SEOUL – South Korea’s infants and toddlers are entering day care institutions at a younger age and spending more time there, according to a new national child care survey released on May 20 by the Education Ministry.
The 2024 National Child Care Survey, which collected responses from 2,494 households and 3,058 day care centers and kindergartens nationwide, found that the average age for first enrollment in child care facilities dropped to 19.8 months, compared to 30 months in 2009.
This marks a continued trend toward earlier use of child care services.
The average daily attendance time also rose. Children now spend an average of 7 hours and 31 minutes per day at day care centers, an increase of 19 minutes from the 2021 survey. Kindergarten attendance averaged 7 hours and 20 minutes, up by 16 minutes.
Despite the increase, a gap remains between actual and desired hours. Parents expressed a preference for an average of 8 hours and 13 minutes of daily care, yet actual usage fell short at 7 hours and 25 minutes.
A ministry official attributed the earlier use and longer hours to evolving family dynamics.
“The growing number of dual-income households has increased the demand for early and extended child care,” the official said.
“At the same time, declining birth rates may have made child care services more accessible, encouraging parents to use them even for shorter durations.”
Monthly child care-related expenses per household averaged 1.11 million won (S$1,000), up 140,000 won from 2021. However, the proportion of these expenses relative to household income decreased to 17.8 per cent from 19.3 per cent.
Parental use of child care leave also increased across the board. In 2023, 34.5 per cent of mothers and 3.6 per cent of fathers took child care leave individually, while 6.1 per cent of households had both parents use it. This represents a rise from 2021, when the figures were 32.6 per cent for mothers, 2.1 per cent for fathers and 2.4 per cent for both.
Parental satisfaction with child care services reached an all-time high. Overall satisfaction stood at 91.9 per cent, up from 77.7 per cent in 2021 and 80.9 per cent in 2018. Day care centers scored 92.4 per cent, while kindergartens recorded 91.7 per cent.
Senior researcher Choi Hyo-mi, explaining the rise in satisfaction, said: “Unlike the 2021 survey period, which was affected by Covid-19-related service restrictions, recent expansions in child care subsidies have contributed to the increased satisfaction.”
The survey also addressed workplace rights for child care staff. While 17.7 per cent of child care staff still reported experiencing rights violations at work, the figure marked a notable improvement from 30.1 per cent in the previous survey.
In response, the Education Ministry recently introduced new protective measures for child care staff, including dispute mediation procedures and awareness campaigns to foster a culture that respects the profession. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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