8700 People in the Province Receive Full Free Childcare Benefits
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Gyeongsangnam-do will support the necessary expenses that parents of 5-year-old children in daycare centers within the province had to bear starting from March this year.
The province announced on the 13th that it has allocated KRW 1.99 billion from the provincial budget and KRW 4.65 billion from city and county budgets this year to provide complete free childcare for 5-year-old children in daycare centers.
In the future, it plans to secure an additional KRW 2.86 billion from the provincial budget and KRW 6.68 billion from city and county budgets through supplementary budgets, totaling KRW 16.18 billion.
According to the province, from next month, expenses of a reimbursable nature such as special activity fees, field trip fees, and enrollment preparation fees, which are not included in the childcare fees supported by the government and the province, can be applied for directly by daycare centers to the city or county without separate applications from parents.
A provincial official predicted that complete free childcare for 8,700 5-year-old children will be realized.
Parents of 5-year-old children born in 2017 will receive support for six items in addition to morning and evening meal fees when using daycare centers.
Daycare centers will receive support for the actual collected amount determined through the daycare center operation committee within the limit of the necessary expense collection ceiling.
If there is a remaining balance after execution, it must be returned, and the settlement details must be notified to parents through a home communication letter every half year.
Since 2018, the province has been promoting a project to support parent-borne childcare fees (difference childcare fees) for children aged 3 to 5 in daycare centers not supported by government labor costs, targeting children from low-income families, and since 2020, it has been providing full free childcare fees for all children aged 3 to 5 in the province.
This year, under the slogan "Happy Gyeongnam where all infants and toddlers grow together," KRW 848 billion will be invested.
Plans include 100% increase support for heavy workload allowances for daycare center workers, implementation of asbestos-free daycare center support projects, and promotion of a base-type toy library installation project.
Baek Samjong, Director of the Women and Family Bureau, said, "We hope that the necessary expense support project will reduce the burden on parents regarding infant and toddler childcare," and added, "We will continue to strive to alleviate parents' child-rearing burdens."
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