Factors Associated with Use and Types of Multiple Concurrent Care and Education Arrangements in Early Childhood in South Korea

Abstract

This paper explores factors associated with multiple concurrent care and education arrangements in early childhood in South Korea. It draws on a subsample from the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families. Results show that about one-fifth of the families utilized multiple arrangements for their first preschool child. The primary non-parental option in multiplicity was nurseries or kindergartens. Home care and education options such as home study materials were found to be most prevalent secondary non-parental option, followed by services at private institution as well as relative care. Children's age, care cost, non-parental care time and time constraints were found to be positively related to the incidence of multiplicity for the first preschool child while family income and cost constraints were negatively associated. As a secondary option in the multiplicity, services at private institutions increased with children's age, care cost and when the grandparents live far from the parents' house. Home care and education utilization was found more among mothers with low degree of time constraints. Utilization of relative support decreased with the children's age and meant lower care cost and increased with mother's employment, fathers' education, family income, cost constraints and when grandparents live nearby. This paper, based on the associated factors, suggests how issues of children enrichment and constraints might be related to the multiplicity.