Incheon City Implements Proactive Childcare and Education Policies... Expanding Free High School Education and Shared Care Services

Free Education Until 2nd Year of High School... Annual Education Support of 1.6 Million KRW per Student
Meal Support for Out-of-School Youth and Hospital Expenses for At-Risk Youth
Expansion of Joint Childcare and Care Facilities 'Aisarang Kkumteo' to 30 Locations

The first branch of Incheon City's 'Aisarang Dream Center,' where parents gather to care for children together, has opened within the Kumegreen Apartment complex in Seochang-dong, Namdong-gu.
[Photo by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City is implementing various childcare and education welfare policies this year, including expanding free high school education from the 3rd grade to the 2nd grade and increasing community childcare and care facilities where parents and children can participate together near their homes.

According to the city on the 13th, the free high school education support, which started last year for 3rd-year students, will be expanded to include 2nd-year students from this year. Each household included in the free education program will receive approximately 1.6 million KRW per child annually for education expenses.

Next year, the plan is to further expand free education support to include 1st-year high school students.

Following last year's nationwide first support for free uniforms for middle and high school freshmen and free meals at private kindergartens, the city aims to realize a fully free education environment by next year where anyone can receive education under the same conditions from daycare centers and kindergartens through middle and high schools by expanding education expense support.

Additionally, this year the city will newly promote a project to support meal expenses for out-of-school youth (ages 9 to 24) who were previously excluded from the middle and high school free meal policy, and will also start a project to provide medical expense support ranging from a minimum of 10,000 KRW to a maximum of 2 million KRW per person to care for the health of children from low-income families and youth residing in youth shelters and other residential facilities.

The city is also focusing on creating an environment where children can be raised and protected healthily and safely.

It supports 80,000 KRW per air purifier filter replacement for each air purifier distributed to daycare centers to meticulously manage indoor environments of childcare facilities. Since 2017, the city has distributed air purifiers to all daycare centers in Incheon to protect children from fine dust.

The city will also increase the number of 'Aisarang Dream Centers,' where parents gather near their homes to care for children together, from the existing 3 locations to 30 locations this year, supporting community-based joint childcare.

At these centers, infants not yet in kindergarten or children who have attended daycare can gather with their parents to engage in play and experiential learning, as well as receive parenting coaching and counseling. Aisarang Dream Centers are community-based joint care spaces where neighbors gather near apartment complexes and other residential areas to care for children together, reducing childcare burdens. This is a key childcare policy pledge of Mayor Park Namchun.

Currently, Aisarang Dream Centers operate in three locations: Namdong-gu Dream Green Apartments, Seo-gu Luwon City Central Town Apartments, and Namdong-gu Dohwa Seohee Star Hills Apartments.

On the 15,000㎡ site of the former police academy in Bupyeong-gu, a total project cost of 24.1 billion KRW will be invested to build an 'Innovative Childcare Complex Center' by 2022. This complex center, which includes a public postpartum care center and educational and play spaces for children all in one place, is the first of its kind nationwide.

With the establishment of this complex center supporting childbirth and childcare, economically vulnerable parents who previously faced financial burdens using postpartum care centers will be able to access high-quality services at reasonable prices, and parents and young children will have a safe space to play properly regardless of external environmental factors such as fine dust and heat waves.

An official from Incheon City stated, "We will accelerate the expansion of public infrastructure that reduces the burden on parents through proactive childcare and education welfare policies nationwide, making children happy and parents reassured."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.