Understanding Kindergarten Readiness: Profiles and Learning Abilities of Young Learners in Sarangani, Davao Occidental

Understanding Kindergarten Readiness: Profiles and Learning Abilities of Young Learners in Sarangani, Davao Occidental | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Understanding Kindergarten Readiness: Profiles and Learning Abilities of Young Learners in Sarangani, Davao Occidental Analou D. Amarillo, Ariel E. San Jose This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6109669/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The early years of a child’s life are crucial in shaping cognitive, social, and emotional development. However, in Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Philippines, some parents hesitate to enroll their children in pre-kindergarten, leading to gaps in foundational skills. Addressing these challenges is essential to ensure that young learners are equipped for future academic success. This study assessed the profiles and learning abilities of kindergarten students to inform innovative teaching strategies. Using a descriptive-correlational research design, the study examined the demographics and competencies of 106 purposively selected respondents. Two research instruments were utilized: one for demographic data collection and another for Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) skills assessment. Findings indicated that most kindergarten students had prior preschool exposure and exhibited average competency levels. However, preschool attendees significantly outperformed non-attendees in gross motor, fine motor, receptive language, and cognitive skills, while no significant differences were found in self-help and expressive language skills. To bridge these gaps, strengthening preschool curricula, training teachers, and implementing transition programs for non-preschool attendees are essential. Promoting parental involvement and conducting individualized assessments for targeted interventions will further support children’s learning needs. To boost preschool enrollment, community-driven campaigns led by the Local Government Unit (LGU) advocating universal preschool access and securing funding for early childhood education initiatives are recommended. Strengthening these efforts will ensure that more children receive the necessary foundational skills for lifelong learning success. Educational Psychology kindergarten learning competence preschool pedagogy Figures Figure 1 1. INTRODUCTION The first years of life are crucial because what happens during this period can have long-term consequences. Childhood education is the most critical foundation in the early years of young learners [1]. The universal goal of preschool education worldwide is to instill in each young learner self-responsibility and appropriate behavior at all times. To obtain this goal, kindergarten pupils must manifest the desired competencies [2]. However, [3] mentioned that many kindergarten pupils failed to develop working memory, which put them at risk in Mathematics, Reading, and Science. Likewise, [4], [5] found that many kindergarten pupils needed more numerical sense. On the other hand, [6] pointed out that kindergarten education needs mastery, integration, and application of various foundation skills because these are essential in the subsequent years. Kindergarten is a starting point for children preparing for elementary school; thus, care and learning opportunities are significant to their academic success [7]. Quality kindergarten schooling can provide experiences and appropriate knowledge to better prepare pupils for academic success [8]. Moreover, it was indicated that children who attended kindergarten had high parental involvement because early education programs involve parents extensively [9]. Also, other long-term effects of sending children to kindergarten include the attitudinal and behavioral measures of parent-child interactions, parent attitudes, school involvement, and educational experiences [10]. In the United States, kindergarten education is required; thus, children four years old are obliged to come to school [8]. In the Philippines, the Republic Act 10157 served as a legal basis for implementing compulsory kindergarten education. Hence, primary education starts from kindergarten to ensure the achievement of the country's pursuit of improving human capabilities through quality education, better health and nutrition, and enhancement of knowledge and skills, which begin in early education [11]. In the island municipality of Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Philippines, researchers observed that despite the presence of daycare centers in various barangays, many parents chose not to enroll their children in pre-kindergarten. Consequently, a significant number of children enter kindergarten lacking essential foundational competencies. Recognizing this challenge, the researchers explored the profiles and learning competencies of kindergarten students to serve as a developmental basis for innovative teaching strategies. The study's objective was to explore the kindergarten's profile and learning competencies who attended and did not attend the daycare as a pre-kinder school. Specifically, it aimed to: 1) determine the kindergarten pupils’ profile in terms of exposure to daycare as a pre-kinder school and parents' educational attainment; 2) determine the competency skills among the Kindergarten pupils according to the: gross motor; fine motor; self – help; receptive language; expressive language; cognitive; and social–emotional; and determine the significant difference between the competency level of the kinder pupils who attended and those not attended daycare as a pre-kinder school. 1.1 Conceptual Framework Independent Variable Dependent Variable 2. METHOD The study was conducted on the selected public elementary schools in the island municipality of Sarangani, Division of Davao Occidental, Philippines. The island is the remotest municipality of Davao Occidental. Four kindergarten classes were included in this study. The topography of these schools was mostly hilly but was accessible by any means of land transportation, while some were along the shorelines. This study employed the descriptive-correlational research design. The descriptive method described the kindergarten pupils’ profile regarding their exposure to daycare and parental educational attainment. It also employed correlational design to determine how these variables affect the dependent variable. Also, descriptive-correlational was used to determine the relationship between the learning-related foundation skills and the competency skills of kindergarten pupils; the significant relationship between the learning-related foundation skills of kindergarten pupils to their competency skills; the significant relationship between the learning-related skills of kindergarten pupils to their competency skills. The respondents of this study were the 106 purposively chosen parents of kindergarten pupils in the selected public elementary schools in the island municipality of Sarangani, Division of Davao Occidental, Philippines. The parents were chosen based on 1) their kindergarten children studying in public schools, 2) they were residents of Sarangani, and 3) they were willing to participate in the study. Due to the limitation of this study, [12] these set limitations, the findings of this study may only apply to those who participated in this study. Hence, another study may conducted to verify the results of this study. The researchers used two instruments. The first instrument was a researcher-validated questionnaire that obtained the demographic profiles, which were limited to determining: a) whether or not the child had undergone daycare; and b) the parental educational attainment. The second instrument was the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) checklist in seven domains, namely: A. Gross Motor Development, B. Fine Motor Domain, C. Self-help Development, D. Receptive Development, E. Expressive Development, F. Cognitive Development, G. Socio-Emotional Development based on DepEd Order No. 20, s. 2018. The ECCD checklist was translated into Sinugbuano (Cebuano) for the parents to understand the questions thoroughly. The results were tabulated and subjected to statistical treatment. The following steps were used in the accomplishment of the ECCD checklist: Step 1. Check the marks and tally each domain. Step 2. Raw scores were converted into scaled scores using the Scaled Scores and Equivalent of the raw scores table. Step 3. Obtained the pupils’ scaled scores of each seven domains. The scaled scores were totaled to get the sum of the scaled scores. Step 4. Summed-up scaled scores were converted into a standard score using the Standard Equivalent of Sum Scaled Scores. Step 5. Interpreted using the Interpretation of Standard Score Table or the Developmental Index. The following basis of competency skills was used to interpret scaled scores. Scaled Score Interpretation 1 - 3 - Significant Delay in Overall Development 4 - 6 - Slight Delay in Overall Development 7 - 13 - Average Development (AD) 14 - 16 - Slight Advanced Development 17 - 19 - Highly Advanced Development 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Table 1 shows the kinder pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare pre-kinder school. Based on the table, most pupils were exposed and completed their daycare with a relative frequency of 62.3%. It was followed by pupils who attended but needed help to complete daycare (22.6%) and those who never enrolled in the daycare program (15.1%). It means that the majority of the kindergarten pupils had completed daycare. Twenty-four (22.6%) of the kindergarten pupils attended but could not complete the daycare. It may be because of the distance from home to school and maybe because daycare was not a compulsory requirement for kindergarten. There were also 16 (15.1%) who never enrolled in the daycare. It may be attributed to parents' perceptions of whether daycare was significant to kindergarten. According to [13], parents perception towards early childhood education is very essential in making their decision. Hence, early childhood provider may look into