Gyeonggi Province to Establish Over 170 Public Childcare Centers Annually Through 2026

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province will establish over 170 public childcare centers annually from this year through 2026. It also plans to expand infant-only childcare centers from the current 320 facilities to 380 by 2027.

Gyeonggi Province has established the '4th Gyeonggi Province Mid-to-Long Term Childcare Development Plan (2023-2027)' containing these details and announced on the 7th that it will implement 4 major goals and 41 tasks from this year to respond to the changing childcare environment.

This childcare development plan reflects trends such as family diversity, low birth rates, and changes in the childcare environment, as well as diversifying stakeholder demands for vulnerable childcare and gap-filling childcare services. It consists of 4 goals and a total of 41 tasks: △realizing childcare that respects the rights of infants and young children △respecting the rights of childcare workers and strengthening their competencies △enhancing childcare capabilities of all caregivers △expanding public childcare infrastructure and improving childcare quality. The plan incorporated research results such as 'research for establishing mid-to-long term childcare development plans,' surveyed policy demands from parents, childcare workers, and childcare center directors, and reflected field opinions from private experts and municipal/county governments.

First, to provide 'greater childcare opportunities' to children in the province, Gyeonggi Province will expand public childcare centers from the current approximately 1,300 facilities by over 170 annually through 2026, raising the province's public childcare utilization rate from the current 34% to 50% by 2026.

In particular, beginning this year, to resolve supply and demand imbalances in childcare centers between regions, the province will implement new projects to expand public childcare infrastructure, including subsidies for converting existing apartment complex childcare centers to public ones (120 million won) and pre-opening preparation fund support for newly established public childcare centers (20 million won).

To provide 'more equitable childcare opportunities,' the province will provide 100,000 won monthly childcare subsidies from this year for foreign children enrolled in childcare centers within the province. Previously, foreign children faced differential childcare fee support depending on their residential area or the institution they attended, such as kindergartens or childcare centers.

To spread 'better childcare opportunities,' the province will expand infant-only childcare centers, one of the 8th elected term administration's campaign promises, from 320 in 2022 to 380 by 2027 to improve 'teacher-to-child ratios,' a distinctive provincial project. Infant-only childcare centers reduce the teacher-to-child ratio to 1:2 (age 0) or 1:3 (age 1) for infants aged 0-1 who require meticulous childcare.

Additionally, Gyeonggi Province will strengthen quality management of existing private and family childcare centers. Starting in 2023, the province will provide environment improvement funds of 2-3 million won per facility to private and family childcare centers to upgrade aging childcare facilities. The province will also increase childcare center cook staff payroll support from 300,000 won monthly to 400,000 won monthly.

Ji Ju-yeon, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Women and Family Division, said, "While the number of children attending childcare centers is declining due to the impact of low birth rates, the demands of stakeholders such as parents are becoming increasingly diverse. Through community-focused policies included in the mid-to-long term plan, we will create a childcare environment where young children in the province can enjoy greater, more equitable, and better opportunities without discrimination based on residence or facility enrollment."