SENATOR Loren Legarda, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education and Co-Chairperson of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), has filed the proposed K to 3 Foundational Learning and Nurturing Care Act aimed at addressing what she described as a persistent crisis in early education.
The measure seeks to strengthen literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional learning during the critical years from Kindergarten to Grade 3, bridging early childhood care and the formal K–12 system.
Legarda cited findings of EDCOM II showing that nearly half of Filipino learners are unable to read at grade level by the end of Grade 3.
Global studies by UNICEF and the World Bank also indicate that 91% of Filipino children at late primary age cannot read and understand a simple story, placing the Philippines among countries with the highest learning poverty rates.
“What begins as a reading problem ultimately becomes a learning crisis,” Legarda stressed. “If we fail our children in the early years, we fail them for life. This is a crisis we cannot afford to ignore.”
She noted that while the Philippines has an established Early Childhood Care and Development framework under Republic Act No. 12199, a “missing middle” remains between early childhood programs and higher grade levels.
“Kindergarten to Grade 3 is a critical stage that determines whether a child will stay on track or fall into struggle,” Legarda said. “Without deliberate investment in these formative years, ECCD gains will be lost, and children will be left unprepared for the demands of higher education.”
The bill adopts a prevention-first strategy, focusing on building strong foundational skills early to reduce the need for later remediation. It calls for high-quality, language-rich and numeracy-rich instruction integrated with socio-emotional learning and values formation.
“Foundational learning is more than learning how to read and count,” Legarda clarified. “It is about nurturing and building the skills, habits, and values that shape a child for life. It is about raising citizens who can think critically, care deeply, and act with integrity and responsibility.”
She added that strengthening learning in the early grades can also ease pressure in later years of schooling.
“Education is the nation’s most powerful equalizer. If we fix learning in the early grades we ease congestion in later years, resulting in fewer repeaters, fewer dropouts, and better use of every peso dedicated to education. When we give every Filipino child the tools to read, count, and care, we give them the power to dream, to achieve, and to contribute meaningfully to our country’s future,” Legarda said.
The proposal places foundational learning at the center of broader education reforms as lawmakers continue to review long-standing concerns on reading proficiency and student retention.
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