평가인증 활성화 및 민간보육시설 서비스 질 제고 방안

Abstract

This study is about new systems for private child care centers: 1) semi-public, 2) loosened regulations on fees, and 3) no regulations on maximum fees(that is, no limits of maximum fees). In Korea, there have been caps of child care fees.

The purpose of this study was to review the measures used to grade and disclose the results of evaluation and accreditation of child care facilities, and to introduce a semi-public child care system and a means of loosening the regulations on child care fees. It seeks to do this from the perspective of enhancing the quality of private child care facilities by promoting an effective evaluation and accreditation process of child care facilities.

Despite criticisms of the evaluation and accreditation process, it is recognized as an important tool in managing the service quality of private child care facilities. However, 40% of private facilities are currently exempted from such an evaluation, and the accreditation criteria need to be improved. Moreover, parents are generally lacking in awareness of the process, since the results of evaluation and accreditation are not fully disclosed. Currently, only whether a facility has passed the process are the results disclosed. The effectiveness of the process is being compromised because of a lack of tools to motivate facilities to participate and promote the process. As motivation tools, benefits can be granted to facilities with good evaluation results. The general lack of awareness of the process on the part of parents is due to the fact that only limited information of the evaluation results is disclosed. Therefore, as a tool to enhance the service quality of child care facilities, it is necessary to adopt a mechanism that can attract more participants to the evaluation and accreditation process, and identify measures to enhance the quality of child care service to meet the high expectations of parents.

Recently, Seoul Metropolitan Government and Busan City Government adopted a semi-public child care system. Based the evaluation and accreditation results, the system selects private facilities that meet the additional requirements, and provides them with financial aid for the labor costs of teachers, directors, and cooks. The amount of the aid thus provided is similar to that of the aid given to national and public institutions. By doing so, the system aims to enhance the public service role of private facilities, enhance their service quality, and lessen the financial burden of parents (most private institutions charge fees higher than public ones). This policy is attracting interest as an alternative to building more public nurseries.

The central government has announced that a semi-public child care system and a system of loosening the regulation on child care fees will be operated based on the results of the evaluation and accreditation process, and is planning to carry out a pilot program in the second half of 2011. Although national and public facilities are favored by parents, expanding such facilities involves several obstacles. As a result, selecting semi-public childcare centers and childcare centers with a loosened fee regulation among private facilities has been presented as a feasible alternative. Accordingly, the evaluation and accreditation process is being discussed as the official screening process.

Against this backdrop, this study presents the grading, grading criteria, scope and measures of information disclosure necessary for the promotion of the evaluation and accreditation process. It also reviews the framework of authorization criteria and the support scope of semi-public child care centers and child care centers without maximum fee limits, assesses the feasibility of introducing the system; and suggests concrete measures for implementation, including selection criteria. Not only is the semi-public child care system presented as a tool for enhancing the quality of child care service, but so too is the system of loosening the regulation on child care fees. These two systems will also be able to promote the evaluation and accreditation process.