DSWD reviews KidSTART-Lite PH pilot ahead of planned expansion

Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian led the mid-implementation review and stakeholder learning exchange forum for the KidSTART-Lite Philippines (PH) program at the Royal Hotel in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, on Monday.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to strengthen its family-centered interventions and anti-stunting measures through the program’s ongoing implementation.

“The pilot may be small, but it's meaningful because we want to make sure that if we do scale it up, in which we will, we have to make sure that we know the right ingredients towards that recipe of success,” Gatchalian said.

“So at least we are not guilty of signing a Memorandum of Agreement, wasting the time of our friends from Singapore, only not to do it, only to end up in photo opportunities without really an outcome,” he added.

According to the DSWD, KidSTART-Lite PH was adapted from Singapore’s early childhood intervention model and tailored to address the specific needs and daily realities of Filipino families in caring for their children.

The mid-implementation review brought together social welfare leaders, local chief executives and international partners to assess the initiative’s initial progress.

The program provides low-income households with home-based coaching, nutritional guidance and practical tools to support children’s development during their formative years.

The DSWD said Norzagaray, Bulacan, served as the initial pilot site. Its selection was based on data-driven indicators, including poverty rates, hunger incidence, stunting levels and vulnerability metrics.

“That’s why we contextualize it to the local setting, but keeping the very essence of what KidSTART is, which is nurturing the family one step at a time, giving the parents, giving the children the necessary coaching and interventions that they need in order to raise a stronger family unit where no child is stunted,” Gatchalian said.

The DSWD said the assessment results and insights gathered from the field during the forum would serve as the basis for refining the program.

Singapore Ambassador to the Philippines Constance See Sin Yuan thanked Gatchalian for his leadership and commitment to improving social services in the country.

“I think we all admire and appreciate your openness to ideas and new approaches that can bring benefit to the country, and I also admire the DSWD for your determination to turn these ideas into practical programs that can make a difference in people's lives,” See said.