Seoul to Provide Education Support for Three-Year-Olds: KRW 20,000 for Public Kindergartens, KRW 110,000 for Private Kindergartens, KRW 70,000 for Daycare Centers

Seoul Education Office Accelerates Universal Free Childcare
"Creating an Environment Where Parents Can Raise Children Without Financial Burden"

Geun-Sik Jeong, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Photo by Yongjun Cho

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will expand its support for free education and childcare fees for approximately 35,000 three-year-old children from October to December this year. Parents will receive KRW 20,000 per month for public kindergartens, KRW 110,000 per month for private kindergartens, and KRW 70,000 per month for daycare centers, helping to alleviate their educational expenses.

On September 14, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced that, through a supplementary budget allocation of approximately KRW 8.7 billion, it will provide advance, temporary support for free education and childcare fees for three-year-olds enrolled in public and private kindergartens and daycare centers for three months, from October to December this year.

This measure is intended to address the imbalance in the timing of support compared to four- and five-year-old children and to accelerate the realization of free education for all age groups. Official government plans provide for free education for three-year-olds beginning next year.

The program targets approximately 35,000 three-year-olds who attend kindergartens and daycare centers offering the same Nuri Curriculum but who, unlike four- and five-year-olds, currently do not receive free education and childcare support.

The monthly support amounts are KRW 20,000 for public kindergartens, KRW 110,000 for private kindergartens, and KRW 70,000 for daycare centers. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to secure funds in the 2027 main budget to enable continued support into January and February next year.

The funds will be used for after-school program fees (public kindergartens), curriculum fees (private kindergartens), and other necessary expenses (daycare centers), in line with the Ministry of Education's "phased plan for free education and childcare."

Additionally, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will ensure transparency in budget execution and prevent cases of kindergartens or daycare centers raising parental contributions by providing guidance and conducting inspections.

Geun-Sik Jung, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, stated, "This preemptive support strengthens the public responsibility for early childhood education and will help establish it as the starting point for fundamental education," adding, "We will continue to do our utmost to create an educational environment where parents can raise their children with peace of mind, without financial burden."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.