THE FINAL report of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) revealed that fewer than half of Filipino households with young children have the basic learning resources needed to support early childhood development.

The Commission found that only 48 percent of households with children aged zero to four own educational toys, while just 40 percent have children’s books at home.

EDCOM II said the figures point to a critical gap in early stimulation at the household level, at a time when scientific evidence shows that more than one million neural connections are formed every second during a child’s earliest years—connections that underpin language, reasoning, and emotional regulation.

For millions of Filipino children, particularly those from low-income families, this lack of learning materials means that public Child Development Centers (CDCs) serve as their primary—and often only—source of early stimulation.

However, EDCOM II found the country’s early childhood system to be severely strained. More than 4,600 barangays still do not have a functional CDC, despite long-standing mandates to establish one in every community.

Even in areas where centers exist, the Commission said quality remains uneven.

Only 14.2 percent of CDCs have been upgraded over the past decade to meet current standards, leaving many facilities without age-appropriate, inclusive, and developmentally aligned learning materials.

EDCOM II also flagged extreme disparities in local government investment in early childhood learning.

In some low-income and geographically isolated municipalities, annual budgets for learning materials are as low as ₱1,900 per Child Development Center—barely enough to replace a single set of basic play materials.

In contrast, wealthier local government units are able to invest hundreds of thousands of pesos in purpose-built learning spaces.

The findings also revealed that children aged zero to two—who are in the most critical phase of brain development—receive the fewest and least appropriate learning materials across homes, centers, and community-based programs.

“This is a silent crisis that begins long before a child ever enters a classroom,” said EDCOM II Executive Director Dr. Karol Mark Yee. “The fact that less than half of Filipino households have access to basic early learning tools like books and educational toys shows how early disadvantage is already taking root.”