🚨 Early Childhood Education and Childcare Integration: Current Status of Kindergarten and Daycare Integration Policy

Today Korean Social News | 2025.06.25

📌 Integration Policy Awaits Government Decision Amid Conflicts Between Kindergartens and Daycares

💬 At a research meeting hosted by Jeju Provincial Office of Education about integration policy, kindergarten and daycare teachers showed completely different opinions. Kindergarten teachers opposed the integration, citing differences in educational philosophy and systems. Daycare teachers supported it to close the gap in teacher qualifications and working conditions. Researchers said whether integration happens depends on the government's political decision. Currently, there is sharp conflict between different groups about combining the management systems that are split between the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health and Welfare. The government needs to approach this carefully.

Summary

• Integration means combining kindergarten and daycare management systems into one.
• The goal is to improve education and childcare quality and reduce parent costs, but there are conflicts in the field.
• The government's political decision is the key factor for making integration happen.

1️⃣ Definition

Early Childhood Education and Childcare Integration means combining the management systems for children aged 0-5 that are currently split between the Ministry of Education (kindergartens) and Ministry of Health and Welfare (daycares) into one unified system. Simply put, it means managing kindergartens and daycares with the same standards and systems.

This policy aims to help children receive quality education and childcare anywhere by improving services, giving parents more choices, and improving teacher conditions.

💡 Why is this important?

• It improves education and childcare services equally for all children.
• It reduces gaps between institutions and gives parents more choices.
• It reduces differences in teacher qualifications and pay to improve expertise.
• It uses government money more efficiently and simplifies administrative work.

2️⃣ Background and Current Status of Integration

📕 Problems with the Split System

• Current early childhood education and childcare systems are complicated and separated. The main situation is:

  • Kindergartens are managed by the Ministry of Education for children aged 3-5, and require kindergarten teacher certificates.
  • Daycares are managed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare for children aged 0-5, and require daycare teacher certificates.
  • Children of the same age receive different management from different government departments, so curriculum, teacher qualifications, and facility standards are all different.
  • As of 2023, there are 8,495 kindergartens and 29,302 daycares operating.

• The split system causes various problems. Main problems include:

  • Children of the same age receive different education depending on which institution they attend, creating education gaps.
  • There are significant differences in qualification requirements and working conditions between kindergarten teachers and daycare teachers.
  • Parents face confusion when choosing institutions and have difficulty accessing information.
  • Government budgets are split between two departments and used inefficiently.
  • Cooperation between departments is often difficult when making and implementing policies.

📕 Progress of Integration Efforts

• Integration discussions have continued for a long time. Main progress includes:

  • In 2008, the Lee Myung-bak government first set integration as a national task.
  • The Park Geun-hye government also tried to push integration but failed due to disagreements between departments.
  • The Moon Jae-in government established an integration task force and began serious integration work.
  • In 2022, when the Yoon Suk-yeol government started, Ministry of Education-led integration policy was pushed again.
  • Currently, various system preparations are ongoing with the goal of implementing integration in 2025.

• Recent integration preparation work is actively proceeding. Main preparations include:

  • An integration system centered on the Ministry of Education has been completed.
  • An Integration Promotion Committee was established under the Office for Government Policy Coordination for government-wide discussions.
  • Research projects and field opinion collection are happening nationwide by province and city.
  • Related law revisions and budget transfers are being pushed step by step.
  • Specific reviews are being conducted on integrating teacher qualification standards and improving working conditions.

Main Issues in Integration

1. Teacher qualifications and conditions: How to close gaps in qualification standards and salaries between kindergarten and daycare teachers
2. Curriculum integration: How to harmonize different philosophies focused on education vs. childcare
3. Financial burden: Additional budget needed for integration and who will pay
4. Private daycares: Changes in management systems when private daycares transfer to the Ministry of Education
5. Field acceptance: How to resolve opposition from kindergarten and daycare fields

3️⃣ Expected Benefits and Concerns about Integration

✅ Expected Positive Effects

• Various benefits are expected for young children and parents. Main expected effects include:

  • Children can receive quality education and childcare services anywhere, reducing education gaps.
  • Parents will have more choices and easier access to information.
  • Integrated curriculum will enable systematic and continuous education.
  • Consistent policies for all ages 0-5 will expand benefits.
  • Children can receive continuous education and childcare even when moving between institutions.

• Improvements are also expected for teachers and institution operations. Main improvements include:

  • Teacher qualifications and conditions will be upgraded, improving expertise.
  • Integrated teacher training systems will expand opportunities for skill development.
  • Unified institution operation standards will reduce administrative burdens.
  • Improved fairness in government support will reduce gaps between institutions.
  • Integrated information systems will increase work efficiency.

