| 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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Project TEACH has organized an inter-agency and multi-sectoral committee that developed an innovative and cost-effective service delivery framework that effectively streamlined services that are pertinent to youth with special needs. This committee meets at least once a month to evaluate Project TEACH’s programs and to discuss ways to enhance these accordingly. Project TEACH’s service delivery framework enables community helpers such as public school teachers, social workers, day care center workers, government hospital workers, barangay health workers, and civil society partners to find and identify children who have or who are at risk of having special needs. These children are then referred to their Barangay Health Center for developmental screening by doctors. To give priority to the poor, the families of the special children are screened by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). If determined to be eligible, these children are then referred to partner developmental pediatricians for free and proper diagnostic services. These specialists are affiliated with The Medical City, a premier private hospital in Manila, and who come to the Mandaluyong Center for Alternative Rehabilitation and Educational Services (CARES). The Mandaluyong CARES is a city-operated therapy and special education tutorial services center specifically instituted for Project TEACH. Mandaluyong CARES is staffed by licensed professionals from top universities in the Philippines.
Empowerment and transfer of knowledge is emphasized by recruiting experts to teach essential competencies to lay people. Community Rehabilitation and Education Workers (CREW) and volunteer parents undergo rigorous training activities to enable them to assist in the implementation of therapy and educational programs. To ensure the quality of services, they work under the close supervision of licensed therapists and special education teachers. The CREW in turn, help parents of children with special needs care for their child more effectively. Once a child is diagnosed, necessary interventions are provided by the appropriate local line agency/ies.
For education services, Project TEACH’s multi-disciplinary team of professionals recommends the most suitable educational program for the child and offers ongoing technical support to the public school teachers. Project TEACH’s clustering and mainstreaming scheme renders more effective the special education programs of the Department of Education-Mandaluyong City. Measures taken, like the formation of more homogenous class groupings based on age, developmental skills and behavior as well as the assignment of specialty special education programs per public school, significantly made the teacher’s efforts more focused and efficient.
The Kitchen Specials, a vocational training program helps youth with special needs produce healthy, delicious and affordable snacks which are then sold to public school canteens. The parent-teacher association of the school helps market these products where certain part of the income goes to the students/trainees under the Project TEACH.
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| 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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Project TEACH is an outstanding example of how a local government unit can collaborate with the private sector, civil societ, the academe and the PWD sector. The REACH Foundation, Inc. and the local government of Mandaluyong City collaborate in funding, conceptualizing, planning and implementing this community-based program.
Partner agencies and units under the local government are the City Health Office, Department of Education-Mandaluyong, City Social Welfare and Development Department, Persons with Disabilities Affairs Division, Mandaluyong City Medical Center, City Public Information Office and the Mandaluyong Center for Alternative Rehabilitation and Educational Services.
Other non-government organizations that support the program are the Hands of Mercy, Inc., the Parent-Teacher Community Association-Mandaluyong and the Kapisanan ng mga Magulang ng mga Batang may Kapasanan ng Mandaluyong, Inc. - an association of parents of children with disabilities. These non-government organizations have members that regularly volunteer in Project TEACH. The University of the Philippines-Manila and the University of Sto. Tomas as well as The Medical City have signed into a Memorandum of Agreement with the REACH Foundation which commits them to regularly send occupational, physical and speech therapy interns as well as Developmental Pediatrics Fellows to Project TEACH. The interns assist Project TEACH’s staff in developing and implementing treatment programs. All the above participating organizations have been assigned to perform functions that are consistent with their mandate.
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| 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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The project receives an allocated budget from the City Government and the Department of Education’s Special Education Fund. This ensures enough resources to sustain and expand Project TEACH’s operations. When it was initially introduced in 2007, a counterpart grant amounting to one million pesos ($25,000-) was received from the Philippine-Australia Community Assistance Program. The local government’s main contribution was the provision of space and in helping institute a cost-effective service delivery mechanism. This was achieved by utilizing existing structures and human resources within the local government. Minimal amounts were spent for basic materials and training activities. In 2009, the city funded 59.62% of the budget required. This has increased to 71.59%, 93.5% and 100% in 2010, 2011 and 2012 beyond, respectively. Prior to 2011, non-government organizations such as the Rehabilitation and Empowerment of Adults and Children with Handicap Foundation, Inc. (REACH Foundation, Inc.) helped source funding from the private sector. Roughly PhP2.57M ($64,250-) or 77.7% of Project TEACH’s current yearly operational budget, which amounts to more or less PhP3.3M ($82,500-), is allocated for the salaries of staff and CREW. The premium placed on salaries is to help attract the most competent and compassionate professionals such as Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Special Education Teachers to serve in depressed communities. The honorarium that the CREW receive significantly helps augment their family’s income.
The table below presents a breakdown of the types of services rendered from 2007-1012 as well as the monetary equivalence of the free services rendered. Amounts were computed based on industry rates of private service providers. As of 2013, Project TEACH offers services amounting to PhP4.8M ($120,000-) to PhP6M ($150,000-) per year. This clearly illustrates the cost effectiveness of the program. The impact of the developmental gains achieved by the on themselves and on their loved ones further underscores the value of Project TEACH.
