First Operation of 'Seoul-Style Dedicated Class for 0-Year-Olds' for Infant Safe Care

70 Daycare Centers Selected with 100 Classes

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Seoul City announced on the 8th that, as part of the 'Mom and Dad Happiness Project' aimed at making Seoul a city good for raising children, it will officially start the ‘Seoul-type 0-year-old exclusive class’ at daycare centers from March.

The ‘Seoul-type 0-year-old exclusive class’ is designed to safely care for infants under 12 months of age who require meticulous attention. In a separate dedicated childcare room, childcare teachers who have completed specialized training will care for 2 children, fewer than the legal standard of 3 children per teacher.

Working parents who need to entrust their infants to daycare centers after prenatal and postnatal leave can trust their children will be well cared for, while reducing the workload of childcare teachers to improve the childcare environment.

Seoul City has completed the selection of 70 daycare centers operating a total of 100 ‘Seoul-type 0-year-old exclusive classes’ through an open recruitment process and will begin operation in March. Recruitment has been completed or is ongoing at each daycare center, and inquiries regarding admission can be made directly to each daycare center.

Among the 70 selected daycare centers (100 classes), 28 daycare centers (42 classes), accounting for 40%, are centers that did not previously operate ‘0-year-old classes.’ The city expects this ‘Seoul-type 0-year-old exclusive class’ project to act as a driving force for the expansion of ‘0-year-old classes’ in daycare centers, providing an opportunity to address the increasing demand for infant care.

Seoul City will provide operating expenses (540,100 to 1,113,000 KRW per class per month) and a homeroom childcare teacher allowance (50,000 KRW per month) to the selected daycare centers. Additionally, to help ‘Seoul-type 0-year-old exclusive class’ childcare teachers develop specialized capabilities in infant care, the Seoul Foundation of Women & Family will provide training on developmental characteristics and related caregiving skills for children under 12 months of age.

The list of ‘Seoul-type 0-year-old exclusive class operating daycare centers’ can be found on the Seoul Childcare Portal.

Kim Seonsun, Director of the Seoul City Women and Family Policy Office, said, “The ‘Seoul-type 0-year-old exclusive class’ is a project prepared for infants under 12 months and we hope it will help reduce the childcare burden for working moms and dads even a little. Through this year’s pilot operation, we plan to carefully monitor the demand and satisfaction for infant care and gradually expand the program.”