This report analyses the “Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)” programme, which has been subsidized by governments and carried out in nurseries, kindergartens, etc. There has been a drastic expansion of the ECEC programme in Korea, and it is forecast that the expansion will incur policy disorder by intensifying confusion among central government, local governments, service providers, and children and their parents.
The budget for the ECEC programme in 2012 is more than twice what was in 2008 (2.5 trillion won in 2008 → 5.2 trillion won in 2012). This rapid increase in the budget for ECEC stems from the reform of ECEC policy in Korea: The government introduced “Nuri Course,” a common curriculum for 5 year-old children, in March 2012, and has provided tuition for 5 year-old and 0-2 year-old children who are entitled to nurseries or kindergartens without considering the level of their parents’ income. In addition, the government has a plan to extend “Nuri Course” to 3-4 year-old children beginning in 2013, and tuition provisions will be given to all 0-5 year old children who are entitled to nurseries or kindergartens beginning in 2015.
The main findings of the analysis are as follows: Above all, the reformed ECEC might debase the financial soundness of local governments since the programme is being implemented with a matching grant system, which generates financial burden on local governments. In addition, the “Childcare Service Improvement Measures (March, 2012)” by central government did not fully reflect the children’s and their parents’ needs. Moreover, the introduction and expansion of “Nuri Course,” while leading the reorganisation of the ECEC programme in nurseries and kindergartens, will cause a predicament as there is a lack of preparation for suited service delivery, monitoring, and evaluation. Thus, the government needs to find various ways to increase the effectiveness and sustainability of the ECEC programme by: 1) implementing mid- and long-term projections of necessary budget funding; 2) strengthening the integrity among service delivery and monitoring systems; and 3) unifying evaluation system for nurseries and kindergartens.
Kim Sojeong, Lee Chaejeong
The budget for the ECEC programme in 2012 is more than twice what was in 2008 (2.5 trillion won in 2008 → 5.2 trillion won in 2012). This rapid increase in the budget for ECEC stems from the reform of ECEC policy in Korea: The government introduced “Nuri Course,” a common curriculum for 5 year-old children, in March 2012, and has provided tuition for 5 year-old and 0-2 year-old children who are entitled to nurseries or kindergartens without considering the level of their parents’ income. In addition, the government has a plan to extend “Nuri Course” to 3-4 year-old children beginning in 2013, and tuition provisions will be given to all 0-5 year old children who are entitled to nurseries or kindergartens beginning in 2015.
The main findings of the analysis are as follows: Above all, the reformed ECEC might debase the financial soundness of local governments since the programme is being implemented with a matching grant system, which generates financial burden on local governments. In addition, the “Childcare Service Improvement Measures (March, 2012)” by central government did not fully reflect the children’s and their parents’ needs. Moreover, the introduction and expansion of “Nuri Course,” while leading the reorganisation of the ECEC programme in nurseries and kindergartens, will cause a predicament as there is a lack of preparation for suited service delivery, monitoring, and evaluation. Thus, the government needs to find various ways to increase the effectiveness and sustainability of the ECEC programme by: 1) implementing mid- and long-term projections of necessary budget funding; 2) strengthening the integrity among service delivery and monitoring systems; and 3) unifying evaluation system for nurseries and kindergartens.
Kim Sojeong, Lee Chaejeong