Ministry of Education Announces 'Yubo Integration Implementation Plan'
Integration of Kindergarten and Daycare Institutions, Unified 'Application Site'
Guarantee of 12-Hour Care for Infants and Toddlers, Improvement of Teacher-to-Child Ratio
Plans to Address Disparities in Teacher Treatment
The Ministry of Education, responsible for early childhood education and care, announced detailed implementation plans ahead of the launch of the Yubotonghap (Integrated Early Childhood Education and Care) policy, a key national agenda of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, scheduled for next year. Starting from the end of this year, pilot schools will be operated in about 100 institutions through the integration of kindergartens and daycare centers, with plans to realize free childcare for children aged 3 to 5 from next year.
On the 27th, Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, held a briefing at the Government Seoul Office and announced the 'Yubotonghap Implementation Plan.' Minister Lee stated, "A foundation has been established to provide high-quality early childhood education and care services from the early stages of life under one umbrella, the Ministry of Education," and added, "The government will actively support the simultaneous growth of daycare centers and kindergartens."
The Yoon administration set the promotion of Yubotonghap as a national agenda upon its launch in 2022. Since then, the Ministry of Education announced the promotion plan in January last year and launched the Yubotonghap Promotion Team to proceed with preparatory steps. In December last year, amendments to the Government Organization Act were made to sequentially transfer early childhood care duties from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and local governments to the Ministry of Education and metropolitan and provincial offices of education.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho is speaking at the 4th Infant and Early Childhood Education and Care Integration Promotion Committee held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 27th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Kindergartens and Daycare Centers to Become 'Integrated Early Childhood Institutions'
According to the amended laws, the integration of kindergartens and daycare centers into unified institutions will be promoted. Once integrated, the admission methods and teacher recruitment processes of the two institutions will be unified. The Ministry of Education plans to establish new admission methods through a public discussion process. The admission application window will be unified under the 'Yubotonghap Application Site (tentative name).'
The currently separate '0-2 years childcare curriculum' and '3-5 years education curriculum' will be integrated into a '0-5 years early childhood education curriculum.' The Ministry of Education and the National Education Commission will prepare this plan by 2027.
The teacher qualifications for integrated institutions are being considered in two ways: a single qualification of 'Early Childhood Teacher (0-5 years)' or two separate qualifications of 'Infant Teacher (0-2 years)' and 'Preschool Teacher (3-5 years).' Additionally, the training system will be restructured to ensure teachers acquire professional expertise as early childhood educators. New teachers will be trained through a bachelor's degree program, and current teachers will be able to obtain integrated teacher qualifications through special teacher training courses or new admissions to universities (graduate schools). Existing childcare and kindergarten teacher qualifications will still be recognized after the restructuring.
The treatment of private kindergarten teachers will continue to improve. Concerns have been raised about potential disparities in treatment between childcare teachers and private kindergarten teachers during the Yubotonghap promotion process. The Ministry of Education plans to devise measures to narrow gaps in salary and working conditions. Support for substitute teachers will also be expanded to reduce workload burdens.
Realizing Free Early Childhood Care by 2027
The Ministry of Education will designate about 100 institutions to operate pilot early childhood schools starting in the second half of this year. The number of pilot institutions will gradually expand.
In particular, free education and care for children aged 3 to 5 will be realized step-by-step from next year, starting with 5-year-olds, until 2027. Currently, free childcare is only provided for children aged 0 to 2.
Additionally, all children who wish to use the service will be guaranteed 12 hours of daily care. To this end, 8 hours of basic operating time and 4 hours of morning and evening care will be provided. To meet diverse care needs of dual-income parents and self-employed individuals, the operation of public kindergartens during vacations will be expanded, and hub institutions providing care on Saturdays and holidays will be piloted from next year.
The teacher-to-child ratio will be improved to enhance the quality of care and education. For 0-year-old classes, the goal is to improve from 1:3 to 1:2, and for 3-5-year-old classes, from 1:12 to 1:8. Teacher training hours will be gradually increased from 13 hours per year to 60 hours per year, with customized training provided to enhance professional competencies.
To ensure children receive educational support tailored to their age-specific characteristics, ages 2 and 5 will be designated as transitional ages. Age 2 will focus on play-centered education and experiences, strengthening connections with the 3-5-year-old Nuri Curriculum. Age 5 will receive focused support to enhance early literacy and foundational competencies through strengthened links between preschool and elementary education curricula.
Emotional and psychological support for young children will also be strengthened. Children with disabilities in daycare centers will be designated as special education recipients, with gradual expansion of itinerant education and special education services. The plan includes establishing 80 special classes in kindergartens and 80 specialized or integrated daycare centers for children with disabilities annually.
Transfer to Education Offices Confirmed from End of This Year
Gender Equality Project - An NH Investment & Securities employee is taking their child to the workplace daycare center. Photo by Yongjun Cho jun21@
Based on the draft announced on this day, the Ministry of Education will collect opinions and finalize the integrated institution model by the end of this year. Through amendments to related laws (Local Education Autonomy Act, Local Education Finance Grant Act, Early Childhood Care Act), the transfer of early childhood care duties to education offices will be confirmed by the second half of this year. The cost structure will be reorganized through the recalculation of standard early childhood education and care expenses.
Next year, an additional 1,000 'model schools' will be designated for pilot operation, and hub care institutions will be designated and operated for children needing care during morning and evening commuting hours, holidays, and vacations. Other detailed tasks such as teacher training and the 5-year transitional semester will also be pursued.
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