Incheon City is lowering barriers to daycare access for 15 foreign national infants and toddlers who fall outside the current support system. The city has partnered with ChildFund Korea's Incheon Regional Office to provide 60 million won in childcare subsidies—400,000 won per month for 10 months.
On January 17, the city signed a memorandum of understanding with ChildFund Korea's Incheon Regional Office for the "Haepum" program, a childcare support initiative for immigrant-background children in institutional blind spots. The program targets foreign national children aged 2 residing in Incheon and will run from March through December.
The initiative responds to the steady growth of foreign residents in Incheon. While the number of infants and toddlers from immigrant-background families continues to rise, foreign national children remain excluded from childcare subsidy programs, leaving them in an institutional blind spot. Many families have been forced to forgo daycare services entirely due to the burden of paying full tuition out of pocket.
Under the agreement, Incheon City will identify eligible children, promote the program, and provide administrative support. ChildFund Korea's Incheon Regional Office will directly fund childcare fees and oversee program operations.
"Through this partnership with a private organization, we will support children from low-income foreign families who have been left in childcare blind spots," said Kim Kyung-sun, Director of the Women and Family Bureau. "We will continue to expand support policies for infants and toddlers from multicultural and immigrant-background families."
