Full Implementation of Free Education and Childcare for 13,000 Five-Year-Olds at Public and Private Kindergartens and Daycare Centers in North Gyeongsang

Up to 110,000 KRW in Additional Monthly Support

The North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) announced on August 5 that it has been fully implementing a free education and childcare policy for five-year-old children in the province since July.

This policy aims to strengthen the public nature of early childhood education and childcare, and to substantially reduce the childcare burden on parents. Approximately 13,000 five-year-old children attending public and private kindergartens and daycare centers in the province are eligible for support.

Gyeongbuk Office of Education

Previously, on July 29, the Ministry of Education announced at a Cabinet meeting that it would gradually expand the free education and childcare policy, starting with five-year-olds in 2025 and extending to children aged three to five by 2027.

Accordingly, up to 110,000 KRW per child per month will be additionally provided for education and childcare expenses. By institution type, 110,000 KRW will be provided for private kindergartens, 20,000 KRW for public kindergartens, and 70,000 KRW for daycare centers.

The North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education plans to establish its own implementation plan tailored to local conditions in line with the Ministry of Education's direction, and to build a continuous monitoring and inspection system to ensure the appropriateness and transparency of budget execution. On-site inspections will also be strengthened to prevent cases where the free education and childcare funds are used for purposes other than intended or are misappropriated.

In addition, for the parental contributions already paid for July 2025, the decision on whether to refund or carry over the amounts will be made fairly and transparently after consulting each institution's operating committee and gathering parents' opinions.

Lim Jong-sik, Superintendent of the North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education, stated, "The North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education has continuously provided on-site support, such as operational expenses for private kindergarten classes, care operation expenses, transportation support, teacher treatment improvement allowances, and teacher training support." He added, "The full implementation of free education and childcare for five-year-olds is not just financial support, but an important turning point that will strengthen the state's responsibility for early childhood education and childcare and substantially alleviate the childcare burden on parents."

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