The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) said on Nov. 29 SMG plans to designate children’s homes in the wake of the effects of the country’s low birth rate, as “companion children’s houses” and provide support.
If nearby children’s homes are closed, working couples and other families requiring childcare have found it inconvenient to use other children’s houses that are far away and offer insufficient childcare infrastructure.
In that case, it is feared the low birth rate phenomenon will worsen.
Each “dong” area in Seoul had an average of 14 children’s houses, but the figure has been reduced to 10.5, on average, since one children’s home has shut down per day since late 2018.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon explains SMG’s steps to cope with low-birth issues at a lecture session inviting Mayor Oh, hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry at KCCI building in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Nov. 23. (Photos: SMG)
The number of infants in Seoul stood at 322,000, a 32 percent crash from 471,000 in late 2018. Children’s houses have seen their quota sufficiency rate plunge to 72.7 percent, a 14 percentages point deduction, from 86.2 percent previously.
SMG decoded to offer financial support, environment improvement and assistant manpower support to children’s houses on the verge of disclosure.
SMG plans to designate 297 children’s homes with lower than 70 percent in the quota sufficiency rate among children’s houses located more than 200 meters with each other as companion children’s houses starting next January.
If companion children’s houses are designated, they are entitled to support, including the easing of the teacher vs. children rate and improving project guidelines for one year starting next March.
They’re also entitled to preferential treatment for the designation of Seoul-type children’s houses, environment improvement cost burden exemption and preferential treatment in supporting assistant and alternative teachers.
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