More children enrolled in day care centers or registered in Supervised Neighborhood Play (SNP) will take part in the Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to ensure their nutritional needs are met.

SNP provides early childhood care service to 2- to 4-year-old toddlers who have no access to day care centers in their respective localities.

For this year, the DSWD aims to serve 2,568,811 children for 120 days with an approved budget of P4.32 billion.

SFP augments the feeding program in LGU-managed day care centers and SNP areas using indigenous food and/or locally-produced food equivalent to 1/3 of Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intake (RENI).

SFP also improves the knowledge, attitude, and practices of children, parents, and caregivers through intensified nutrition and health education; and improves and sustains the nutritional status of the targeted children beneficiaries.

Food supplementation comes in the form of hot meals served during break/snack time in the morning or in the afternoon.

The feeding program is being managed by the parents based on a prepared meal cycle.  Children beneficiaries will be weighed at the start of the feeding, three months thereafter, and after the completion of 120 feeding days to determine improvement and sustenance in the nutritional status of the beneficiaries.

In 2014, a total of 1,696,194 day care children and those in the SNP benefitted from the program. More than P2.68 billion was downloaded last year to local government units nationwide which directly implemented the feeding program for the day care pupils. ###