영아반 운영 내실화를 위한 교사 지원 방안

Abstract

This study presents a mid-to-long term plan to enhance the quality of infant child care by examining the status, issues and difficulties of operating infant classes, and identifying difficulties and requests of infant class teachers. To this end, this study examined preceding studies and related laws and systems related to domestic and international infant child care and infant class child care teachers, collected and reviewed the budget and the statistical data, and analyzed child care centers’ operation data and accounting data.Furthermore, we have conducted a survey with 505 directors of infant class child care centers and 470 infant class teachers to understand the operation

status, difficulties and requests.

Our proposal according to the research result is as follows.

First, although the subsidy for the improvement of working conditions of infant class teachers was introduced in terms of addressing fairness compared with toddler class teachers, if the subsidy amount is raised to the level of nuri program, this may cause controversy about the qualification to receive support. As the government will finance the budget for the child care center nuri program as a special account from 2018, it is necessary to unify the condition to receive the support since the nuri program subsidy can be classified as a project for supporting teachers of child care centers. That is, it is necessary to obligate infant class teachers to complete a prescribed level of training that is equivalent to the training received by teachers of nuri program in order to receive the subsidy for the improvement of working conditions.

Second, it is necessary to promote the amendment of job training for infant childcare. The areas requiring improvement were actualizing parent conferences, health management of child care teachers and the quality of interaction with infants. It is necessary to develop and to distribute materials and teaching-learning materials in order for child care teachers participating in infant child care job training to receive the identical training.

Third, we recommend to reinforce face-to face training and expand the support for job training. Preliminary trainings on childcare teachers or face-to-face trainings for in-service teacher trainings were reinforced since the child abuse incident in 2015. Not only should there be supports on personnel such as substitute teachers but the training should become more accessible for child care teachers in charge of infant classes to participate in the job training.

Fourth, we recommend to establish a system that manages the training record for child care teachers. This includes enabling child care teachers to register detail records such as certifications and completions on trainings and also providing information through the system such as promotion or the schedule for job training. The child care personnel training log system can notify information such as the training schedule for childcare teachers and can offer functions such as applying for the training and receiving the application, issuing of certification, information on the training and issuing of training resume.

Fifth, it is necessary to systemize the project on the special childcare policy related to the support for infant class teachers. Subsidies such as the subsidy to improve labor conditions, subsidy for infant class, subsidy for passing assessment and accreditation, long service allowance and special subsidy on agricultural, fisheries and rural villages and welfare benefits are supported separately, and the support level and the support unit amount vary by local governments. It is necessary to unify support categories and the unit amount to ensure that child care teachers are not discriminated according to the area that the person works. In particular, it is necessary to consolidate the subsidy to improve labor conditions that is equally supported by 17 cities and provinces together with the subsidy for the improvement of working conditions which is a project led by the government, and adjust support categories or support unit amount to a similar level.

Sixth, it is necessary to systemize the support and the operation standard on infant class teaching assistants. Since approximately 4.6 infant classes on average are in operation per one childcare center for infants, the standard should be based on this level. The number of assigned teachers for centers with less than 2 classes should be of the choice of child care centers, centers with 3~4 classes should have at least more than one teaching assistant, at least more than 2 teaching assistants for centers with 5~7 classes, at least more than 3 teaching assistants for centers with 8~10 classes and at least more than 4 teaching assistants for classes with more than 11 classes.

Seventh, we recommend to raise the subsidy for the improvement of working conditions by phases. Although the subsidy for the improvement of working conditions for infant class childcare teachers have steadily increased for the past several years from 50,000 won in 2012 to 220,000 won in 2017, the amount is still low compared to the subsidy for nuri program teachers. The subsidy for directors serving also as teachers is under a budget freeze since the amount was raised to 75,000 won in 2013 from 50,000 won in 2012. The amount should be raised 20,000 won every year until 2022 for the subsidy to increase to 300,000 won for teachers and the subsidy for directors serving also as teachers should be increased to the level of 100,000 won.

Eighth, it is necessary to simplify administrative procedures and documents related to customized child care. Following the enforcement of customized child care, the administrative work of child care centers have increased considerably. Since a procedure is necessary to approve the qualification of customized class/full-day class and payment of support fund, we recommend to minimize the administrative procedure by utilizing the system and reduce the on-site work of child care centers by reducing paperwork.

Ninth, we recommend to promote the consulting support project for the infant care. The government has conducted in parallel infant care (i.e. customized child care) consulting when providing consulting on assessment and accreditation through child care comprehensive support centers of cities, provinces and counties from early half of 2017 in order to settle at early stages the customized child care. However, the project was suspended together with the launch of Moon Jae In government. However, expansion and support for the infant child care consulting is necessary to improve the quality of infant child care.

Tenth, it is necessary to adjust the support ratio of labor cost for government supported facilities. For government support facilities such as state-funded centers, social welfare foundations and child care centers, 80% and 30% of the labor cost for infant teachers and toddler teachers, respectively are supported. Therefore, teachers with a lot of experience are usually assigned to infant classes that have the higher support ratio in the labor cost. It is necessary to adjust the support ratio for infant teachers and toddler teachers from the current 30% to 40%, and 80% to 70%, respectively.