Priority Access to Childcare Services Granted Starting from Families with 'Two Children'

Scope of 'Multi-Child Families' Expanded
Criteria Eased from Three Children to Two Children

The criteria for 'multi-child families' eligible for priority access to childcare services have been relaxed from the previous standard of 'three or more children aged 12 or under' or 'two or more children aged 36 months or under' to 'two or more children aged 12 or under.'

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced that the "Enforcement Rules of the Childcare Support Act," which includes this change, will take effect from the 31st.

Childcare services involve caregivers visiting homes to provide care for children aged 12 or under.

With the revision of the enforcement rules, families with just two children can now receive priority access to childcare services.

Additionally, except in cases where both parents are unemployed, families with a "childcare gap" will also be recognized and included as government support recipients.

Since last year, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has been providing an additional 10% subsidy on the out-of-pocket expenses for families with two or more children who are eligible for government-supported childcare services. This year, the childcare service fee is 12,180 KRW per hour.

Furthermore, the enforcement rules specify the Korea Healthy Family Promotion Agency as the entrusted organization for operating the Childcare Support Integrated Information System, establishing a basis for more professional and stable system management.

Shin Young-sook, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, stated, "As the number of families raising three or more children continues to decline due to the low birthrate trend, we have relaxed the criteria for multi-child families to provide more comprehensive services to families in need of care. Moving forward, we will continue to examine policy demands from the users' perspective to actively expand and reform childcare services so that children can be entrusted with confidence, aiming to serve as a catalyst for overcoming the low birthrate by alleviating childcare burdens."

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