parents beliefs on pre-school education and suggestions to address their needs. Table 1 The Kindergarten Pupils’ Profile in terms of exposure to daycare pre-kinder school Frequency Relative Frequency (%) Pupils' Complete DayCare 66 62.3 Attended but was Unable to Complete Day Care 24 22.6 Never Enrolled in DayCare 16 15.1 Total 106 100.0 A daycare is an educational program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that prioritizes human development concerns of children as a response to the country's ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on July 26, 1990. It recognizes the significant role of the daycare centers and other Early Childhood Education—Early Childhood Care and Development (ECE-ECCD) programs in developing children's well-being [14]. As disclosed in Table 2 , out of 106 parent-respondents, 37 (34.91%) were at the high school level but did not graduate, 25 (23.58%) were at the elementary level and did not graduate from elementary, and 25 (23.58%) graduated elementary. There were 4 (3.77%) college graduates and 1 (0.94%). It means that most of the parents of the kindergarten pupils were only high school level. Those who graduated from college were the teachers and Barangay personnel who enrolled their children in the daycare. It implies that the absence of college institutions near Sarangani hindered the parents’ opportunity to pursue tertiary education. In addition, the distance of travel from home to school also hindered the students from pursuing their schooling. This result confirmed [15] earlier study in Davao Occidental that most of parents were high school level and earned below the poverty line. In the study of [16], it revealed that parents with low educational attainment were preventing their children to go to school because they could not afford school fees. Additionally, they less prioritized formal education for their children. Parents' minimal educational backgrounds limit their aspirations for their children's academic advancement. Table 2 Parents Educational Attainment Educational Attainment Frequency Percentage Elementary Level 25 23.58 Elementary Graduate 25 23.58 High School Level 37 34.91 High School Graduate 14 13.21 College Level 1 0.94 College Graduate 4 3.77 Total 106 100% Table 3 shows the competency skills among kindergarten pupils based on seven categories: gross motor, fine motor, self-help, receptive language, expressive language, cognitive and social-emotional. In terms of gross motor, the pupils who completed daycare (CDC), those Unable to Complete daycare (UCDC), and those who were never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at average development, having a mean of 12.56, 11.21, and 9.88 respectively. It means that at this level, kindergarten pupils can satisfactorily show control and coordination of the body movements involving large muscles. It implies that for this competency, the gross motor may need not enrolling in daycare to develop this competency. With reference to [17] mentioned that gross motor competency is learned naturally at home, even without schooling. These skills are demonstrated by a child’s ability independently. Such motor skills, according to [18] are climbing onto furniture, running without stumbling, walking backward, and hopping. Similarly, the average fine motor, the pupils who completed daycare (CDC), those Unable to Complete daycare (UCDC), and those who never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at average development, having means of 10.09, 9.25, and 9.75 respectively. At this level, kindergarten pupils can satisfactorily control and coordinate hand and finger movements. It implies that for this competency, fine motor skills may be learned even without formal schooling, provided that the children can move freely. Fine motor skills are developed naturally, especially in the elders surrounding them, allowing them to experience meaningful activities at home. It further implies that kindergarten pupils can use all five fingers to get food/toys placed on a flat surface, pick up objects with their thumb and index finger, scribble spontaneously, either vertically or horizontally, and draw different shapes. On the other hand, the self-help competency of the pupils who completed daycare (CDC), those Unable to Complete daycare (UCDC), and those who never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at slightly advanced development, having means of 15.89, 15.38, and 14.81, respectively. It means that at this level, the kindergarten pupils can do and demonstrate competence to and perform the activities like dressing themselves, feeding themselves, using the toilet, brushing their teeth, bathing, tying shoes, and everything a child needs to know to start being more independent. It also implies that kindergarten pupils can manage to eat and drink. Still, with spillage and assistance, especially on buttons and shoelaces, going to urinate (pee) or moving their bowels (poop). With reference to [19] said that early childhood education provides children mindful self-care practices through play which help them transition into attending formal school. However, the receptive language skills of the pupils who completed daycare (CDC), those Unable to Complete daycare (UCDC), and those who were never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at a slight delay in overall development, having means of 4.94, 4.83, and 4.56, respectively. Kindergarten pupils at this level have slightly delayed overall development. It implies that regardless of the daycare status of the kindergarten pupils, their receptive skills were both delayed development. It may be associated with the type of learning opportunities for the children before going to kinder school. In daycare classes, recognition of colors, shapes, alphabet, scribbling, and basic numbers were introduced and were not so much on giving instructions. It may be the cause why kindergarten pupils did not demonstrate the expected competence to understand words and language and gain information and meaning from routine, visual information within the environment, and sounds and words. It means that the kindergarten pupils could not satisfactorily point to a family member when asked to do so, points to 5 body parts on themselves when asked to do so, points to 5 named pictured objects, follows one-step instructions that include simple prepositions, and follows 2-step instructions with simple prepositions. It may be because of the lack of learning resources available at home, which is visual to the younger children that may help them learn basic information at home. With reference to [20] attributed the delayed of receptive language skills of children to classroom management and instructional support of pre-school teachers. Their findings indicated that these two factors positively predict children’s children’s language competence at pre-schools. In terms of expressive language, the pupils who completed daycare (CDC), were Unable to Complete daycare (UCDC), and never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at a slight delay in overall development, having means of 5.77, 5.38, and 5.06, respectively. It means that kindergarten pupils at this level delay overall development regardless of their status in daycare. It also implies that the daycare status of the kindergarten pupils is relatively independent of the expressive competency skills of the kindergarten pupils. It denotes an inability to demonstrate the expected competence to use words, sentences, gestures, and writing to convey meaning and messages to others, label objects in the environment, describe actions and events, retell a story, and answer questions. It further implies that the kindergarten pupils could not satisfactorily use 5–20 recognizable words, use pronouns (e.g., I, me, ako, or akin), use 2–3 word verb-noun combinations (e.g., hingi gatas), name objects in pictures, speak in grammatically correct 2-word sentences and ask what, who and why questions. Parents may need more interactive communication with their children to model good conversation. In terms of cognitive competency skills, the pupils who completed daycare (CDC), were Unable to Complete daycare (UCDC), and never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at slightly advanced development, having means of 16.52, 15.08, and 14.56, respectively. It means that the pupils at this level can perform the expected competence satisfactorily, which includes cause-and-effect, reasoning, and early-math skills. Counting and patterning are also included in this domain for preschoolers. It further implies that the kindergarten pupils, even those who were not able to enroll and complete the daycare, at this level, demonstrate very good look at fallen or hidden objects, imitate and pretend play, match colors and pictures, sort and arrange things, can name animals and vegetables, can state what silly or wrong pictures, and others are. It may be associated with the children's exposure to various educational resources like educational games on mobile phones. In addition, parents teach basic preschool learning at home, even without going to school. As a result, the children may have developed cognitively. Furthermore, regarding socio-emotional competency skills, the pupils who completed daycare (CDC) showed highly advanced development with a mean of 17.00. It means that those kinder pupils who completed daycare demonstrate highly advanced development. It denotes that the pupils at this level can perform satisfactorily; the expected competence includes the child’s ability to socialize or do activities with others. Those kindergarten pupils who could not complete daycare (UCDC) and those who never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at slightly advanced development, having means of 14.42 and 15.00, respectively. It means that the pupils at this level can perform satisfactorily. The expected competence includes the child’s ability to socialize or do activities with others even if they never enrolled or completed the daycare. It further implies that the kindergarten pupils can perform very satisfactorily basic socialization activities like imitating adult activities of washing dishes, cooking, identifying the feelings of others, persisting