86% of Young Children in Province Use Childcare Facilities...Smooth Supply
Suwon NewsPublished 2019.12.09 07:07
Gyeonggi Province Releases '2018 Gyeonggi Province Childcare Statistics'...Of 678,000 Young Children in Province, 583,000 Use Childcare FacilitiesRegional Disparities in Childcare Facilities Require Improvement; Expansion of Public Childcare Centers and Regional Distribution Evaluated as Areas for Improvement
[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Eighty-six percent of children aged 0 to 5 years old in the province are utilizing childcare facilities such as childcare centers and kindergartens.
According to the '2018 Gyeonggi Province Childcare Statistics' released by the province on the 8th, the young children population aged 0 to 5 in the province is 677,880, a 7.8% decrease compared to 734,996 in 2010.
This is a lower decrease rate compared to the national young children population of 2,415,349, which declined by 11.7% from 2,734,976 in 2010, reflecting that the province's young children population is steadily declining due to the impact of low birth rates.
Meanwhile, the number of young children utilizing childcare facilities continues to increase due to women's active economic participation and strengthened childcare subsidy policies.
Last year, the number of young children enrolled in childcare centers and kindergartens in the province was 582,794, accounting for 86% of the total young children population of 677,880.This represents an increase of 16.2 percentage points compared to 69.8% in 2010.
The province analyzed that with sufficient supply of childcare facilities, most young children whose families wish to use facilities are able to attend childcare centers or kindergartens without significant issues.
However, the province evaluated that regional disparities in childcare facility utilization rates still exist and require improvement.
In fact, in the cases of Hanam and Hwaseong, while the proportion of young children population is 6.6% and 7.6% respectively, exceeding the provincial average of 5.2%, the childcare facility utilization rates are 67.9% and 76.2% respectively, falling short of the provincial average of 86.0%.
Additionally, the low proportion of public childcare centers and their concentrated distribution by region were also analyzed as issues requiring improvement.
Last year, the proportion of public childcare centers in Gyeonggi Province was 6.4%, lower than Seoul (24.7%) and Incheon (9.4%).
By city and county, Yeoncheon (20.0%), Yangpyeong (18.2%), and Gwacheon (16.7%) have high proportions of public childcare centers, while Yeoju (1.4%), Uijeongbu (2.9%), and Yongin (3.3%) have low proportions.
A province official stated, "According to last year's Gyeonggi Province Social Survey, the educational methods of households in the province show the order of childcare centers (47.5%), kindergartens (26.1%), and parents (21.8%), indicating that the province's dependence on childcare facilities is very high," and added, "It appears that a review of measures to mitigate the gap in childcare facilities between regions will be necessary."
© Suwon Ilbo. Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited.
Loading comments…