Busan Metropolitan City is significantly strengthening its "Childcare Scholarship Corps" operations to comprehensively elevate the quality of daycare center childcare. The core change involves transitioning from application-based consulting to a universal scholarship system covering all daycare centers.
The city announced on the 3rd that it will fully implement the "Daycare Center Childcare Scholarship Corps Enhancement Project" starting this year. Childcare scholarship instructors provide professional consulting on daycare curriculum operations and on-site guidance for staff capacity building, supporting qualitative growth in childcare settings.
In 2013, Busan became the first in the nation to hire eight childcare scholarship instructors at its Comprehensive Childcare Support Center, establishing a standing scholarship support system. This is recognized as the first case where a local government allocated professional personnel budgets to provide customized consulting.
The most significant change in this reorganization is the introduction of a "universal scholarship system based on participation from all daycare centers." Previously, consulting was limited to applicant institutions, but going forward, all daycare centers will receive professional scholarship services at least once annually.
The city has prioritized "Busan-style play-centered childcare curriculum consulting" as its top objective. This consulting comprises the Busan-style Play Learning Community (BTS-Play), learning support, learning community operational support, and childcare curriculum evaluation consulting. Childcare scholarship instructors will visit sites directly to provide practice-oriented coaching and deliver customized guidance tailored to each daycare center's characteristics.
Support for vulnerable and at-risk daycare centers will also be strengthened. The city is expanding "vulnerable childcare and crisis response consulting" to reflect changing field conditions, including increases in children with disabilities and multicultural backgrounds, as well as operational difficulties due to low birth rates. Scholarship instructors will directly visit and support institutions struggling with caring for children with developmental delays or multicultural children, while helping management-challenged institutions set operational directions through environmental analysis. In exceptional situations such as child abuse incidents, the city plans to provide psychological counseling and meetings for staff to minimize childcare gaps.
Additionally, the city will introduce a "regional responsibility system" where eight childcare scholarship instructors manage designated districts, establishing a management system without blind spots. Facilities that previously could not participate in consulting due to lack of information will be prioritized for outreach, with flexible support provided through visits or non-face-to-face methods based on self-assessment results.
Incentives have been prepared to encourage participation. When redesignating public-type daycare centers, up to 2 bonus points will be awarded based on consulting participation records, and outstanding institutions and staff will receive mayoral commendations and certificates. District participation rates will be reflected in childcare policy evaluation indicators to strengthen cooperation between the city and autonomous districts.
Mayor Park Hyung-joon said, "Following our push for full free childcare for ages 3-5, we will elevate the quality of childcare that children experience through establishing a scholarship system centered on Busan-style play-centered childcare curriculum consulting. We will do our utmost to ensure children receive high-quality childcare services regardless of which daycare center they attend."