when faced with a problem or obstacle to his wants, comforting playmates/siblings in distress, watch responsibly over younger siblings/family members and the like. With reference to [21] found that pre-school teachers’ teaching style significantly predicts relationship with attachment security and social skills and correlate with teachers’ emotional self-efficacy and level of communication. It is therefore essential to note that teacher’s maturity and parental involvement are necessary to the development of child’s socio-emotional competence. Lastly, the overall competency skills of the pupils who completed daycare (CDC), those Unable to Complete daycare (UCDC), and those who never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at average development, having means of 10.47, 9.69, and 9.58, respectively. It means that the competency skills signify that the children are academically ready whether they had completed or not completed or never enrolled in daycare. Hence, the socio-emotional skills got the highest mean. It implies that preschoolers participate with minimal supervision and progress continuously in doing self-help activities, assigned class tasks, and socializing or doing activities with others. Table 3 Competency Skills among the Kindergarten Pupils Competency Skills Day Care Status Mean SD Interpretation Gross Motor CDC 12.56 0.53 Average Development UCDC 11.21 1.56 Average Development NEDC 9.88 2.68 Average Development Fine Motor CDC 10.09 1.08 Average Development UCDC 9.25 1.92 Average Development NEDC 9.75 1.24 Average Development Self-Help CDC 15.89 1.91 Slight Advanced Development UCDC 15.38 2.43 Slight Advanced Development NEDC 14.81 2.04 Slight Advanced Development Receptive Language CDC 4.94 0.35 Slight Delay in Overall Development UCDC 4.83 0.48 Slight Delay in Overall Development NEDC 4.56 0.89 Slight Delay in Overall Development Repressive Language CDC 5.77 2.01 Slight Delay in Overall Development UCDC 5.38 2.34 Slight Delay in Overall Development NEDC 5.06 2.21 Slight Delay in Overall Development Cognitive CDC 16.52 2.84 Slight Advanced Development UCDC 15.08 3.40 Slight Advanced Development NEDC 14.56 2.48 Slight Advanced Development Socio-Emotional CDC 17.00 4.53 Highly Advanced Development UCDC 14.42 5.52 Slight Advanced Development NEDC 15.00 5.51 Slight Advanced Development Overall CDC 10.47 1.15 Average Development UCDC 9.69 1.48 Average Development NEDC 9.58 1.58 Average Development *** CDC (Complete Day Care); UCDC (Unable to Complete Day Care; NEDC (Never Enrolled Day Care) Preschooling is within the critical year's competency skills of the preschoolers and must be nurtured through a positive experience to ascertain school readiness. Extensive research has shown that this is the most significant growth and development period, during which the brain continuously develops most rapidly and almost at its fullest. It is also the stage when self-esteem, a vision of the world, and moral foundations are established, and their cognitive ability and capacity for learning are at their sharpest. Teachers/parents/caregivers/adults should be guided to facilitate explorations of our young learners in an engaging, creative, and child-centered curriculum that is developmentally appropriate and immerses them in meaningful experiences. The provision of varied play-based activities leads them to become emergent literates and helps them naturally acquire the competencies to develop holistically. They can understand the world by exploring their environment, as they are encouraged to create and discover, eventually becoming willing risk-takers and ready to tackle formal school work [22]. Conversely, kindergarten pupils are expected to be skillful in communication arts as they apply this in their daily conversations with fellow learners [23]. Moreover, the learners are expected to participate regularly in physical activities with others. Their participation in physical activity with other learners encourages friendship and camaraderie among peers. The pleasure they experience in joining structured physical activities in school or non-structured activities outside of school encourages positive social behavior [24]. Table 4 shows the test of difference using analysis of variance (ANOVA) between the competency skills of the kindergarten pupils’ profile in terms of exposure to daycare as a pre-kinder school. Based on the result, the gross motor of the pupils obtained an F-value of 29.869 with a p-value (0.000) smaller than the 0.05 level, thus rejecting the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the gross motor skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as pre-kinder school differ significantly. The result is further tested using Scheffe, a post hoc test that shows that pupils who completed daycare as a pre-kinder school arrived at the very highest mean score, followed by those attending but unable to complete, and lastly, those pupils who never heard their daycare. It implies that the various activities in the Daycare Centers help develop the children's gross motor skills, enabling them to perform satisfactorily in their later education, like in kindergarten. Similarly, the fine motor obtained an F-value of 3.555 with a p-value of (0.032) smaller than the 0.05 level, thus rejecting the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the fine motor skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as pre-kinder school differ significantly. The result is further tested using Scheffe, a post hoc test showing that pupils who completed daycare attended but could not complete and pupils who never heard their day were homogeneous. It implies that kindergarten pupils demonstrate a different level of competence than those who cannot attend daycare. It denotes that fine motor skills are essential in preschool education. These skills refer to those that require the movement of little muscles in the hands, such as picking up pieces with tweezers or handwriting. Recent evidence has shown that children with appropriate fine motor skills development in early childhood are expected to obtain better academic achievement during the first years of primary education than those with delays or impairments in their fine motor skills [25]. The self-help obtained an F-value of 1.995 with a p-value (0.141) higher than 0.05, thus failing to reject the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the self-help skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as a pre-kinder school are similar. Since all the children can learn at home with basic activities, they will likely develop better self-help skills. The elders at home provide parental guidance, and other activities are considered learning opportunities whether the children have undergone daycare. The receptive language obtained an F-value of 3.805 with a p-value of (0.025) smaller than the 0.05 level, thus rejecting the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the repressive language skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as a pre-kinder school differ significantly. The result was further tested using Scheffe, a post hoc test showing that pupils who completed daycare as a pre-kinder school arrived at the highest mean score, followed by those attending but unable to complete and, lastly, those pupils who never heard their daycare. It further implies that the communication skills of the children are developed more in school than at home. Hence, the receptive skills of the kindergarten pupils significantly. The expressive language obtained an F-value of 0.867 with a p-value of (0.423) higher than the 0.05 level, thus failing to reject the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the repressive language skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as a pre-kinder school are similar. The pupils' cognitive skills obtained an F-value of 4.072 with a p-value of (0.020) smaller than the 0.05 level, thus rejecting the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the cognitive skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as pre-kinder school differ significantly. The result is further tested using Scheffe, a post hoc test showing that pupils who completed daycare attended but could not complete and those who never heard their day are homogeneous. Furthermore, the socio-emotional obtained an F-value of 2.908 with a p-value (0.059) higher than the 0.05 level, thus failing to reject the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the socio-emotional skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as a pre-kinder school are similar. Lastly, the overall competency skill of the obtained F-value of 5.044 with a p-value (0.008) smaller than the 0.05 level, thus rejecting the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the overall competency skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as pre-kinder school differ significantly. The result was further tested using Scheffe, a post hoc test showing that pupils who completed daycare attended but could not complete and those who never heard their day are homogeneous. Table 4 Test of Difference between the Competency Skills of the Kindergarten Pupils Profiles in terms of Exposure to Daycare at Pre-Kinder School F-value P-value Decision Gross Motor 29.892 0.000 Reject Ho Fine Motor 3.555 0.032 Reject Ho Self-Help 1.995 0.141 Failed to reject Ho Receptive Language 3.805 0.025 Reject Ho Expressive Language 0.867 0.423 Failed to reject Ho Cognitive 4.072 0.020 Reject Ho Socio-Emotional 2.908 0.059 Failed to reject Ho Overall 5.044 0.008 Reject Ho With reference to [26], mentioned that attendance in childcare translates to adverse effects on child behavior throughout their time in elementary school. Students who attended childcare were more prone to aggression than those who did not, and these effects increased the longer the child attended childcare services. However, as the quality of these childcare services increases with more sophisticated methods of instruction and effective childcare teachers, these adverse behavioral effects are reduced. On the other hand, studies showed positive social impacts of child care on communities. Child care allows women to attain employment, as they leave the responsibility of raising their children in the hands of the teachers. Nevertheless, [27] noticed that it may negatively affect their emotional health because children spend more time away from their mothers. 4. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Although flexible learning is new to the Philippine education system, it benefits students, especially those in rural areas. It allows the participants to have flexibility and independence and gives them time to enjoy the company of their families. It implies that flexible learning may be adapted even if the situations are back to normal to give students a choice of learning mode. Flexible learning may be offered to those students who are employed, married, and live in far-flung areas. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) encourage parents in Sarangani to send their pre-kindergarten-aged children to daycare centers to ensure they receive necessary skills and reach their full potential. Additionally, the municipal government might consider implementing a policy requiring parents with pre-kindergarten-aged children to enroll them in daycare centers, especially focusing on families identified as the poorest of the poor (4Ps) beneficiaries. Preschool teachers could use the study's outcomes to design modules tailored to pre-kindergarten-aged children, concentrating on building self-esteem, confidence, and communication skills. These measures aim to enhance early childhood education and ensure that children in Sarangani receive the foundational skills they need for future success, despite the challenges posed by the area's circumstances. 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K., Rambe, T., Ampera, D., Purba, A. S., & Ridho, H. (2022). Parents' perceptions of children's education and parents' attitudes towards the education of fishermen's children. Jurnal Pendidikan, Sains Sosial, dan Agama , 8 (1), 85–97. Ruiz-Esteban, C., Terry Andrés, J., Méndez, I., & Morales, Á. (2020). Analysis of motor intervention program on the development of gross motor skills in preschoolers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 17 (13), 4891. Cempron, D. N. L. (2021). Motor, Play and Self-Care Skills: An Index of Children's Pre-Indications. Online Submission , 9 (5), 294–305. Boivin, J. A., & Melito-Conners, T. (2021). Mindful Self-Care for Earlier Schooling: How Self-Care May Help Students Have the Emotional Competencies to Face Transitions at Younger Ages. In Supporting Children’s Well-Being During Early Childhood Transition to School (pp. 21–41). IGI Global. Yang, N., Shi, J., Lu, J., & Huang, Y. (2021). Language development in early childhood: Quality of teacher-child interaction and children’s receptive vocabulary competency. Frontiers in Psychology , 12 , 649680. Arace, A., Prino, L. E., & Scarzello, D. (2021). Emotional competence of early childhood educators and child socio-emotional wellbeing. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 18 (14), 7633. DepEd Order No. 47, s. 2016. Omnibus Policy on Kindergarten Education . https://www.deped.gov.ph/2016/06/28/do-47-s-2016-omnibupolicy- on-kindergarten-education/ Schlesinger, M. A., Hassinger-Das, B., Zosh, J. M., Sawyer, J., Evans, N., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2020). Cognitive behavioral science behind the value of play: Leveraging everyday experiences to promote freedom, learning, and positive interactions. Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy , 19 (2), 202–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/15289168.2020.1755084 Archer, C., & Siraj, I. (2015). Encouraging physical development through movement-play . Sage. Jordán, O. R. C., & Infantes-Paniagua, Á. (2021). Fine Motor Skills and Academic Achievement: Special Consideration to Graphomotor Skills. Physical Education Initiatives for Early Childhood Learners (pp. 55–69). IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-7585-7.ch004 Proulx, K., & Aboud, F. (2019). Disaster risk reduction in early childhood education: Effects on preschool quality and child outcomes. International Journal of Educational Development , 66 , 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2019.01.007 Horm, D. M., File, N., Bryant, D., Burchinal, M., Raikes, H., Forestieri, N., ... & Cobo-Lewis, A. (2018). Associations between continuity of care in infant-toddler classrooms and child outcomes. Early Childhood Research Quarterly , 42 , 105–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2017.08.002 Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6109669","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":421039068,"identity":"cdf987ff-0c6d-4200-81ea-df8bebaa0557","order_by":0,"name":"Analou D. Amarillo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Davao del Sur State College","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Analou","middleName":"D.","lastName":"Amarillo","suffix":""},{"id":421039069,"identity":"4f79fdf1-5314-4a72-96cb-3cf0d89d0584","order_by":1,"name":"Ariel E. San Jose","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABCklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACxgaGBxCKgfkPjw2I2XiAoJYEqBYGHpk0MJOAFiBIgDF4bA6Dabxa+GcfbnyQ8Mcuj7m9/eEDiZzzdmvbDwNtqbGJxqVF4lxis0FiW3IxY88ZYwODM7eTt51JBGo5lpbbgEvPGcY2icQG5sTGGTlsEok9t5PNDgC1MDYcxqlF/gxj+4+EP/VALenPfxz8dy7Z7PxD/FoMgLYwJLAdBmpJMGNs4DlgZ3aDgC2GZxibJRLbjic2Av0izcCTnGB2A2hLAh6/yJ1hf/jhw5/qxI3AEPvMwGNnb3Y+/eGDDzU2uL0Ptw6qIhFMJxBSDgLyUNqeGMWjYBSMglEwsgAABq9o7EC/dy0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3117-7728","institution":"Southern Philippines Agribusiness and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ariel","middleName":"E. San","lastName":"Jose","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-02-26 04:25:40","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":true,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true,"humanSubjectConsent":true,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6109669/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6109669/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":77763386,"identity":"69a66400-661a-42d4-91b3-fb8abe94b785","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-05 09:51:02","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":54100,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe conceptual framework that portrays the interplay of variables of the study. Kindergarten pupils’ profiles include their exposure to day care, measured as whether a child attended day care or not, and parental educational attainment, categorized by the highest education level completed by the parents. These profiles influence pupils’ competencies across several domains: gross motor skills, fine motor skills, self-help abilities, receptive language, expressive language, cognitive skills, and social-emotional development. These competencies are assessed through teacher observations, standardized tests, and developmental checklists.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6109669/v1/9cf10dfc6e63852aafbe8725.png"},{"id":77765214,"identity":"d68c996b-eec6-45b3-97d2-c3cd52d25591","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-05 09:59:06","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":536686,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6109669/v1/6fc6d3f2-40a7-4891-be64-02b95e21972a.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUnderstanding Kindergarten Readiness: Profiles and Learning Abilities of Young Learners in Sarangani, Davao Occidental\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"1. INTRODUCTION","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe first years of life are crucial because what happens during this period can have long-term consequences. Childhood education is the most critical foundation in the early years of young learners [1]. The universal goal of preschool education worldwide is to instill in each young learner self-responsibility and appropriate behavior at all times. To obtain this goal, kindergarten pupils must manifest the desired competencies [2]. However, [3] mentioned that many kindergarten pupils failed to develop working memory, which put them at risk in Mathematics, Reading, and Science. Likewise, [4], [5] found that many kindergarten pupils needed more numerical sense. On the other hand, [6] pointed out that kindergarten education needs mastery, integration, and application of various foundation skills because these are essential in the subsequent years.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKindergarten is a starting point for children preparing for elementary school; thus, care and learning opportunities are significant to their academic success [7]. Quality kindergarten schooling can provide experiences and appropriate knowledge to better prepare pupils for academic success [8]. Moreover, it was indicated that children who attended kindergarten had high parental involvement because early education programs involve parents extensively [9]. Also, other long-term effects of sending children to kindergarten include the attitudinal and behavioral measures of parent-child interactions, parent attitudes, school involvement, and educational experiences [10].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the United States, kindergarten education is required; thus, children four years old are obliged to come to school [8]. In the Philippines, the Republic Act 10157 served as a legal basis for implementing compulsory kindergarten education. Hence, primary education starts from kindergarten to ensure the achievement of the country's pursuit of improving human capabilities through quality education, better health and nutrition, and enhancement of knowledge and skills, which begin in early education [11].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the island municipality of Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Philippines, researchers observed that despite the presence of daycare centers in various barangays, many parents chose not to enroll their children in pre-kindergarten. Consequently, a significant number of children enter kindergarten lacking essential foundational competencies. Recognizing this challenge, the researchers explored the profiles and learning competencies of kindergarten students to serve as a developmental basis for innovative teaching strategies.