The government is expanding guidance for parents who need somewhere to leave their children when they face sudden overtime or weekend work, including QR codes that let them search for nearby care providers.
The Ministry of Education said on the 19th that it will broaden the information available to parents of infants and young children about day care centers and kindergartens that operate "gap care" programs.
Gap care covers children outside the regular operating hours of day care centers and kindergartens, for parents who work late or on holidays. The programs are designed to meet demand in the late evening, on weekends and holidays, and during school vacations. As of August, 7,398 day care centers offering extended evening hours and 162 hub care facilities were operating nationwide. The hub facilities consist of 76 kindergartens and 86 day care centers.
Online access is also being expanded. The ministry said it will redesign its websites so that search and application methods for gap care providers appear on the front pages of the I-Sarang portal and the Nuri Curriculum after-school portal. From February next year, a link to gap care information will be sent through KakaoTalk notifications on kindergarten admissions. In the second half of next year, the information will also be offered through the National Secretary and Benefits Notification services on Government24.
"We plan to distribute leaflets and posters carrying QR codes that guide parents to search and application routes for care providers, placing them at pediatric clinics, hospitals designated for infant health checkups, child care support centers and children's libraries," a ministry official said. "The aim is to let parents come across gap care information easily, even while taking their children for vaccinations or medical care."