Expansion of Welfare and Long-Term Service Allowances for Childcare Teachers
Heating and Cooling Cost Support for Private and Home Daycare Centers Extended to 7 Months
Yangcheon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Lee Gi-jae) announced on the 4th that it will strengthen childcare services such as the ‘Overnight Emergency Care Service’ and ‘Improvement of Childcare Teacher Treatment’ to create a better environment for raising children.
The scene of the Yangcheon-type Overnight Emergency Care Daycare Collaboration Proclamation Ceremony. Provided by Yangcheon-gu.
The ‘Yangcheon-style Overnight Emergency Care Service’ will be operated year-round. The ‘Overnight Emergency Care Service,’ first implemented nationwide by Yangcheon-gu in 2023, is a specialized childcare service that allows parents in dual-income families, single-parent families, and others facing urgent situations such as business trips, night shifts, accidents, or hospitalizations to safely leave their children during late-night hours.
The overnight emergency care daycare centers serve infants and young children (12 months to under 6 years old) and operate year-round from 7:30 PM to 7:30 AM the next day. A ‘one-stop’ system has been established in collaboration with 22 local public and national daycare centers capable of providing nighttime care. Applications can be made on the same day, and each child can use the service for up to 80 hours per month. The childcare fee is 1,000 KRW per hour, which is much cheaper than private childcare helpers. This year, the district plans to strengthen support by introducing a director management allowance, increasing nighttime (holiday) allowances for childcare teachers, and raising operating expenses.
The district especially expects to fill the care gap for working parents. Yangcheon-gu explained, “Even if parents do not use the service immediately, the fact that there is a trusted place to leave their children when needed has received positive responses from parents.” In addition, the district is promoting the expansion of treatment improvements for daycare center childcare staff to enhance the quality of childcare services by creating a stable childcare environment.
Starting this year, support for childcare teachers’ welfare expenses and long-term service allowances will be expanded. Welfare expenses will be provided to childcare teachers at public, corporate, and Seoul-type daycare centers, which had not been supported before, and the support amount for general-type (private and home) childcare teachers will be raised to 70,000 KRW per month.
The long-term service allowance, previously supported only for private, home, and Seoul-type daycare centers, will be expanded to include public and corporate (other) daycare centers. Practical treatment improvements will also be made by supporting healing training expenses and birthday encouragement money to relieve stress among childcare staff.
Support for heating and cooling costs will also be expanded for daycare centers struggling with frequent cold waves, heat waves due to global warming, and rising energy prices. For 103 private and home daycare centers, the support period for heating and cooling costs will be extended from the existing 5 months per year to 7 months, reducing their economic burden.
Mayor Lee Gi-jae said, “We will continue to strive to create a childcare environment that satisfies children, parents, and childcare staff alike,” adding, “Since support for care is an ‘administrative duty,’ we will strengthen customized welfare services that reflect diverse needs to make Yangcheon-gu a city where it is good to raise children.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
