Announcement of "Full Care Welfare Policy Version Up"
Expansion of 365-Day, 24-Hour Daycare Centers
Chungnam Province has decided to further upgrade its Full Care Welfare Policy, which has shown positive results in boosting the population since its implementation last year.
On the 18th, Chungnam Province announced that it has prepared the "Stronger Chungnam Full Care Welfare Policy Version Up" plan for this year and will begin full-scale implementation in the second half of the year.
The upgraded population policy version, announced by Kim Jongsoo, Director of the Provincial Population Strategy Bureau, builds on the Stronger Chungnam Full Care Welfare Policy introduced by Governor Kim Taeheum in April last year, which received positive feedback from residents. The new plan adds additional projects and adapts central and other regional low birthrate response policies to fit the circumstances of Chungnam.
The new welfare policy includes: ▲ Introduction of a subsidy for grandparents caring for grandchildren ▲ Childcare fee support for children of foreign nationals ▲ Support grants for closing daycare centers ▲ Incentives for substitute workers during parental leave ▲ Establishment of cooperative workplace daycare centers ▲ Standardization of childbirth incentives across cities and counties.
The grandparent care subsidy is a policy introduced to reduce the childcare burden of "parenting gap families" such as dual-income households. If grandparents or relatives within the fourth degree of kinship care for infants aged 2 to 3, a monthly care allowance of 300,000 won will be provided.
The childcare fee support policy for children of foreign nationals provides a monthly childcare fee of 280,000 won for children aged 0 to 5 from foreign families residing in the province. The system, previously operated only in certain cities and counties such as Cheonan, Asan, Nonsan, Hongseong, and Yesan, will be expanded to all cities and counties in the province to create a discrimination-free childcare environment.
The support grant for closing daycare centers is a policy introduced through benchmarking from other regions such as Gyeonggi Province to improve the childcare environment. Private and home-based daycare centers facing operational difficulties that voluntarily close will receive grants ranging from 6 million to 10 million won, depending on capacity and timing.
The incentive for substitute workers during parental leave provides up to 2 million won to substitute workers employed by small and medium-sized enterprises in the province when employees take parental leave. The province will also establish and operate two cooperative public workplace daycare centers for SME employees' children, and will work to standardize childbirth incentives, which currently vary widely from 300,000 to 5 million won across cities and counties.
Additionally, the province plans to newly introduce and promote: ▲ Operation of 17 "365x24 Childcare Hub Centers" ▲ Operation of an integrated childcare platform ▲ Training of childcare activists ▲ Support for the operation of pediatric emergency rooms.
The province will also expand and strengthen existing projects under the Stronger Chungnam Full Care Welfare Policy introduced last year. The "365x24 Daycare Center" program will increase from three to at least one per city or county, and the "Stronger Chungnam Community Care Center," which utilizes closed daycare centers, religious facilities, and other local infrastructure to provide care services, will be increased to 25 locations.
The province will also include pregnant women in the public sector's four-day workweek system, expand the eligible age range for children, and relax qualification requirements for those who have experienced career interruptions due to childbirth or childcare when applying for competitive recruitment at the province or public institutions.
Regarding concerns about the financial burden on local governments due to Chungnam's bold welfare policy, Director Kim explained, "We are adjusting the system so that a certain percentage is covered by the provincial government, with only part of the cost borne by the cities and counties," adding, "Full-scale implementation will begin in the second half of this year."
He continued, "The upgraded version focuses on expanding tangible benefits and bridging the care gap between regions," and emphasized, "We will continue to improve the policy to create a Chungnam without any care gaps."
Meanwhile, Chungnam Province analyzes that last year's Stronger Chungnam Full Care Welfare Policy has achieved overall positive results, such as resolving blind spots in childcare and welfare, spreading a culture of consideration for raising children, and expanding housing supply for households expecting or raising children.
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