First Day of Daycare Closure Causes 'Childcare Crisis'... Dual-Income Parents Struggle to Take Leave
All Teachers Report to Work for Emergency Care... Only a Few Children Attend
Family Care Leave and Reduced Working Hours for Childcare Recommended for Working Parents, but Unpaid Leave and Using Annual Leave Are Difficult
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] "When ordering daycare centers to close, there should have been government-level guidelines or recommendations for at least one parent to take time off..."
On the 27th, when daycare centers nationwide simultaneously closed, office worker Lee (39, female) was restless despite using her annual leave. With daycare centers closing for two weeks starting that day, she felt at a loss about how to care for her two children aged 3 and 5. She planned to take leave for just two days to manage for now, but the problem was from next week onward. Lee said, "Do you know how awkward it feels to say I’m only taking two days off out of the remaining ten days of annual leave?" and expressed frustration, "If the government does not recommend care leave, it’s hard to even take annual leave."
The government's drastic measure to curb the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the nationwide closure of daycare centers, faced resistance from the first day. Most daycare centers had all childcare teachers come to work for emergency care, but only a very small number of infants and toddlers attended.
At K Daycare Center in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, there are 68 enrolled children in total, but as of that morning, only three showed up. Due to concerns over COVID-19 spread, attendance had already decreased to 18 and 8 children on the 25th and 26th respectively. However, all daycare teachers came to work to provide emergency care. The director of this daycare center said, "If we refuse emergency care, we could be reported, so we are operating the daycare with all doors locked as per official orders," and added, "Working parents bring their children because there is no one else to care for them while they are at work, and we cannot refuse them, so it’s a frustrating situation."
A public daycare center in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, also closed but had all childcare teachers come to work for emergency care. Kindergartens currently on vacation will start emergency care from the originally scheduled reopening date of the 2nd.
Parents with infants and toddlers are not entirely comfortable with emergency care either. Civil servant Kim (37, female) said, "Who would want to send their child to daycare in the midst of an unprecedented epidemic?" She added, "I’m taking leave today, my husband will take leave tomorrow, and my mother-in-law is coming over on the weekend, but what I fear most now is the extension of daycare closures."
Lee also said, "Even if I want to send my child for emergency care, I can’t," and explained, "With only one or two teachers and children coming to daycare, my child cries and throws a tantrum, not wanting to go the next day after just one day."
The government announced the "Daycare Closure and Care Gap Support Measures" as part of COVID-19 prevention measures the day before and recommended nationwide daycare closures starting that day. However, through the emergency care system, children can still be entrusted to daycare centers in unavoidable cases. Also, during the daycare closure period, if parents go to work, they can use the "family care leave system" or the "reduced working hours for childcare system." But currently, family care leave is unpaid, and many office workers find it difficult to take annual leave on short notice.
Parents who cannot even use annual leave are anxious. Jung Sun-hee (38, female), who entrusted her 5-year-old twins to a workplace daycare center, said, "Out of 68 enrolled children, only our two children attended," and added, "I feel sorry for the teachers who have to come to work because of just two children, but it was unavoidable as it’s difficult to work from home with the kids."
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