Category: Latest Articles

Childlink Learning Center & High School Inc., in partnership with the Cebu City Public Library, has recently concluded its highly successful Cebu City Summer Early Literacy Program, leaving a lasting impact on children aged four to six. This groundbreaking initiative, spearheaded by Childlink’s founder and school directress, Ms. Maria Theresa Tio, has taken early childhood education to new heights, utilizing the power of reading to foster holistic development and a love for learning among young minds.

The program’s culminating event, held at the esteemed Cebu City Public Library, saw the beaming faces of children as they received their certificates of completion from Ms. Tio and Chief Librarian Rosario Chua. The Summer Early Literacy Program is the flagship project of Childlink, designed to engage children in a multidisciplinary approach to learning by using books as a catalyst for developing reading, language, science, and math skills.

“In our early literacy program, we prioritize not only reading but also writing and speaking,” Ms. Tio explained. By integrating these three components, Childlink aims to nurture the child’s passion for learning, creating a strong foundation for future academic pursuits. The program takes place weekly at the Children’s Section of the Cebu City Public Library, which boasts a collection of books generously donated by Zonta of Cebu II.

Childlink Learning Center & High School Inc. has long been committed to community outreach programs, including book donations and reading sessions. Ms. Tio emphasized the positive impact the program has had on past communities served by Childlink. Reading, she noted, has the power to connect to other subjects like mathematics and science, fostering a holistic understanding of the world.

The ages of four to six mark a critical period in children’s literacy development. Reading not only sparks curiosity and stimulates imagination but also lays the foundation for various essential skills, such as empathy and problem-solving, as children grow and engage in role-play.

During the program, teachers read stories to the children, and afterwards, introduce them to letters, numbers, and science concepts related to the story. Writing is also emphasized as a vital component of the program. The target beneficiaries of this initiative are children from low-income families who may not have access to pre-primary educational institutions.

Ms. Tio passionately called on companies and non-government organizations to collaborate with Childlink in expanding the program’s reach to benefit even more children. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, who graced the culminating event, emphasized the urgency of addressing the literacy crisis, highlighting the alarming number of students who struggle with reading even at higher grade levels.

The importance of pre-primary education was underscored by UNICEF, emphasizing that children enrolled in at least one year of pre-primary education are more likely to develop critical skills necessary for success in school, reducing grade repetition and drop-out rates.

Childlink’s Early Literacy Summer Program has become a beacon of hope in Cebu City, igniting a passion for reading and nurturing young minds for a brighter future. As they continue to empower children through the magic of books, their transformative impact reaches far beyond the summer months, shaping the educational landscape for generations to come.

Masterful comprehension, self-esteem and more through reading in the next generation.”

Why not?

This, in a capsule, is the supreme goal of two educational centers: Childlink Learning Center and High School sustains commitment to its partnership with the Ramon Duterte National High School (RDNHS) for its “I Learn, I Read” program.

The above program is organized by the English Department of the RDNHS to provide assistance to Grade 7 students who lack basic reading skills and had low performance in school, due to this deficiency.

These sessions are conducted after classes from 2 to 3 p.m. Ma. Theresa Tio, founder and director of Childlink, has this to say: “Knowing how to read will help students gain confidence, motivate them to become better individuals and increase understanding of their lessons. This ‘I Learn, I Read’ program aims to develop the Grade 7 non-readers to read on their own, and upon completion, it is expected that their academic performance and attitude is positive and progressive.”

Childlink donated to RDNHS the complete set of Big Books from A to Z and the Early Literacy workbooks in Writing, Reading, Math and Science. These were supplementary to the program, which was implemented in August 2022.

Initially, Childlink proposed targeting preschoolers, but RDNHS saw the need among Grade 7 students, who lacked basic reading skills.

Childlink then re-engineered the plan to fit mid-schoolers, Tio said during the Stakeholders Engagement event organized by the school.

The Philippines scored lowest in Reading out of the 70 countries included in the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment. Records showed that only one in five Filipino learners aged 15 achieved at least the minimum proficiency level in Overall Reading Literacy.

