RATIONALE/BACKGROUND Education is an act of transmitting and absorbing knowledge.

It is a fire of enlightenment that flames within our body and soul. Experiences in a childs daily life contribute to his acquisition of knowledge geared towards future success. Poverty caused by poor economic stability leads us to serious problems such as unemployment, hunger, malnutrition and worse. These are the common reasons why young children quit schooling. Further more, the school as an authorized child care agency must assume the responsibility of helping the child to cope up with his problems and to the environment he belongs to. The most common problem that we are experiencing today is malnutrition. This can be defined as inadequate intake of nutritious foods witch greatly affects preschooler's ability to learn, behave, communicate, think, socialize and adapt to the environment. A United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) study shows that 27% of Filipino kids are malnourished following Africa with 29% of malnourished African children (www.studymode.com/essays/malnutrition-394567.html). Moreover, according to Janryll Fernandez of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, it has been noticed that there is a high level of acute malnutrition among preschoolers aged 0-5 in six regions of the Philippines namely Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and Soccsksargen. This only shows that malnutrition in our country is in its highest peak. The effects of poor nutrition to childs learning were explained by the Tulane University Early Childhood Research Center in New Orleans. It proposed that the difficulties of the malnourished children in maintaining attentiveness may be the key factor underlying their poor performance. In addition, UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy noted that "moderate malnutrition" among Filipino school children hamper their ability to learn (UNESCO). Early malnutrition is associated with abnormalities in brain development, behavioral disturbances, mental retardation and impaired learning ability (unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001429/142929eo.pdf). Likewise, un-nutritious little food intake may lead to a variable amount of infection and many other types of deficiencies such as zinc, manganese, copper, iron and protein. These may affect growth and behavior differently (Grantham-McGregor 1987). Dr. Reynaldo Martorell further emphasized that nutrition deficiencies may result to lower IQ level and greater degrees of behavioral problems at school age. A UNESCO study in 1999 said, as many as 1.7 million Filipino children in the 7-12 age bracket are out of school and most are from the country's poorest provinces. This is the devastating product of poverty and malnutrition. Instead of toiling at school with pencil and paper, poor malnourished children drop school in order to work and earn a living. Hence, Sagan and Druyan state that "when there isn't enough food, the body has to make a decision about how to invest the limited foodstuffs available. Survival comes first. Growth comes second. In this nutritional triage, the body seems obliged to rank learning last. Better to be stupid and alive than smart and dead" (web.worldbank.org). Open your eyes now and see the reality behind the smiling faces of our young learners. Malnutrition should not deprive them of their right to be educated. The need for an early nutrition intervention program is striking us today. We are facing an inevitable dilemma. Let's take the first step and address this problem at an early stage for we are the guiding stars of these children. Let us open our eyes to the veracity of life and start investing on children for us teachers and guidance counselors are the matches of the burning flame of enlightenment.

Attached herewith is a presentation of a guidance program alleviating malnutrition. This program includes the different guidance services equipped with activities that suit the children's nutritional needs. May this program elicit the participation of the parents and other stakeholders and be a stepping stone to our valued children for them to continue education towards success.

IV. EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP

ACTIVITY

STRENGTH

WEAKNESS

OPPORTUNITIES

THREAT

RECOMMENDATION

1. Physical fitness test The strengths and It takes a lot of time to The school has already Some students Observe the students while weaknesses of the finish some of the equipments cheat with the test executing the activity students are determined used in conducting the results regularly monitor the results physical fitness test so that it will be accurate and reliable 2. Background check/Interview with the parents/Home visit/Survey 3. BMI Assessment The home environment is The parents sometimes lie The barangay officials assessed with their answers in the offered assistance in interview having a house to house survey The health status of the Some data are not recorded students are evaluated and interpreted Some parents do not welcome home visits and interviews The parents should be aware or consulted before having a home visitation or interview so that they will be prepared There should be a spare equipments as back up if in case the ones present in the clinic is not available The teacher should keep it in a safe location or he may save the data in a computer as a duplicate copy The parents must be oriented that it is a necessity for them to cook the meals of their young in the feeding program

The school already have The weighing scale the equipments and is malfunctioning resources needed at the clinic Parasites may tear down the pages of the record notebook or the record may be misplaced

4. Record keeping

Valuable data about the The record may be lost by The school already have a childrens health status the time it is needed predetermined format are recorded so that there regarding the recording of will be a basis for data comparison

5. Medical mission/Feeding

The physical needs of the Not all students may be The vitamins and The parents did not children are identified covered by the activity medicines are sponsored cook the meals of and receive free medical by the local government the students assistance

6. Parent and Teacher conference

7. Parent and Teacher Seminar

The teachers and the parents make a strong home and school link and good rapport is established. There is a free exchange of information that will result to the parents education about health, hygiene and sanitation The parents are given the opportunity to learn about health, hygiene and sanitation which they fail to learn from school or at home. The parents can apply what they have learned which will help in alleviating malnutrition

Some parents may be The Guidance counselor -Power failure passive while attending the volunteered to be the -Technical conference speaker in the conference difficulties -The parents did not attend

Motivate the parents to attend and listen to the speaker by giving them a reason to be active

Parents may not attend The service of the -Power failure because they have some resource -Technical concerns to do at home speaker/nutritionist is free difficulties of charge -The resource speaker is not available

If the parents are not available, any member of the family may attend provided that they are on the right age (e.g. ate, kuya, yaya etc.)

Prepared by: CHRISTINE DESSA MUOZ