'Seoul-style Niche Childcare 3 Types of Services' Officially Launched

Support for Commuting and Sick Children, Infant Care Assistance

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 11th that it will actively expand and operate three types of the ‘Seoul-type Gap Childcare Service’ (hereinafter referred to as ‘Seoul-type Gap Childcare’) from January this year. This service improves the gaps in the childcare services that have been supported so far to enhance the welfare of children and improve the quality of life for family members through work-family balance for caregivers.

The ‘Childcare Service’ is a project that provides care services for children under 12 years old to reduce the childcare burden on families. Since the pilot project in 2007, the childcare support project has been expanded, improving home childcare conditions and providing safe care, resulting in high user satisfaction.

‘Seoul-type Gap Childcare’ is part of the ‘Mom and Dad Happiness Project,’ which aims to create a child-friendly Seoul based on the principle that happy parents (caregivers) mean happy children and families. It introduces three types of services?commuting care, sick child care, and infant care?to cover caregiving gaps when parents cannot care for their children due to business trips, frequent overtime, studies, illness, and other reasons.

The three types of ‘Seoul-type Gap Childcare’ were selected based on feedback from parents currently using childcare services, focusing on the most needed care services. The plan is to support seamless care so that ‘users can access services more easily’ and ‘childcare providers’ expertise can be further enhanced.’

The commuting and sick child dedicated childcare services, operated for the first time this year, held a pilot operation area contest from December 16 to 21 targeting 25 autonomous districts. A total of 12 districts showed interest, and considering the demand for commuting and sick child care and the number of childcare providers, 10 districts were finally selected.

The ‘Commuting Dedicated Childcare Service (commuting care)’ will be initially implemented in five districts?Yongsan, Gwangjin, Jungnang, Seodaemun, and Gangdong?by assigning 300 dedicated caregivers. Commuting care involves dedicated childcare providers helping children with meals and preparations before and after the arrival time at daycare centers, kindergartens, and childcare facilities (7?10 a.m., 3 hours), and caring for children until caregivers return home after dismissal (4?8 p.m., 4 hours). To address the previously noted issue of reluctance toward short-term care activities, dedicated caregivers are assigned, and hourly wages for short-term care have been increased (basic hourly wage + 1,000 KRW per hour for 2-hour care) to prevent gaps in short-term care requested by users.

The ‘Sick Child Dedicated Childcare Service (sick child care)’ is available for children under 12 who suddenly fall ill with non-contagious simple illnesses such as stomach pain or need hospital visits for vaccinations or regular checkups. The usage fee is the same as the regular childcare service, but medical expenses must be borne by the user family. The sick child care service assigns up to 720 dedicated caregivers and provides hospital accompaniment, medical treatment, payment of medical fees, medicine purchase, and home care services for sick children in five districts: Seongdong, Dongdaemun, Gangbuk, Gangseo, and Seocho.

The ‘Infant Dedicated Childcare Service (infant care)’ targets infants under 36 months old and helps parents returning to work after maternity or parental leave alleviate the burden of leaving their children behind. Infant caregivers must complete an 8-hour daily training program to enhance their understanding and professional caregiving skills for infants. Above all, dedicated caregivers with extensive experience and excellent caregiving abilities are assigned to provide specialized care services tailored to infants.

This year, reflecting improvements from the pilot operation, the service will be expanded citywide in Seoul. The number of dedicated caregivers has increased from 260 to 800, and by 2025, it will be expanded to 1,000 to lead the creation of a child-friendly environment.

The usage fees and methods for the three types of ‘Seoul-type Gap Childcare’ services are the same as the existing childcare services. When users request the service, a dedicated caregiver suitable for the situation is introduced, and the desired service is provided. Dedicated caregivers participating in Seoul-type Gap Childcare activities receive incentives as well. They are paid an additional 1,000 KRW per hour based on their activity time and are provided with training to improve caregiving skills.

Kim Seonsun, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Women and Family Policy Office, said, “While promoting the Mom and Dad Happiness Project, we implemented the three types of Seoul-type Gap Childcare services to complement the limitations of existing childcare services. Seoul will continue to listen to parents’ concerns and steadily create a ‘child-friendly Seoul.’”