✅ Field Concerns and Opposition

• Kindergarten fields express various concerns. Main concerns include:

  • Worries that the identity and expertise of existing kindergarten education could be damaged.
  • Anxiety about possible shifts from education-focused to childcare-focused approaches.
  • Private kindergartens may face increased operational difficulties due to stronger regulations.
  • Concerns that current kindergarten teachers' benefits might be reduced.
  • Possible field confusion and education gaps due to sudden changes.

• Daycare fields also show mixed reactions. Main opinions include:

  • High expectations for improving daycare teacher conditions and social recognition.
  • However, concerns about burden and need for retraining due to higher qualification standards.
  • Anxiety about operational changes for private daycares when management shifts to the Ministry of Education.
  • Questions about whether the special needs of infant care (ages 0-2) will be properly reflected.
  • Worries about being left out or excluded during the integration process.

4️⃣ Related Terms

🔎 Nuri Curriculum

• Nuri Curriculum is a common educational program for children aged 3-5.
• Nuri Curriculum is a national-level educational program that children aged 3-5 in both kindergartens and daycares learn together. It was introduced in 2012 and continues to be implemented, serving as an important foundation for integration.
• Main features of Nuri Curriculum include: First, the same educational program applies to both kindergartens and daycares without distinction. Second, it consists of five areas: physical exercise and health, communication, social relationships, artistic experience, and nature exploration. Third, it emphasizes play-centered, child-centered education. Fourth, the government supports education costs to reduce parent burden.
• Nuri Curriculum is considered a successful example of integration, and plans are being reviewed to expand it to include infants aged 0-2. This would enable continuous and consistent education and childcare from birth to elementary school entry.

🔎 Daycare Teacher

• Daycare teachers are professionals who care for and educate young children in daycares.
• Daycare teachers are professional teachers who handle childcare and education for children aged 0-5 in daycares. They can obtain qualifications according to the Early Childhood Education and Care Act, and are classified as Grade 1, 2, or 3 based on their level.
• Main characteristics of daycare teachers include: First, they obtain qualifications by graduating from college-level childcare-related departments or completing daycare teacher education programs. Second, they can handle both infant classes (ages 0-2) and toddler classes (ages 3-5). Third, they perform both childcare and educational activities. Fourth, about 250,000 currently work in daycares nationwide.
• Improving the status and working conditions of daycare teachers is an important task in the integration process. Major discussion points include closing qualification standards and salary gaps with kindergarten teachers, and improving training systems to strengthen expertise. After integration, they will likely be unified under new titles such as "early childhood teachers" or "child teachers."

🔎 Kindergarten Teacher

• Kindergarten teachers are professionals who educate children aged 3-5 in kindergartens.
• Kindergarten teachers are teachers who handle education for children aged 3-5 in kindergartens. They obtain qualifications according to the Early Childhood Education Act and are classified as Grade 1 or 2. They are under the Ministry of Education and have the status of educational personnel.
• Main characteristics of kindergarten teachers include: First, they obtain qualifications by graduating from 4-year university early childhood education departments or completing graduate education programs. Second, they perform educational activities only for children aged 3-5. Third, they have the same legal status as elementary and secondary teachers. Fourth, about 50,000 currently work in kindergartens nationwide.
• Kindergarten teachers generally have higher qualification requirements and better conditions than daycare teachers, so protecting their existing benefits is an important issue in the integration process. Key tasks include how to adjust qualification standards after integration and how to guarantee the status of existing kindergarten teachers. They also need to understand and develop skills for educating and caring for infants aged 0-2.

5️⃣ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What changes will parents experience when integration happens?

A: When integration is implemented, parents can expect mostly positive changes. First, they will have more choices of institutions. Currently, parents had to consider differences between kindergartens and daycares when choosing, but after integration, children can receive similar quality education and childcare regardless of which institution they choose. Second, accessing information will become easier. Parents can get all information from one place, making it simpler to compare and choose institutions. Third, children can receive continuous education and childcare at one institution regardless of their age, increasing stability. Fourth, the overall quality of education and childcare will improve, allowing children to grow in better environments. However, there may be temporary confusion or adjustment periods needed during early integration, so sufficient government guidance and support are important. Also, ensuring that cost burden does not increase more than current levels is an important task.

Q: When can integration actually happen?

A: The timing of integration implementation may vary depending on several factors. The government aims for 2025, but this may be adjusted based on field readiness and the level of social agreement. Several conditions must be met for successful integration. First, related law revisions must be completed. Various laws including the Early Childhood Education Act, Early Childhood Education and Care Act, and Educational Public Officials Act need to be revised or integrated. Second, specific plans for integrating teacher qualification standards and improving working conditions must be prepared. Third, sufficient communication and persuasion must occur to increase field acceptance. Fourth, additional budget needed for integration must be secured. Considering these conditions, gradual integration seems more realistic than complete integration. It will likely start with management system integration and gradually expand. The important thing is stable integration through sufficient preparation and building consensus in the field, rather than hasty implementation.