Children who have to use daycare centers for long periods of time can receive higher quality childcare services than before as extra teachers will also be assigned to the extended childcare program. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jul. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — In the future, parents who need extended childcare, such as double-income couples, will be able obtain assistance in caring for their children without being sorry and feeling guilty for workers at daycare centers.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday that a new childcare support system for daycare centers will take effect in March of next year under the revised Infant Care Act.
While maintaining the operation principle of a 12-hour day at daycare centers, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., the key point of the new childcare system is to divide the daycare hours into two time brackets.
Childcare hours are divided into “basic childcare hours” that apply to all infants and “extended childcare hours” that apply to infants and children whose parents are unable to take care of their child due to their work.
Teachers will be placed separately during each childcare period. Teachers who are in charge of basic childcare can do extra work or take a break during work hours after the basic childcare hours.
Children who have to use daycare centers for long periods of time can receive higher quality childcare services than before as extra teachers will also be assigned to the extended childcare program.
To that end, the government will provide support for extra childcare and labor costs for teachers who are responsible for covering the additional hours, support which was not previously available.
The ministry has been pushing for the reorganization of the childcare support system to improve working conditions for childcare workers who work long hours without breaks, and to allow working couples and other couples to leave infants and children at daycare centers with the confidence that their child is in good hands.
However, the only problem is that it will take time for the new system to be fully implemented.
This is because the new system requires substantial additional funding, not to mention the need to hire extra tens of thousands of assistant teachers.
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
