Incheon City Council Culture and Welfare Committee Approves Budget for Free Childcare for 5-Year-Olds at Daycare Centers

Budget review session of the Culture and Welfare Committee of Incheon City Council
Photo by Incheon City Council

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The budget for free education support for 5-year-olds and the operation of 0-year-old classes in the Incheon area has passed the standing committee of the Incheon City Council.

According to the Culture and Welfare Committee of the Incheon City Council (Chairman Kim Seongjun) on the 2nd, during the budget review of the Incheon City Women and Family Bureau the previous day, the budget for free childcare support for 5-year-olds in daycare centers was increased, and a new budget was added to support the operation of 0-year-old classes in government-unsupported daycare centers.

Incheon City submitted a budget of 6.176 billion KRW for the 2022 fiscal year.

Incheon's free childcare support project for 5-year-olds is part of low birthrate countermeasures, aiming to realize practical full free childcare by providing additional necessary expenses on top of the existing childcare fee support for 5-year-old children in daycare centers.

However, the original matching ratio for this project was planned as 50% city funds and 50% district funds, and some districts with low financial independence have expressed difficulties due to the financial burden.

The Culture and Welfare Committee of the Incheon City Council, considering the financial conditions of such districts during the standing committee review process, increased the city’s share to 70% so that economic benefits could reach all citizens raising children, and passed the budget accordingly.

Along with this, the budget for operating 0-year-old classes in government-unsupported daycare centers and the budget for safety education for daycare childcare staff were also added.

Kim Seongjun, Chairman of the Culture and Welfare Committee, said, "The free childcare fee for 5-year-olds is a project corresponding to free education support for kindergartens. Young children can choose to attend either daycare centers or kindergartens, and both institutions commonly apply the Nuri Curriculum, which is a national-level curriculum," adding, "Children should receive the same support regardless of which institution’s resources they come from."