Current Use of Childcare Service and Reform Tasks for More Effective Service System

Abstract

Early Childhood Education and Care(ECEC) remains high on the policy agenda in many OECD countries. They all have recently tried to have high quality services for children under 6, and effectively support the families in need of service as one of the work-family reconciliation policy programmes. Since both Lee MyungBak government enacted a cash system for family care at home, and Park GeunHye government introduced no-fee policy system into childcare policy, Korea s childcare service has completely lost it s focus. This paper attempts to review current pattern of use of childcare service based on several policy principles, and highlights the differences between Korean policy frame and OECD countries overall which reveals a quite stark contrast. Since Korean childcare policy has been inconsistent, it is urgent to build up clarity of this policy s purpose as well as main target population, and to stop no-fee policy in order to better invest in staff side before it is too late which is surely expected to boost up the service quality.