The part-time childcare program was implemented in earnest from 2015 after a pilot project between 2013 and 2014 for parents with children between six and 36 months of age. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — The government will significantly expand its part-time childcare service next year, which allow parents to leave their children at childcare facilities for a short time only when needed.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday that it will expand the current 483 part-time childcare classes operating at daycare centers and childcare support centers nationwide to 690 classes next year.
The government has allotted 16.6 billion won (US$14.2 million) in funding to the initiative, up 5.6 billion won from 11 billion won this year.
“We are expecting that we will be able to help parents who did not have part-time childcare classes in their neighborhood or who could not make use of the service due to the large number of people waiting,” said a government official.
The part-time childcare program was implemented in earnest from 2015 after a pilot project between 2013 and 2014 for parents with children between six and 36 months of age.
The initiative is designed to help parents use childcare facilities on an hourly basis so that they have a trusted service they can count on when they need temporary childcare services for reasons such as hospital use and temporary employment.
The initiative has been popular, helping expand the chances of reemployment for parents and adding helping to ease the burden of childcare.
Parents can use the service for up to 80 hours per month after pre-booking through the Comprehensive Pregnancy and Infant Care Website (www.childcare.go.kr) or the comprehensive childcare support center from their city or province.
The hourly childcare fee is 4,000 won (US$3.43), of which 3,000 won is subsidized by the government.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
