육아지원기관의 급·간식 운영 실태 및 개선방안

Abstract

With the introduction of free universal childcare, and due to changing family culture, and increases in female employment rate, more parents are sending their children to kindergartens and childcare centers. The importance of meals and snacks provided by kindergartens and childcare centers are increasing as many infants and young children are staying longer in kindergartens and childcare centers, having one meal or two snacks a day. Meals and snacks provided by kindergartens and childcare centers are important because of the fact that one’s growth spurt happens in early childhood, and childhood eating habits and nourishment have a constant impact on the establishment of eating habits and physical health later in their lives. This research suggests improvement measures and policy implications for continuous development of meals and snacks provided by kindergartens and childcare centers by examining relevant laws and systems, and conducting a case study. Contents of this research are as follows: a) understanding related institutions, legislations, and systems, and Center for Children’s Food Service Management as a supporting system b) understanding problems of meals and snacks provided by kindergartens and childcare centers by reviewing advanced researches conducted in Korea and other countries c) Analyzing problems and current status of kindergartens/childcare center dining and snacking system by conducting a survey on meals and snacks provided by kindergartens and childcare centers d) drawing out the implications by collecting each institution’s case to understand dining and snacking system of kindergartens and childcare centers e) suggesting policy recommendations and developing a feasible and efficient operation model by coming up with proper improvement measures for dining and snacking system operation depending on the types and sizes of institutions. Literature review was conducted to review laws and systems related to dining and snacking systems of kindergartens and childcare centers. A survey was carried out on overall status of the management of meals and snacks provided by kindergartens and childcare centers, and 600 childcare centers and 400 kindergartens participated in the survey. Advisory meetings with experts of kindergarten/childcare center meals and snacks, and working-level government officials were carried out. To listen to the voices of field workers, meetings with field workers were also conducted. Implications were found by studying the cases of the management of dining and snacking system operations, and applicable operation models for dining and snacking system by the number of children (20, 50, 80, and more than 100) were suggested. Policy recommendations of this research are as follows: a) meals and snacks provided by kindergartens and childcare centers need to be customized to infants and young children b) proper price of meals and snacks needs to be studied, and realization of unit cost of meals and snacks is necessary c) kitchen standards and guidelines for basic facilities are needed d) different assessment systems of kindergartens and childcare centers need to be integrated in order to improve usefulness of field assessment systems e) supporting measures, including placement of nutritionists, communal management of them, improvement of their treatment, etc. need to be considered f) related laws and regulations need to be integrated.