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study's objective was to explore the kindergarten's profile and learning competencies who attended and did not attend the daycare as a pre-kinder school. Specifically, it aimed to: 1) determine the kindergarten pupils\u0026rsquo; profile in terms of exposure to daycare as a pre-kinder school and parents' educational attainment; 2) determine the competency skills among the Kindergarten pupils according to the: gross motor; fine motor; self \u0026ndash; help; receptive language; expressive language; cognitive; and social\u0026ndash;emotional; and determine the significant difference between the competency level of the kinder pupils who attended and those not attended daycare as a pre-kinder school.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec2\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e1.1 Conceptual Framework\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndependent Variable Dependent Variable\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"2. METHOD","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe study was conducted on the selected public elementary schools in the island municipality of Sarangani, Division of Davao Occidental, Philippines. The island is the remotest municipality of Davao Occidental. Four kindergarten classes were included in this study. The topography of these schools was mostly hilly but was accessible by any means of land transportation, while some were along the shorelines.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study employed the descriptive-correlational research design. The descriptive method described the kindergarten pupils\u0026rsquo; profile regarding their exposure to daycare and parental educational attainment. It also employed correlational design to determine how these variables affect the dependent variable. Also, descriptive-correlational was used to determine the relationship between the learning-related foundation skills and the competency skills of kindergarten pupils; the significant relationship between the learning-related foundation skills of kindergarten pupils to their competency skills; the significant relationship between the learning-related skills of kindergarten pupils to their competency skills.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe respondents of this study were the 106 purposively chosen parents of kindergarten pupils in the selected public elementary schools in the island municipality of Sarangani, Division of Davao Occidental, Philippines. The parents were chosen based on 1) their kindergarten children studying in public schools, 2) they were residents of Sarangani, and 3) they were willing to participate in the study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDue to the limitation of this study, [12] these set limitations, the findings of this study may only apply to those who participated in this study. Hence, another study may conducted to verify the results of this study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe researchers used two instruments. The first instrument was a researcher-validated questionnaire that obtained the demographic profiles, which were limited to determining: a) whether or not the child had undergone daycare; and b) the parental educational attainment. The second instrument was the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) checklist in seven domains, namely: A. Gross Motor Development, B. Fine Motor Domain, C. Self-help Development, D. Receptive Development, E. Expressive Development, F. Cognitive Development, G. Socio-Emotional Development based on DepEd Order No. 20, s. 2018. The ECCD checklist was translated into Sinugbuano (Cebuano) for the parents to understand the questions thoroughly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe results were tabulated and subjected to statistical treatment. The following steps were used in the accomplishment of the ECCD checklist: Step 1. Check the marks and tally each domain. Step 2. Raw scores were converted into scaled scores using the Scaled Scores and Equivalent of the raw scores table. Step 3. Obtained the pupils\u0026rsquo; scaled scores of each seven domains. The scaled scores were totaled to get the sum of the scaled scores. Step 4. Summed-up scaled scores were converted into a standard score using the Standard Equivalent of Sum Scaled Scores. Step 5. Interpreted using the Interpretation of Standard Score Table or the Developmental Index.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe following basis of competency skills was used to interpret scaled scores.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;text-align:justify;text-indent:60.5pt;line-height:normal;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;'\u003eScaled Score\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Interpretation\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in;line-height:normal;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;'\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;1 - 3 \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;-\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Significant Delay in Overall Development\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in;line-height:normal;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;'\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;4 - 6\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;-\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Slight Delay in Overall Development\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;'\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;7 - 13\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;-\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Average Development (AD)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;'\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;14 - 16\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;-\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Slight Advanced Development \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;line-height:normal;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;'\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;17 - 19\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;- \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Highly Advanced Development \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;line-height:normal;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;'\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION","content":"\u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e shows the kinder pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare pre-kinder school. Based on the table, most pupils were exposed and completed their daycare with a relative frequency of 62.3%. It was followed by pupils who attended but needed help to complete daycare (22.6%) and those who never enrolled in the daycare program (15.1%). It means that the majority of the kindergarten pupils had completed daycare. Twenty-four (22.6%) of the kindergarten pupils attended but could not complete the daycare. It may be because of the distance from home to school and maybe because daycare was not a compulsory requirement for kindergarten. There were also 16 (15.1%) who never enrolled in the daycare. It may be attributed to parents' perceptions of whether daycare was significant to kindergarten. According to [13], parents perception towards early childhood education is very essential in making their decision. Hence, early childhood provider may look into parents beliefs on pre-school education and suggestions to address their needs.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Kindergarten Pupils\u0026rsquo; Profile in terms of exposure to daycare pre-kinder school\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelative Frequency (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePupils' Complete DayCare\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e66\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e62.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAttended but was Unable to Complete Day Care\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNever Enrolled in DayCare\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e106\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA daycare is an educational program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that prioritizes human development concerns of children as a response to the country's ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on July 26, 1990. It recognizes the significant role of the daycare centers and other Early Childhood Education\u0026mdash;Early Childhood Care and Development (ECE-ECCD) programs in developing children's well-being [14].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs disclosed in Table \u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, out of 106 parent-respondents, 37 (34.91%) were at the high school level but did not graduate, 25 (23.58%) were at the elementary level and did not graduate from elementary, and 25 (23.58%) graduated elementary. There were 4 (3.77%) college graduates and 1 (0.94%). It means that most of the parents of the kindergarten pupils were only high school level. Those who graduated from college were the teachers and Barangay personnel who enrolled their children in the daycare. It implies that the absence of college institutions near Sarangani hindered the parents\u0026rsquo; opportunity to pursue tertiary education. In addition, the distance of travel from home to school also hindered the students from pursuing their schooling. This result confirmed [15] earlier study in Davao Occidental that most of parents were high school level and earned below the poverty line. In the study of [16], it revealed that parents with low educational attainment were preventing their children to go to school because they could not afford school fees. Additionally, they less prioritized formal education for their children. Parents' minimal educational backgrounds limit their aspirations for their children's academic advancement.