In the 2019 Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics, it was reported that only 10 percent of the country’s Grade 5 learners showed minimum proficiency at the end of Primary Education.

Meanwhile, the World Bank estimated that the Philippines’ Learning Poverty is at 90.9 percent which means being unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10.

Hopefully, with this “I Learn, I Read” program, Grade 7 students of RDNHS will pass with flying colors.

Are you ready?

Get the head start for your Preschooler!  Enroll your Preschooler for Summer School and let them discover the joys of meeting friends, singing, dancing, doing art work, learning Reading, Math, and Science and so much more. 

Classes start June 5, 2023.

For inquiries about the Childlink Summer School, please call 4152963 or 09338122911.  Be a Linker today!

Childlink brings back starting this year, the Childlink DAYCARE PROGRAM.

• No Nanny, No Problem!
• Leave your child with a trusted Preschool where Learning is beyond fun!
• Minimum of 4 Hours a day and a Maximum of 8 hours a day
• Weekly and Monthly Rates Available
• Open for children ages 1.5 years old and above

Entry to the Daycare Program is any day the whole year round.

For inquiries about the Childlink Daycare Program, please call 4152963 or 09338122911.  Be a Linker today!

Childlink offers tuition fee discounts for full tuition fee payment

As Childlink officially ends its celebration of 25 Founding Years, the school gives back to its community discounted tuition fees starting January. Take this opportunity to join the community of Linkers.

Childlink Learning Center and High School Inc. is a private international school in Cebu, Philippines offering playgroup, nursery, grade school, and high school levels. Childlink is also the first and only School of Character in the Vis-Min region with an accredited character education program.

It has gained recognition for its efforts to continually upgrade its curriculum. The school is the recipient of the Business Achievement and Recognition Award for Advance Learning Education Provider of the Year 2021 in Metro Cebu. The award underscores the thrust of Childlink to always incorporate new teaching strategies to prepare their students to become active members of the community.

Childlink’s strategy ensures that the school maintains quality education it has always strived for.

For inquiries about the Childlink School, contact 4152963 or 09338122911 or send a private message to the school’s Facebook/messenger.

1Robby Alugar

by: Eugenie Villamor, Grade 9 student

Technology is a part of our lifestyle. It is entangled with the simplicities and complexities of our life; the entertainment we indulge in, the machines we use and the information we seek. Technology is one of the most prevalent assets of our life; we want it, we need it, we long for it. Much like everything, it is a double-edged sword. Indeed, it is used to innovate and inform, however, it can be the latter. Technology is a legal drug; we are addicted to it because it does everything we do but better. We talk so much about freedom or “democracy” as we call it, yet we feed it with our entire private assets. Technology knows you from head-to-toe; it can even predict our actions. It creates an algorithm for you to invest more time with technology. It deals with our infinite boredom as it effortlessly hands you content that makes you stare at a blue screen for hours on end, like a moth to a flame. Technology has successfully created this illusion that “we need them,” especially with our intimate needs such as  love and esteem. Technology breaks down people to superficiality, solely relying of mere strangers.  Technology illustrates a capitalized yet romanticized version of ourselves that lead to our self-destruction. Much like everything leaves everything in moderation. Limit your time with technology and do the things that spark true passion and love. Yet, as I write this essay, I find myself tempted to type and print on my computer or a simple rectangular block I can’t live without. I wonder, “Do we control technology or does technology control us?”

by: Jamela Aranduque, Grade 10 student

The webinar was full of insightful ideas and among them, the career section caught my interest. As a student, some of the toughest decisions we will make in high school and college is “what am I going to do after college, what field of study is best?, is this field in demand?,are my skills in demand, and   will there be enough jobs when I graduate?”. These are all important questions. Therefore, it is crucial to research and know our career options before graduating.

The career portion of the webinar discussed about the skills and values employers look for, sustainable careers in the future, and how students can prepare for their career choice. There were plenty of sustainable careers that were mentioned, but what interests me was the Registered Nurse career. Although the job that I want to attain in the future is a pediatrician, being a registered nurse can be an option. I love helping peopleso they feel better so this career choice is a good career option for me to take in consideration.

