육아지원서비스 질 제고를 위한 인력 운영 개선 방안

Abstract

The quality of childcare support services is mostly subordinated to the issues of teaching staff and other personnel resources. Among the various personnel resources available to early childcare educational organizations, the quality of teaching staff, the main agents of childcare services, appears to be most essential. However, the quality of services may differ depending on the presence of support personnel and their capacities. From the basis of the above assumption, this study investigated and analyzed the present status and perceptions of overall management involving permanent and support personnel in child care centers and kindergartens. Based on the status and perceptions, it attempted to suggest the better placement of personnel and alternatives for the improvement of services by the region, type, and size of institutions, taking into account their distinctive characteristics. Moreover, it presented conditions and the expected financial costs associated with the implementation of such placements and alternatives.

This study involved a number of methods; a literature re case studies, questionnaires, and professional consultations to pursue its goals. In respect to the literature review, utilizing previous studies and data provided by the Ministry of Education of cities and provinces in Korea, data on personnel management systems, related-statistics, and projects supporting personnel were analyzed. It also analyzed the personnel-management systems and relevant case studies of other countries such as the United States, Sweden, France, and Japan. In the case studies, considering the types of institutions involved, locations, and their size, six kindergartens and six child care centers were selected. The overall assessment on their placement of personnel and management systems was carried out, along with a collection and analyses of data on government or institution support measures for the personnel. Online questionnaires were distributed to subjects (consisting of 653 directors and 2,240 teachers of kindergartens and 935 directors and 1,186 teachers of child care centers) in order to understand the current situation of personnel placement and its management in childcare support institutions and to analyze levels of satisfaction, difficulties, and areas needing support. A consultative meeting established the direction of the study and examined the reliability of items on questionnaires and the appropriateness of the plan to enhance the placement of personnel.

According to the results of the analysis, a number of models for kindergarten personnel and the policies supporting the models were proposed. The models were built on the premises of five basic principles: (1) to provide diverse types of employment, depending on the qualifications of personnel and their majors in universities, their placement, and their working hours; (2) to propose a realistic and effective plan rather than an ideal one; (3) to minimize the differences between kindergartens and child care centers while providing a distinctive personnel management model that fits each institution, since regulations involving their personnel managements differ; (4) to introduce cases in the model of personnel management according to size. In cases where the type and region of the institution need to be given consideration, additional explanations will be provided; (5) to understand how the personnel management model of child care institutions is different from the present regulation. Based on the numbers of institutions and personnel, an amount of funding necessary for additional personnel was calculated. Founded on these premises, the principles of the personnel management placement of kindergarten and child care centers were introduced, a model for each principle was proposed, and the necessary funds was calculated. Furthermore, policies involving personnel management, funding, and indirect support measures which needed to be actualized were also proposed.