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParents Educational Attainment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEducational Attainment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eElementary Level\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.58\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eElementary Graduate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.58\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigh School Level\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigh School Graduate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCollege Level\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCollege Graduate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.77\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e106\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e shows the competency skills among kindergarten pupils based on seven categories: gross motor, fine motor, self-help, receptive language, expressive language, cognitive and social-emotional. In terms of gross motor, the pupils who completed daycare (CDC), those Unable to Complete daycare (UCDC), and those who were never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at average development, having a mean of 12.56, 11.21, and 9.88 respectively. It means that at this level, kindergarten pupils can satisfactorily show control and coordination of the body movements involving large muscles. It implies that for this competency, the gross motor may need not enrolling in daycare to develop this competency. With reference to [17] mentioned that gross motor competency is learned naturally at home, even without schooling. These skills are demonstrated by a child\u0026rsquo;s ability independently. Such motor skills, according to [18] are climbing onto furniture, running without stumbling, walking backward, and hopping.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSimilarly, the average fine motor, the pupils who completed daycare (CDC), those Unable to Complete daycare (UCDC), and those who never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at average development, having means of 10.09, 9.25, and 9.75 respectively. At this level, kindergarten pupils can satisfactorily control and coordinate hand and finger movements. It implies that for this competency, fine motor skills may be learned even without formal schooling, provided that the children can move freely. Fine motor skills are developed naturally, especially in the elders surrounding them, allowing them to experience meaningful activities at home. It further implies that kindergarten pupils can use all five fingers to get food/toys placed on a flat surface, pick up objects with their thumb and index finger, scribble spontaneously, either vertically or horizontally, and draw different shapes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOn the other hand, the self-help competency of the pupils who completed daycare (CDC), those Unable to Complete daycare (UCDC), and those who never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at slightly advanced development, having means of 15.89, 15.38, and 14.81, respectively. It means that at this level, the kindergarten pupils can do and demonstrate competence to and perform the activities like dressing themselves, feeding themselves, using the toilet, brushing their teeth, bathing, tying shoes, and everything a child needs to know to start being more independent. It also implies that kindergarten pupils can manage to eat and drink. Still, with spillage and assistance, especially on buttons and shoelaces, going to urinate (pee) or moving their bowels (poop). With reference to [19] said that early childhood education provides children mindful self-care practices through play which help them transition into attending formal school.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHowever, the receptive language skills of the pupils who completed daycare (CDC), those Unable to Complete daycare (UCDC), and those who were never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at a slight delay in overall development, having means of 4.94, 4.83, and 4.56, respectively. Kindergarten pupils at this level have slightly delayed overall development. It implies that regardless of the daycare status of the kindergarten pupils, their receptive skills were both delayed development. It may be associated with the type of learning opportunities for the children before going to kinder school. In daycare classes, recognition of colors, shapes, alphabet, scribbling, and basic numbers were introduced and were not so much on giving instructions. It may be the cause why kindergarten pupils did not demonstrate the expected competence to understand words and language and gain information and meaning from routine, visual information within the environment, and sounds and words. It means that the kindergarten pupils could not satisfactorily point to a family member when asked to do so, points to 5 body parts on themselves when asked to do so, points to 5 named pictured objects, follows one-step instructions that include simple prepositions, and follows 2-step instructions with simple prepositions. It may be because of the lack of learning resources available at home, which is visual to the younger children that may help them learn basic information at home. With reference to [20] attributed the delayed of receptive language skills of children to classroom management and instructional support of pre-school teachers. Their findings indicated that these two factors positively predict children\u0026rsquo;s children\u0026rsquo;s language competence at pre-schools.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn terms of expressive language, the pupils who completed daycare (CDC), were Unable to Complete daycare (UCDC), and never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at a slight delay in overall development, having means of 5.77, 5.38, and 5.06, respectively. It means that kindergarten pupils at this level delay overall development regardless of their status in daycare. It also implies that the daycare status of the kindergarten pupils is relatively independent of the expressive competency skills of the kindergarten pupils. It denotes an inability to demonstrate the expected competence to use words, sentences, gestures, and writing to convey meaning and messages to others, label objects in the environment, describe actions and events, retell a story, and answer questions. It further implies that the kindergarten pupils could not satisfactorily use 5\u0026ndash;20 recognizable words, use pronouns (e.g., I, me, ako, or akin), use 2\u0026ndash;3 word verb-noun combinations (e.g., hingi gatas), name objects in pictures, speak in grammatically correct 2-word sentences and ask what, who and why questions. Parents may need more interactive communication with their children to model good conversation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn terms of cognitive competency skills, the pupils who completed daycare (CDC), were Unable to Complete daycare (UCDC), and never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at slightly advanced development, having means of 16.52, 15.08, and 14.56, respectively. It means that the pupils at this level can perform the expected competence satisfactorily, which includes cause-and-effect, reasoning, and early-math skills. Counting and patterning are also included in this domain for preschoolers. It further implies that the kindergarten pupils, even those who were not able to enroll and complete the daycare, at this level, demonstrate very good look at fallen or hidden objects, imitate and pretend play, match colors and pictures, sort and arrange things, can name animals and vegetables, can state what silly or wrong pictures, and others are. It may be associated with the children's exposure to various educational resources like educational games on mobile phones. In addition, parents teach basic preschool learning at home, even without going to school. As a result, the children may have developed cognitively.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFurthermore, regarding socio-emotional competency skills, the pupils who completed daycare (CDC) showed highly advanced development with a mean of 17.00. It means that those kinder pupils who completed daycare demonstrate highly advanced development. It denotes that the pupils at this level can perform satisfactorily; the expected competence includes the child\u0026rsquo;s ability to socialize or do activities with others. Those kindergarten pupils who could not complete daycare (UCDC) and those who never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at slightly advanced development, having means of 14.42 and 15.00, respectively. It means that the pupils at this level can perform satisfactorily. The expected competence includes the child\u0026rsquo;s ability to socialize or do activities with others even if they never enrolled or completed the daycare. It further implies that the kindergarten pupils can perform very satisfactorily basic socialization activities like imitating adult activities of washing dishes, cooking, identifying the feelings of others, persisting when faced with a problem or obstacle to his wants, comforting playmates/siblings in distress, watch responsibly over younger siblings/family members and the like. With reference to [21] found that pre-school teachers\u0026rsquo; teaching style significantly predicts relationship with attachment security and social skills and correlate with teachers\u0026rsquo; emotional self-efficacy and level of communication. It is therefore essential to note that teacher\u0026rsquo;s maturity and parental involvement are necessary to the development of child\u0026rsquo;s socio-emotional competence.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLastly, the overall competency skills of the pupils who completed daycare (CDC), those Unable to Complete daycare (UCDC), and those who never enrolled in daycare (NEDC) were at average development, having means of 10.47, 9.69, and 9.58, respectively. It means that the competency skills signify that the children are academically ready whether they had completed or not completed or never enrolled in daycare. Hence, the socio-emotional skills got the highest mean. It implies that preschoolers participate with minimal supervision and progress continuously in doing self-help activities, assigned class tasks, and socializing or doing activities with others.