Supporting Young Learners in Volcanic Crisis: Lived Experiences of Child Development Workers

This phenomenological study investigates how Child Development Workers (CDWs) in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, supported young children’s psychosocial recovery during the June 2024 Canlaon volcanic eruption. Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Disaster Vulnerability Theory, it examines CDWs’ roles within disrupted ecological systems. Data were generated through semi‑structured interviews and focus group discussions with five CDWs and were analyzed thematically. Results show that CDWs provided emotional support while simultaneously managing camp operations, relief distribution, and coordination with parents to sustain learning routines and community events in evacuation centers. Participants reported major disruptions, modular learning, absenteeism, and communication breakdowns alongside emotional strain from balancing fear, family responsibilities, and expectations of cheerfulness amid overcrowding, water shortages, and policy gaps such as unequal aid, unrepaired daycare centers, and limited attention to early childhood services. CDWs coped through faith‑based practices, peer support, and resilience reinforced by children’s visible recovery and parental cooperation. Institutional assistance provided essential supplies, psychosocial activities, training, and mobility support, but was often uneven. The study calls for localized disaster preparedness, sustained psychosocial capacity‑building, and responsive policy reforms that recognize CDWs as frontline actors in early childhood disaster response.