Nine Cities and Provinces Including Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon Selected as Leading Education Offices for Kindergarten Integration

Proactive Implementation Including Joint Curriculum Operation
Ministry of Education, Education Offices, and Local Governments Invest 50 Billion KRW

The government has selected nine metropolitan and provincial offices of education nationwide, including Seoul, as 'Pilot Offices of Education for Kindergarten and Childcare Integration' and will proactively promote a joint curriculum for kindergartens and daycare centers.

On the 15th, the Ministry of Education announced that it had selected the Seoul, Daegu, Incheon, Sejong, Gyeonggi, Chungbuk, Jeonbuk, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam Offices of Education as the '2023 Pilot Offices of Education for Kindergarten and Childcare Integration.'

The Ministry of Education decided to integrate the early childhood education and care system, which is currently divided into kindergartens and daycare centers, starting in 2025. Prior to this, pilot offices of education were selected to reduce educational and care disparities between institutions and to implement projects tailored to regional circumstances.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The pilot offices of education will form consultative bodies with local governments and invest a total of 48.2 billion KRW (42.4 billion KRW from the offices of education and 5.8 billion KRW from local governments) to carry out 13 tasks. The Ministry of Education will provide 1.4 billion KRW in support.

First, a project to reduce the difference in meal fees and tuition fees between the two institutions will be implemented. The Incheon, Gyeonggi, Chungbuk, and Jeonbuk Offices of Education will provide additional meal fees for children aged 3 to 5 in daycare centers, while the Daegu Office of Education will provide additional tuition support for kindergarten students.

According to the Ministry of Education, private kindergartens (as of 2022) require parents to pay an average of 135,000 KRW more in addition to the government's Nuri Curriculum (education program for ages 3 to 5) subsidy, and the free meal unit cost ranges from 2,800 to 3,435 KRW. In the case of daycare centers, parents do not bear additional childcare fees, but the meal unit cost is somewhat lower at 2,500 KRW. By providing financial support tailored to regional circumstances, the aim is to reduce the gap in meal fees and tuition fees between kindergartens and daycare centers.

Care services will also be strengthened. The Gyeonggi Office of Education plans to operate various types of hub-type after-school programs considering the mixed urban and rural conditions of the region, and in Daegu, one central kindergarten will create a hub-type after-school program together with two to three cooperating kindergartens to reduce care gaps. Gyeongbuk plans to diversify programs by supporting after-school program operating costs.

The joint operation of kindergarten and daycare center curricula will also be promoted. In Seoul, exchanges between kindergartens and daycare centers will be strengthened, and support will be provided for curriculum operation through sharing play-centered classes. Sejong will implement linked education among kindergartens, daycare centers, and elementary schools, and Chungbuk plans to develop joint educational programs between kindergartens and daycare centers.

Additionally, teacher capacity building through training (Seoul, Daegu, Sejong, Chungbuk, Jeonbuk, Gyeongnam) and support for children with disabilities (Daegu, Sejong) will be implemented.

Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, explained, "Even before the full integration of kindergarten and childcare is completed, we will support pilot offices of education to improve the quality of education and care."

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