TYPE OF SERVICES RENDERED FOR FREE TIME PERIOD Amount of Free Services Rendered in Php (Standard Rate x No. of Sessions)
I. Client Care Services
A. Diagnostic Services October 2007- March 2012 628,000
B. Screening and Re-evaluation 332,050
C. Therapy Sessions and Special Education (SPED) Tutorials in the Community Center 6,615,600
D. Home Therapy Sessions 1,293,000
E. SPED Classes (Bridging for Developmental Conditions and Hearing Impaired) 3,153,600
F. Prevocational Skills Training 1,858,400
Total Monetary Equivalence of Client Care Services 13,880,650
II. Other Services
Seminars, workshops and training activities for beneficiaries, family members, volunteers, government employees and professionals September 2007 – March 2012 110,300
GRAND TOTAL OF MONETARY EQUIVALENCE OF SERVICES RENDERED ($349,773-) 13,990,950
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| 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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The project has significantly enhanced the special children’s skills as evidenced by objective assessments administered by consultant diagnosticians and direct testimonials given by the beneficiaries and their families. Advocates and beneficiaries have noted that many of these children can now participate more competently in activities pertinent to self-help, home management, school, play and leisure. In the most recent quality assurance survey conducted by Project TEACH, 93% of the parent respondents observed improvements on their children. 100% felt that interventions given were appropriate. Moreover, 100% of the parent respondents expressed satisfaction over the services rendered.
The capability-building activities provided to the CREW and family members have empowered them and have given them a renewed sense of purpose. The 4,000 pesos (about US$100) honorarium that the full time CREW receive significantly augments their family’s income.
Government employees have also benefited from Project TEACH’s capability building programs. Specialists have conducted workshops for the doctors in the health centers. Department of Education-Mandaluyong’s special education programs, specifically its self-contained SPED classes, mainstreaming and inclusion programs have been revitalized.
Through Project TEACH, public school special children have been clustered into homogenous groups which were advised to enroll in the public school that has been assigned by Project TEACH to implement the most appropriate ‘specialty curriculum’. Through this ‘clustering scheme’, the students belonging in a class would present similar needs and baseline skills. Hence, the teachers’ lesson planning process and classroom management is much simplified. To maintain good standards in mainstreaming and inclusion, Project TEACH has developed implementing rules and guidelines that have been recently taught to guidance teachers.
The World Bank recognized Project TEACH’s pioneering efforts when it was awarded the top prize in a competition for innovative ideas, the 2008 Panibagong Paraan (New Method): Building Partnerships between non-government organizations and the local government unit.
Project TEACH has been selected twice by the Australian government as a beneficiary of the Philippine-Australian Community Assistance Program grant. The Center for Health Development-Department of Health recognized Project TEACH as among the top 3 most innovative health care programs in Metro Manila. Project TEACH is given much credit for having Mandaluyong City awarded as the Most Child Friendly City in the Philippines in 2011. And most recently, the Project was awarded as one of the ten most innovative projects by the Galing Pook Foundation, an institution that commends and highlights significant and innovative projects among local government units.
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| 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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The project has significantly enhanced the beneficiaries’ skills as evidenced by objective assessments administered by diagnosticians and direct testimonials of their families. A parent satisfaction survey tool was developed to measure the appropriateness and effectiveness of the programs being received by the beneficiaries. They have noted that many of these children can now participate more competently in activities pertinent to self-help, home management, school, play and leisure. In the most recent quality assurance survey conducted by Project TEACH in March 2014, 93% of the parent respondents observed improvements on their children. All the parents expressed satisfaction over the services provided and all felt that interventions given were appropriate.
To sustain these quality outcomes, an inter-agency committee was formed to develop, implement and evaluate an innovative and cost-effective service delivery framework that effectively streamlined services that are pertinent to youth with special needs. This committee meets at least once a month to evaluate Project TEACH’s programs and to discuss ways to enhance these accordingly. Project TEACH regularly welcomes visitors and external evaluators from both the private and public sector. Feedback and insights obtained from them are used constructively to further enhance Project TEACH’s efforts. Project TEACH takes pride in National awards and citations such as the Galing Pook Awards given by reputable evaluation bodies for being among the country’s best practices in local governance.
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| 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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An initial obstacle encountered was the lack of openness of families to bring their children to Project TEACH due to the stigma associated with people with disabilities. This was addressed through various seminars and community education activities. Moreover, they have been involved throughout the conceptualization and implementation process and this allowed them to attain a sense of ownership of the program. Working with youth with developmental conditions is a very specialized field. As such, the local government collaborated with the private sector in order to acquire the needed technical knowhow.
The Rehabilitation and Empowerment of Adults and Children with Handicap Foundation, Inc. (REACH Foundation, Inc.) is a main partner that helped equip the program with capable professional and lay service providers. Institutions of higher learning like the University of the Philippines, University of Sto. Tomas and The Medical City were tapped to detail interns and residents to Project TEACH. This significantly augmented the professional manpower. Transfer of learning activities were emphasized to continue building the skills of Project TEACH’s service providers. Since funding was limited during the initial phase, grants were obtained from agencies such as the Philippine-Australian Community Assistance Program. Funding agencies chose to support Project TEACH primarily due to concrete measures set-up by the local government to ensure its sustainability. Among such measures include the passing of ordinances that would make Project TEACH a permanent program of the city.
Streamlining the efforts of various government agencies pertinent to the care of persons with disabilities significantly helped the local government save time, effort and physical resources. This streamlined effort can be gleaned from the service deliver framework discussed above.
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