Jeonnam Builds a Child-Friendly Environment, Achieving the Nation's Highest Birth Rate

8,226 Births Last Year, a 5.1% Increase from Previous Year
Strengthening Systems with 24-Hour Childcare Centers
Childcare Fee Support for Foreign Children and Grandparent-Grandchild Care Programs

Jeonnam Province promotes various welfare policies to create a child-friendly environment. The photo shows a promotional activity for the childcare policy. Provided by Jeonnam Province.

Jeollanam-do will continue to expand various childcare support policies this year to overcome low birth rates and create a child-friendly environment, following last year's achievement of reversing the declining birth rate for the first time in nine years.

Last year, Jeollanam-do recorded a total fertility rate of 1.03 (national average: 0.75), ranking first in the country. The number of births was 8,226, an increase of 398 (5.1%) compared to the previous year (7,828), marking a remarkable rebound after nine years of decline.

Jeollanam-do will maintain the upward trend in birth rates through 2025 and promote new childcare support initiatives such as the 'Jeonnam 24-hour Childcare Center,' childcare fee support for foreign children, and the 'Jeonnam Grandparent-Grandchild Care Support' program to create a better environment for raising children.

Accordingly, to support parents working at night and dual-income families, two 'Jeonnam 24-hour Childcare Centers' will be designated and operated in the first half of the year. These centers will provide 24-hour childcare services for children aged 6 months to under 7 years, allowing parents to safely entrust their children even outside regular daycare hours, which is expected to be of great help in childcare.

In addition, starting in March, Jeollanam-do will provide 'childcare fee support for foreign children.' About 330 foreign children aged 0 to 5 attending daycare centers will receive a monthly childcare fee of 100,000 KRW, easing the childcare burden for foreign families and supporting their stable settlement in Jeollanam-do.

Jeollanam-do will also actively work to improve the quality of existing childcare policies, including ▲raising the child meal support unit price and ▲expanding the eligibility for the child care service.

In 2025, the child meal support unit price will be increased from 9,000 KRW to 9,500 KRW to prevent malnutrition among low-income children and support their healthy growth by providing high-quality meals.

Jeollanam-do continues to expand the child care service, which dispatches caregivers to households with children under 12 to provide assistance such as drop-off and pick-up and play activities. By 2024, the installation of child care service agencies in all cities and counties was completed, eliminating gaps in care. This year, the income eligibility for child care service fee support was expanded from 150% or less of the median income to 200% or less, allowing more families to use the service.

In the second half of the year, the 'Jeonnam Grandparent-Grandchild Care Support' project will also be implemented.

Yoo Mija, Director of Gender and Family Policy at Jeollanam-do, said, "We will do our best to maintain the upward trend in the birth rate by actively promoting various policies to make Jeollanam-do a great place to have and raise children."

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