No Increase in Childcare Fees and Necessary Expenses for Gyeongnam Daycare Centers This Year

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Gyeongsangnam-do has frozen the 2023 daycare center childcare fees and the maximum amount for necessary expenses collection.

Gyeongnam Province announced on the 30th that it held a Childcare Policy Committee meeting at the new building of the provincial government office and made this decision.

On this day, five parents, four childcare experts and officials were appointed as new members, and the childcare fees and necessary expenses collection limits for daycare centers, director pre-job training fees, and long-term non-practicing education fees were reviewed and resolved.

Members of the Gyeongsangnam-do Childcare Policy Committee are deliberating on the 2023 childcare fees and the maximum amount for necessary expenses at daycare centers.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

According to the province, in private and home daycare centers where government labor costs are not supported, the maximum amount of parent-paid childcare fees that can be collected from guardians of children aged 3 to 5, excluding the government-supported childcare fee of 280,000 KRW, will not increase this year.

Since 2020, the province and city/county governments have fully supported these fees, and this year they were frozen considering the trend of freezing government-supported childcare fees and the financial situation.

From this year, for 5-year-old children, the province will support six items received from parents, excluding morning and evening meal fees, such as entrance preparation fees and vehicle operation fees, so the maximum amount for necessary expenses collection will also not increase.

The director pre-job training fee, which requires those who want to obtain daycare center director qualifications to complete 80 hours of training in advance, remains at 160,000 KRW, the same as last year.

The long-term non-practicing education fee for childcare staff returning to daycare centers after not working in childcare for more than two years, which requires 40 hours of training, will also not increase.

The Childcare Policy Committee also established the 2023 childcare policy implementation plan.

▲ Infant and toddler development and rights protection: 9.4 billion KRW ▲ Expansion and enhancement of public childcare: 422.4 billion KRW ▲ Strengthening home childcare support: 206.1 billion KRW ▲ Strengthening childcare staff rights: 200.5 billion KRW ▲ Creating an optimal childcare environment: 9.5 billion KRW ▲ Strengthening childcare infrastructure: 200 million KRW, etc.

The province plans to announce and finalize the resolved contents on this day.

Kim Ok-nam, head of the Family Support Division, said, “We will steadily promote childcare policies in 2023 to create a better childcare environment that is good for raising children and to make Gyeongnam a happy place for infants and toddlers.”