Additional Meal Improvements and Parental Support... Daegu City to Significantly Increase Investment to 4.5 Billion Won for Childcare Support Next Year

Decision to Support School Meal Quality Improvement, Infant Allowance, First Meeting Voucher, and Birth Celebration Money

Daegu City held a meeting with the Daycare Center Association on the 20th of last month in the First Small Conference Room of the Daegu City Hall Annex.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Daegu City will significantly increase support to ensure stable childcare for infants and toddlers and to address the low birth rate.

On the 20th of last month, Daegu City met with representatives of the daycare center association to finalize next year’s infant and toddler childcare support plans, including the implementation of free meals in kindergartens, purchase of high-quality ingredients and cooking equipment, and support for improving meal quality.

An additional "meal quality improvement fee" of 7,000 KRW per child per month will be provided, and the "parental burden differential childcare fee" will be increased according to the type of daycare center.

For small-scale daycare centers, the "teacher concurrently serving as director allowance" will be raised to 100,000 KRW per month, and for public daycare centers, the cook’s labor cost will be increased to 300,000 KRW per month.

As part of the focused investment project for infants, a monthly infant allowance of 300,000 KRW will be paid for 24 months after birth to infants born on or after January 1, 2022.

For families with newborns, congratulatory birth gifts will be provided, and financial support of 2 million KRW for the first child, 3 million KRW for the second child, and 4 million KRW for the third child or more will be given to reduce the economic burden on each family.

Through the "Daegu City Maternal Health Manager Dispatch Project," health managers will be dispatched to families with newborns, and co-payment amounts will be supported differentially based on birth order and income level. Some non-eligible families will also receive partial postpartum care cost support.

Additionally, support for infertility treatment costs and traditional Korean medicine infertility couples will be expanded, and when using the "Housing and Urban Fund Newlywed Exclusive Jeonse Loan," families with two or more children will receive full support for loan interest.

Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin said, "We are continuously striving to reduce the low birth rate problem through nonstop support for marriage, childbirth, and childcare," adding, "Next year, we will create a childcare environment where children can grow up safer and healthier, reduce the economic burden associated with childbirth, and meet diverse care needs."

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