The Ministry of Education will expand free early childhood education and childcare support to children aged 4 and 5 starting in March. The program will cover approximately 503,000 children with a total budget of 470.3 billion won ($340 million). The measure aims to reduce the financial burden on parents using daycare centers and kindergartens.
According to the Ministry of Education on Monday, this year's support will include 248,000 four-year-olds and 255,000 five-year-olds attending daycare centers and kindergartens. Last year, the program supported 278,000 five-year-olds with 128.9 billion won. The expansion to four-year-olds has significantly increased both the number of beneficiaries and the budget.
The ministry launched free education and childcare support for five-year-olds in July last year. Since the policy took effect, kindergarten fees fell 26.6% in December compared with the same month a year earlier. The government believes this indicates a substantial reduction in additional costs previously borne by parents.
This expansion is part of a phased plan to extend coverage to all children aged 3 to 5 by 2027, building on the initial support for five-year-olds. The policy aims to establish a comprehensive free education and childcare system by covering expenses parents previously paid separately, including kindergarten tuition, after-school program fees, and miscellaneous daycare costs.
Support amounts by institution type remain unchanged from last year. Public kindergartens will provide 20,000 won per month for 12 months to 101,902 children for after-school programs. Private kindergartens will provide 110,000 won per month for 12 months to 226,221 children for tuition. Daycare centers will provide 70,000 won per month for 12 months to 175,318 children for miscellaneous expenses.
The subsidies will be administered through daycare centers and kindergartens. Parents of four- and five-year-olds need not apply separately; the support amount will be automatically deducted from their existing kindergarten or daycare fees.
"As the policy's effectiveness has been confirmed, we will ensure thorough implementation this year to deliver visible changes that citizens can feel," a Ministry of Education official said. "We plan to continue expanding support so that children are guaranteed equal opportunities from the starting line of life and parents can ease their childcare burden."