[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Daejeon City will provide childcare disaster relief funds to daycare centers currently operating this month.
The city announced on the 22nd that it will provide 500,000 KRW per center to 1,093 daycare centers in the area.
The support is intended to help daycare centers facing operational difficulties due to a decrease in the number of enrolled children and reduced childcare fee support amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, while expenses such as purchasing quarantine supplies and disinfection costs have increased.
The recipients are all 1,093 daycare centers registered in the integrated childcare system as of this month. Applications can be made through the integrated childcare system until the 10th of next month, and the funds are expected to be disbursed around mid-next month.
Meanwhile, since the outbreak of COVID-19, 273 daycare centers have closed in the region: 134 in 2020, 107 last year, and 32 so far this month.
Moreover, the number of enrolled children has decreased by 8,898, from 34,037 in 2020 to 25,139 as of this month, indicating significant operational difficulties for the daycare centers still in operation, according to the city’s assessment.
Park Moon-yong, Director of the Youth and Family Bureau of the city, said, “We hope the childcare disaster relief funds will provide some support to local daycare center operators in overcoming the COVID-19 crisis.”
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