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompetency Skills among the Kindergarten Pupils\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompetency Skills\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDay Care Status\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInterpretation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGross Motor\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.53\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNEDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFine Motor\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.92\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNEDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.75\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelf-Help\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.89\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlight Advanced Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.43\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlight Advanced Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNEDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.81\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlight Advanced Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eReceptive Language\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlight Delay in Overall Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlight Delay in Overall Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNEDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.89\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlight Delay in Overall Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRepressive Language\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.77\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlight Delay in Overall Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlight Delay in Overall Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNEDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlight Delay in Overall Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCognitive\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.84\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlight Advanced Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlight Advanced Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNEDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlight Advanced Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSocio-Emotional\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.53\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHighly Advanced Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlight Advanced Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNEDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.51\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlight Advanced Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUCDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.69\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNEDC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.58\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.58\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003e*** CDC (Complete Day Care); UCDC (Unable to Complete Day Care; NEDC (Never Enrolled Day Care)\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePreschooling is within the critical year's competency skills of the preschoolers and must be nurtured through a positive experience to ascertain school readiness. Extensive research has shown that this is the most significant growth and development period, during which the brain continuously develops most rapidly and almost at its fullest. It is also the stage when self-esteem, a vision of the world, and moral foundations are established, and their cognitive ability and capacity for learning are at their sharpest. Teachers/parents/caregivers/adults should be guided to facilitate explorations of our young learners in an engaging, creative, and child-centered curriculum that is developmentally appropriate and immerses them in meaningful experiences. The provision of varied play-based activities leads them to become emergent literates and helps them naturally acquire the competencies to develop holistically. They can understand the world by exploring their environment, as they are encouraged to create and discover, eventually becoming willing risk-takers and ready to tackle formal school work [22].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConversely, kindergarten pupils are expected to be skillful in communication arts as they apply this in their daily conversations with fellow learners [23]. Moreover, the learners are expected to participate regularly in physical activities with others. Their participation in physical activity with other learners encourages friendship and camaraderie among peers. The pleasure they experience in joining structured physical activities in school or non-structured activities outside of school encourages positive social behavior [24].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e shows the test of difference using analysis of variance (ANOVA) between the competency skills of the kindergarten pupils\u0026rsquo; profile in terms of exposure to daycare as a pre-kinder school. Based on the result, the gross motor of the pupils obtained an F-value of 29.869 with a p-value (0.000) smaller than the 0.05 level, thus rejecting the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the gross motor skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as pre-kinder school differ significantly. The result is further tested using Scheffe, a post hoc test that shows that pupils who completed daycare as a pre-kinder school arrived at the very highest mean score, followed by those attending but unable to complete, and lastly, those pupils who never heard their daycare. It implies that the various activities in the Daycare Centers help develop the children's gross motor skills, enabling them to perform satisfactorily in their later education, like in kindergarten.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSimilarly, the fine motor obtained an F-value of 3.555 with a p-value of (0.032) smaller than the 0.05 level, thus rejecting the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the fine motor skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as pre-kinder school differ significantly. The result is further tested using Scheffe, a post hoc test showing that pupils who completed daycare attended but could not complete and pupils who never heard their day were homogeneous. It implies that kindergarten pupils demonstrate a different level of competence than those who cannot attend daycare. It denotes that fine motor skills are essential in preschool education. These skills refer to those that require the movement of little muscles in the hands, such as picking up pieces with tweezers or handwriting. Recent evidence has shown that children with appropriate fine motor skills development in early childhood are expected to obtain better academic achievement during the first years of primary education than those with delays or impairments in their fine motor skills [25].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe self-help obtained an F-value of 1.995 with a p-value (0.141) higher than 0.05, thus failing to reject the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the self-help skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as a pre-kinder school are similar. Since all the children can learn at home with basic activities, they will likely develop better self-help skills. The elders at home provide parental guidance, and other activities are considered learning opportunities whether the children have undergone daycare.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe receptive language obtained an F-value of 3.805 with a p-value of (0.025) smaller than the 0.05 level, thus rejecting the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the repressive language skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as a pre-kinder school differ significantly. The result was further tested using Scheffe, a post hoc test showing that pupils who completed daycare as a pre-kinder school arrived at the highest mean score, followed by those attending but unable to complete and, lastly, those pupils who never heard their daycare. It further implies that the communication skills of the children are developed more in school than at home. Hence, the receptive skills of the kindergarten pupils significantly.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe expressive language obtained an F-value of 0.867 with a p-value of (0.423) higher than the 0.05 level, thus failing to reject the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the repressive language skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as a pre-kinder school are similar.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe pupils' cognitive skills obtained an F-value of 4.072 with a p-value of (0.020) smaller than the 0.05 level, thus rejecting the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the cognitive skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as pre-kinder school differ significantly. The result is further tested using Scheffe, a post hoc test showing that pupils who completed daycare attended but could not complete and those who never heard their day are homogeneous.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFurthermore, the socio-emotional obtained an F-value of 2.908 with a p-value (0.059) higher than the 0.05 level, thus failing to reject the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the socio-emotional skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as a pre-kinder school are similar. Lastly, the overall competency skill of the obtained F-value of 5.044 with a p-value (0.008) smaller than the 0.05 level, thus rejecting the null hypothesis (Ho). It means that the overall competency skills of the kindergarten pupils' profile in terms of exposure to daycare as pre-kinder school differ significantly. The result was further tested using Scheffe, a post hoc test showing that pupils who completed daycare attended but could not complete and those who never heard their day are homogeneous.