The Philippine Nursing Lnw, Republic Aet 9173, states that «;is independent nurs,~ prnctilioncrs, nun;cs arc primarily responsible for the promotion or health und prevention or illness». Also, 1hc Br)ard of Nursing was l-\iven the mantl..irc lo "supervise nnd regulate the practice of nursing". /\ recent clcvcl CJpmcnt i,; lhe availability of guidelines for Nuri;i11g Srccinlty certification brisecl on Lhe BON llesol111ion n<J. t4 s. 1999. This is in line with the aim or providinl-\ ;i n H!c. :lrnnism of ensuring that :, practitioner was able lo h11fill the requirem ents of practice. As part of lliis tm,k. Bon rel Resolution No. 459 was promulgnlcd with rule~ and regulations governing the practice of nursing for theobservauce and guid,rncc of prnctitiuncn, <Jf mother and child nursing. The document entitled "Standards for the Safe Pracliccof Mother Chi It. I Nursing in the Philippinc. s" inclu<lcd n section whkh makc:s the,\'lalem. il Chilr J Nursing Associat ion of Lhe Philippines (MCNAP J lht!,lccrediling organiz;ilir,n for mother chilr J nursing specialty at:crcdi t,1tio11. Tl1e levels of. specia li7. ation arc as fo LJows: Generalist (level I), Nurse Clinician I (I. eve) ll), Nurse Clinician 11 (Level 111) and Clinical Nurse Specialist (Level rv). The requirements for specialization combine education al preparation, work experience and passing the specialty qualifying examination (MCNAP 200L 45). However, being just recently promulgated last October 2001., the implementing guideline s arc in the process or being implemented. This development is a good step towards the establishment of credentialing for advance nursing practice. EXPERIENCES IN SETTING UP INDEPENDENT NURSING PRACTICE Nursing is commonly associated vnth practice in the hospital setting. The public health nurse usually comes to mind when we think of the role of the nurse in the community setting. With the thmst of the government to deliver essential services to the Filipino throu)!;hout the different phases in the life cycle, the time is rife with opportunities to be part of the providers of basic and essential health services in all localities. This chapter describes experiences in dohlg independent nursing practice among preschoolers in an urban poor community, provision of consulting services to an educatio nal institution and operating a health promotion nursing c Unic in a university. One of t J1e key elements in establishing a practice is to determine the roles, services and tlie work settings. The ICN guidelines point to the importance of the assessment of the client/population's health needs and creation of a plan that will ensure that the project or program will be viable METRO MANILA DEVELOPMENTAL SCREENING FOR PRESCHOOLERS l worked v. rith a non-profit organiwtion (NGO) based in 11. fanila. This organization provides social services among selected families living in Smokey Mountai n and its nearby communities with the core va]ues of self-reliance, self-sufficiency, peacefulness, justice and healthy environment. The NGO has a day care center that also offers preschool educ. it ion at minimal costs to U1e family. The center provides a learning environment that responds to the emotiona l, social, physical, intellectual and spiritua1 needs of children and to provide opportunities for parents to have a meaningfu] participation. Smokey Mountain now called Paradise Heights, is a densely populated community of 311 