소득계층을 중심으로 본 영유아 자녀 돌봄 및 교육 실태와 정책적 함의

Abstract

Using data from the 2008 Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families, this study investigated the income class differences in the modes, amount of time, and expenses for caring and educating a child in early childhood. The sample consisted of 1,849 households with a child aged 6 years or less. The major findings were as follows. First, the lower-income class was more likely to rely on child care centers and less likely to use services provided by kindergarten or private education. Their total amount of time required to provide care and education for their child was about 4 or 5 hours less than that of the other income classes; this result was due to the fact that they consumed less hours for home care, kindergarten, and private education. Second, we found there were more similarities than differences between middle-income and upper-income classes in the modes, amount of time, and expenses to care for and educate their young children; however, the middle-income class used less private education than the upper-income classes in terms of usage rate and length of time. Lastly, the other variables which were significantly related with the amount of time and expenses for child care and education included mother's employment, age of the child, and having siblings, and the family size. Based on the results, implications for public policy on early childhood care and education were suggested.