Expansion of County-Level Support in Addition to Government and Provincial Budgets...
Additional Cumulative Payment of 29 Million Won Per Child
“Taean Child The Dream Allowance” Introduced This Year:
Monthly Payment of 200,000 Won for Children Aged 3 to 11
Taean County in South Chungcheong Province announced on the 16th that it will launch a full-scale effort to overcome the crisis of regional extinction by supporting a cumulative budget exceeding 100 million won for every child born in Taean, including government, provincial, and county funds, and by implementing the “Taean-style Child The Dream Project” this year.
According to the county, among the funds provided to children, government and provincial budgets include parental benefits, child allowances, childcare fees, and support for elementary, middle, and high school education expenses, totaling a cumulative 73.7 million won per child. In addition, the county plans to provide an extra 29 million won per child from its own budget through initiatives such as the “Taean Child The Dream Allowance.”
The “Taean Child The Dream Allowance,” which begins this year, primarily provides a monthly voucher worth 200,000 won to children aged 3 to 11 residing in the county. This is considered a flagship project of the “Taean-style Child The Dream Project,” which also includes support for daycare meal and snack expenses and child growth support using AI technology.
This initiative is being promoted as part of County Mayor Gasero’s eighth-term pledge to “expand childcare support” and is a large-scale project that will provide a cumulative 21.6 million won per child.
The county believes that supplementary support from local governments is necessary to address the low birthrate issue and has been discussing the initiative since last year, completing thorough preparations including rapid consultations with the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
The project was originally scheduled to be implemented early this year, but its launch is currently on hold following the county council’s opinion that the eligible age range should be expanded to 3?18 years old.
The county expects that expanding eligibility will more than double the required budget from about 5.6 billion won (2,362 beneficiaries) to about 12.4 billion won (5,178 beneficiaries). Since reducing the amount per beneficiary to fit the increased number would diminish the project’s effectiveness, the county plans to actively consult with the council to expedite implementation.
Other projects included in the “Taean-style Child The Dream Project” have been proceeding as planned since January of this year.
Main projects include: △Support for single-person households △Support for daycare meal and snack expenses △Child growth support using AI technology △Taean Mom postpartum care support △Postnatal helper support for mothers and newborns △Housing stability support for newlyweds △Development of Taean-style low birthrate policy projects, and more.
The county is determined to launch an all-out effort to overcome the crisis of regional extinction in this era of low birthrate and aging population by actively promoting these projects to ensure stable benefits for residents and by considering additional initiatives to enhance user satisfaction.
A county official stated, “The Taean Child The Dream Allowance and the Taean-style Child The Dream Project are part of our ongoing efforts to respond more proactively to the crisis of regional extinction,” adding, “We will continue to discuss a variety of policies from the perspective of our residents so that Taean County can be recognized as a great place to have and raise children.”
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