Government Expands Child Care Service Support: 840 Hours Per Year, Subsidy Rate Up by 5%

Annual Support Hours Increased from 720 to 840
Subsidy Rates Also Raised for Full-Day Type A and Hourly Type B Programs

[Asia Economy, Reporter Han Jinju] In order to ease the increased burden of childcare on families caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the government will expand both the number of supported hours and the subsidy rates for the child care service program.

On January 19, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced that in 2021, the annual government-supported hours for the child care service will be increased from 720 to 840 hours. The government subsidy rate for service fees will also be raised by 5 percentage points each, to 85% for the full-day Type A program and to 60% for the hourly Type B program.

For low-income single-parent families, families with disabled parents, and families with disabled children whose income is at or below 75% of the median, the subsidy rate will be increased by an additional 5 percentage points, up to a maximum of 90%. For full-day infant care and preschooler hourly Type A programs, the subsidy will rise from 85% to 90%, and for school-age hourly programs, from 75% to 80%.

Starting in March, when the new school year begins, additional support will be provided to families experiencing care gaps due to closures, suspensions, or remote classes. This additional support can be used separately from the annual government-supported hours, and as in the previous year, the government will subsidize at least 40% to 90% of the service fees. The available hours for this support are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To ensure the safety of families using the child care service, the Ministry will provide infection prevention supplies and strengthen guidelines such as mask-wearing and hand sanitizer use. The Ministry will also reinforce health protocols by recommending preemptive testing for those who have visited areas with high numbers of confirmed cases or who exhibit suspected symptoms.

An amendment to the Child Care Support Act, aimed at strengthening the qualifications and supervision of child care workers, will also take effect this year. The maximum period for suspension of qualifications will be extended to three years, and if requested by a guardian, service providers will be able to share records of suspension or cancellation of qualifications.

To enhance the capabilities of child care workers, guardians will be able to evaluate them after service completion. The evaluation results, along with activity records, will be provided to families who wish to use the service. For user convenience, if emergency care is needed during evenings or weekends, families can use the temporary matching service via the child care mobile app. Families on long waiting lists will be given additional priority points to access services sooner. Starting in March, required documents can also be guided through a chatbot on KakaoTalk.

Minister Chung Youngae of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family stated, "The expansion of government support and improvement of the child care service will help families struggling with care responsibilities due to COVID-19," adding, "We will continue our efforts to improve service quality so that the child care service can become a reliable partner that parents can trust."

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