Songpa-gu to Provide Childcare Services to Families Exceeding 150% of Median Income

Supporting Families Exceeding 150% of Median Income to Reduce Increasing Care Burden Due to COVID-19

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) announced that families experiencing childcare gaps with incomes exceeding 150% of the median income can receive up to 40% support on the fees for the child care service.

The child care service dispatches professionally trained caregivers to families raising children aged between 3 months and 12 years who face childcare gaps due to reasons such as both parents working or having multiple children. However, families where parents can personally care for their children are not eligible for support.

Previously, families with childcare gaps and incomes exceeding 150% of the median income were not eligible for support on child care service fees. However, the government has introduced measures to alleviate the increased childcare burden caused by COVID-19-related school delays, closures, and suspensions.

Accordingly, families with incomes exceeding 150% of the median income who use the child care service on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. until the 27th will receive support of 3,956 KRW per hour.

△ Families with incomes exceeding 120% but not exceeding 150% of the median income will receive 4,945 KRW per hour (an increase of 3,461 KRW from before) △ Families with incomes exceeding 75% but not exceeding 120% will receive 5,934 KRW per hour (an increase of 494 KRW) △ Families with incomes at or below 75% will receive 8,901 KRW per hour (an increase of 494 KRW).

The service hours supported during this period are excluded from the government-supported annual limit of 720 hours.

Songpa-gu added that to reduce COVID-19 related concerns, it has urgently provided 10,000 masks and 300 hand sanitizers to caregivers to enhance the safety of both visiting families and the caregivers themselves.

Additionally, the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s family care leave system is being actively promoted.

Family care leave is a system granting up to 10 days of leave annually for urgent family care needs such as child care or illness of a family member. Although originally unpaid, workers raising children aged 8 or younger who used family care leave due to school delays and closures after Korea’s first confirmed COVID-19 case on January 20 can receive 50,000 KRW per day for up to 5 days per worker, with dual-income families eligible for up to 500,000 KRW.

Family care leave applications can be made to the Ministry of Employment and Labor (☎1350) starting from the 16th.

To reduce childcare burdens caused by COVID-19, Songpa-gu is providing emergency care at four local elementary after-school care centers called Uri Dongnae Care Centers, as well as at the Pungnap-dong Community Childcare Sharing Center and the Women’s Culture Center’s Open Childcare Room.

Songpa-gu Mayor Park Seong-su stated, “We will support families feeling the increased childcare burden due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation so they can receive practical help through the child care service. We will do our best for a Songpa where children are cared for together with their parents.”

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