Sibulan, Valencia, and Zamboanguita,” he said in an interview.

Its website says Montessori is a method of education that is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play.

In Montessori classrooms, children make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and the highly trained teacher offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process.

Lemence said “Daycare teachers in Bayawan City, where Teves was the mayor for several years prior to being elected the governor last May, were trained on the Montessori style of teaching so that young children have proper training when they enter grade school.”

Although the daycare program is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, he said Teves wants the agency to collaborate with the local government units through the mayors to ensure that the teachers are not “politicized and removed from their posts, especially during a change of administration”.

The governor hopes to replicate the expanded daycare program across the province, Lemence further said. (PNA)