Daycare center enrollment waits in new towns may decrease as dual-class operation rule is eased

South Korea's Ministry of Education plans to relax a regulation that mandates daycare centers in newly developed residential areas to operate both infant and toddler classes concurrently. This adjustment seeks to alleviate the imbalance in demand, where infant classes often face lengthy waiting lists while toddler classes struggle to fill their capacity.

The current regulation requires daycare centers to "operate infant classes for children under two years old, infant classes for two-year-olds, and toddler classes for children aged three and above simultaneously, as far as possible." This has led to situations in new towns with high demand for infant care, where centers must maintain toddler classes with low enrollment to comply, resulting in underutilized resources.

“

This revision is intended to review and improve unnecessary or unreasonable regulations in response to changing environments, such as declining birth rates.

To address this, the ministry will introduce an amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Infant and Child Care Act. For areas experiencing or anticipating a rapid increase in demand for infant care due to population influx from urban development or housing projects, daycare centers will be allowed to operate without the simultaneous requirement for toddler classes. This aims to enable centers to prioritize and expand infant class operations where the need is greatest.

Additionally, the ministry is enhancing accessibility to hourly childcare services. Currently, public daycare centers must offer at least two out of four "vulnerable care" services (infant, disabled, multicultural, extended hours). The revised rule will add hourly childcare as an option, meaning centers must offer at least two out of five services. The criteria for the mandatory establishment of public daycare centers in apartment complexes are also being adjusted. While the 500-unit threshold remains, local governments will gain the authority to set the minimum unit requirement between 500 and 1,000 units based on regional childcare needs and demographics.

“

We will continue to communicate with the field to identify regulations that need improvement and support the creation of regionally tailored childcare environments.