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTest of Difference between the Competency Skills of the Kindergarten Pupils Profiles in terms of Exposure to Daycare at Pre-Kinder School\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF-value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP-value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDecision\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGross Motor\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29.892\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eReject Ho\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFine Motor\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.555\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.032\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eReject Ho\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelf-Help\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.995\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.141\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFailed to reject Ho\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eReceptive Language\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.805\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.025\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eReject Ho\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExpressive Language\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.867\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.423\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFailed to reject Ho\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCognitive\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.072\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.020\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eReject Ho\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSocio-Emotional\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.908\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.059\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFailed to reject Ho\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.044\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.008\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eReject Ho\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith reference to [26], mentioned that attendance in childcare translates to adverse effects on child behavior throughout their time in elementary school. Students who attended childcare were more prone to aggression than those who did not, and these effects increased the longer the child attended childcare services. However, as the quality of these childcare services increases with more sophisticated methods of instruction and effective childcare teachers, these adverse behavioral effects are reduced. On the other hand, studies showed positive social impacts of child care on communities. Child care allows women to attain employment, as they leave the responsibility of raising their children in the hands of the teachers. Nevertheless, [27] noticed that it may negatively affect their emotional health because children spend more time away from their mothers.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"4. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS","content":"\u003cp\u003eAlthough flexible learning is new to the Philippine education system, it benefits students, especially those in rural areas. It allows the participants to have flexibility and independence and gives them time to enjoy the company of their families. It implies that flexible learning may be adapted even if the situations are back to normal to give students a choice of learning mode. Flexible learning may be offered to those students who are employed, married, and live in far-flung areas.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) encourage parents in Sarangani to send their pre-kindergarten-aged children to daycare centers to ensure they receive necessary skills and reach their full potential. Additionally, the municipal government might consider implementing a policy requiring parents with pre-kindergarten-aged children to enroll them in daycare centers, especially focusing on families identified as the poorest of the poor (4Ps) beneficiaries. Preschool teachers could use the study's outcomes to design modules tailored to pre-kindergarten-aged children, concentrating on building self-esteem, confidence, and communication skills. These measures aim to enhance early childhood education and ensure that children in Sarangani receive the foundational skills they need for future success, despite the challenges posed by the area's circumstances.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo attract parents and students to enroll in preschool, community engagement campaigns lead by the Local Government Unit (LGU) advocating for universal preschool access and securing funds for early childhood education initiatives might be appealing.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\"Declaration of ethical approval: This study was submitted to the Research Ethics Committee (REC) of the college which evaluated its adherence to ethical standards, including informed consent, confidentiality, and justice, ensuring the protection of participants' rights and welfare while maintaining transparency. This study passed the review.\"\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Bruce, T. (2012). \u003cem\u003eEarly childhood education\u003c/em\u003e. Hachette UK.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Kosicka, M., \u0026amp; Gacka, E. (2020). Knowledge of teachers and students of early school and preschool education know the dysfunctions and parafunction of the orofacial complex. \u003cem\u003eLogopaedica Lodziensia\u003c/em\u003e, (4), 97\u0026ndash;113. Retrieved https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=911931\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Morgan, P. L., Farkas, G., Wang, Y., Hillemeier, M. M., Oh, Y., \u0026amp; Maczuga, S. (2019). 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DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-7585-7.ch004\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Proulx, K., \u0026amp; Aboud, F. (2019). Disaster risk reduction in early childhood education: Effects on preschool quality and child outcomes. \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of Educational Development\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e66\u003c/em\u003e, 1\u0026ndash;7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2019.01.007\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Horm, D. M., File, N., Bryant, D., Burchinal, M., Raikes, H., Forestieri, N., ... \u0026amp; Cobo-Lewis, A. (2018). Associations between continuity of care in infant-toddler classrooms and child outcomes. \u003cem\u003eEarly Childhood Research Quarterly\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e42\u003c/em\u003e, 105\u0026ndash;118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2017.08.002\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"kindergarten, learning competence, preschool, pedagogy","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6109669/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6109669/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe early years of a child\u0026rsquo;s life are crucial in shaping cognitive, social, and emotional development. However, in Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Philippines, some parents hesitate to enroll their children in pre-kindergarten, leading to gaps in foundational skills. Addressing these challenges is essential to ensure that young learners are equipped for future academic success. This study assessed the profiles and learning abilities of kindergarten students to inform innovative teaching strategies. Using a descriptive-correlational research design, the study examined the demographics and competencies of 106 purposively selected respondents. Two research instruments were utilized: one for demographic data collection and another for Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) skills assessment. Findings indicated that most kindergarten students had prior preschool exposure and exhibited average competency levels. However, preschool attendees significantly outperformed non-attendees in gross motor, fine motor, receptive language, and cognitive skills, while no significant differences were found in self-help and expressive language skills. To bridge these gaps, strengthening preschool curricula, training teachers, and implementing transition programs for non-preschool attendees are essential. Promoting parental involvement and conducting individualized assessments for targeted interventions will further support children\u0026rsquo;s learning needs. To boost preschool enrollment, community-driven campaigns led by the Local Government Unit (LGU) advocating universal preschool access and securing funding for early childhood education initiatives are recommended. Strengthening these efforts will ensure that more children receive the necessary foundational skills for lifelong learning success.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Understanding Kindergarten Readiness: Profiles and Learning Abilities of Young Learners in Sarangani, Davao Occidental","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-03-05 09:50:57","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6109669/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"4a3840d1-387d-4722-910f-9c3f60bf6930","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 5th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":44880309,"name":"Educational Psychology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-03-05T09:50:57+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-03-05 09:50:57","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6109669","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6109669","identity":"rs-6109669","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}