Gyeonggi-do Expands Part-Time Childcare Centers to 93 Locations

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Gyeonggi Province will expand the number of 'Hourly Childcare Centers' from August, allowing infants and toddlers who do not attend daycare centers and receive parental benefits (childcare allowances) to use daycare services on an hourly basis, increasing the total to 93 centers.

On the 24th, Gyeonggi Province announced that it selected 18 daycare centers in four areas?Yongin, Ansan, Gimpo, and Hanam?as pilot sites for the Ministry of Health and Welfare's 'Integrated Hourly Childcare Center' project.

Hourly Childcare Centers are divided into existing independent and integrated types. The independent type operates separate childcare rooms exclusively for hourly childcare, targeting infants aged 6 to 36 months. Currently, 75 centers operate in 26 cities and counties.

The integrated type, which is being piloted this time, targets children aged 6 months to 5 years and provides hourly childcare by utilizing classes within daycare centers that have vacancies, caring for hourly childcare users together with enrolled children.

With the addition of 18 integrated centers to the existing 75 independent centers, the number of institutions providing hourly childcare in the province will increase to 93 across 26 cities and counties.

Jeong Hwa Lee, Director of Childcare Policy at Gyeonggi Province, said, "In an ultra-low birthrate era with a total fertility rate of 0.78, hourly childcare is expected to help create a better home childcare environment," adding, "We will strive to make it easier for parents to use hourly childcare."

For detailed information and reservations regarding hourly childcare use, please visit the Pregnancy and Childcare Comprehensive Portal, i-Sarang.

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