            What I particularly remembered from how students can prepare for their career choice is to not procrastinate, to stay up-to-date, to expand my knowledge, and to pay more attention to my Math and Science classes. I do struggle to keep motivated when it comes to working on my school activities, so I tend to procrastinate a lot  and end up cramming.  I do want to change this habit of mine as I see it as a barrier for me to improve myself academically and mentally. I also want to expand my knowledge on various subjects and topics so I will have a general understanding which I can use in the future. I will also try my best to pay attention to my classes and to stay up-to-date with the current issues  and to learn and retain these as much as I can.

            This webinar has really opened up my eyes to what is currently important to me and that is to choose a strand to take to lead me to a sustainable career choice. I am truly grateful for this opportunity to learn and receive advice on the steps that I need to take from here and then on and the changes that I must do in order to achieve my goals.

Recognizing the importance of early childhood education, Childlink Learning Center and High School Inc. is open to partner with individuals and organizations for its early literacy program.

Ms. Maria Theresa Tio, Childlink founder and school directress, said they have come up with a module for the early literacy program which could be used to develop learning for children aged four to six.

“There are many benefits if we develop children at pre-school age. From 0 to 7 years old, the capability of our brains to absorb information and to learn is exponential,” Ms. Tio said.

She added that the learning ability of children will reduce as they grow older so it would be better to take the opportunity of teaching children in the pre-school so they have a good start.

“Preschool education will help develop the child’s study habits. It will develop the love for learning and good values,” Ms. Tio pointed out.

“Our school is making modules for Reading, Math, Science and Writing. So, the anchor of the program is really Reading for the students,” she explained.

Under the program, the teacher reads to the children and after reading, teach the children about letters, numbers, science related to the story read and writing. Childlink started to implement this program this month.

The Childlink Parents-Teachers Association bought 25 modules for the program, which will be given to the two institutions.

To implement the program, the school has partnered with the Cebu City Public Library and the Ramon Duterte Memorial National High School for the implementation of the program.

According to Ms. Tio, 15 modules are turned over to the Ramon Duterte Memorial National High School while the remaining 10 modules will go to the Cebu City Public Library.

The teachers at the Ramon Duterte Memorial National High School who will be conducting the classes do this as part of their community outreach program.

Meanwhile, a Childlink teacher will be the one to hold classes every Friday at the Cebu City Public Library.

When the program beneficiaries enter formal school kindergarten or grade 1, they will already know the sound of the letters and become aware of numbers and environment. They will also be prepared for writing, Ms. Tio said.

She explained that Childlink will be monitoring the implementation of program to ensure that this is properly implemented. Also, the kids participating in the program are required to finish the sessions to ensure their progress of learning.

The minimum number of sessions is 26. However, teachers may have to increase the sessions up to 52, depending on the situation.

The modules, which also composed of work books, will remain at the classroom but these will be given to the child once they completed the program.

The target beneficiaries are those belonging to the low-income sector who could not afford to send their children to pre-primary educational institutions.

To expand the program, Childlink is now looking for partners who will fund the cost of the modules estimated at between P1,000 and P1,200 each. Each module also includes crayons, pencils and erasers.

“I want to help more people in the community but we need partners and organizations who will donate the amount for the modules for their preferred beneficiaries. That’s the only way we can benefit more children,” Ms. Tio pointed out.

Childlink will take care of the training of teachers and will monitor the program implementation on behalf of the partners.

Twenty years ago, the school had started implementing its Reading program for the children of families living at the Inayawan dump site. However, the program was discontinued because the mothers who were trained to implement the program were no longer around.

Childlink then decided to revive an enhanced Reading program with the added Math, Science and Writing components, Ms. Tio said.

UNICEF also underscored the importance of pre-primary education, noting that children enrolled in at least one year of pre-primary education are more likely to develop the critical skills they need to succeed in school and less likely to repeat grades or drop out. #