In 2026, Busan Makes Parenting Easier and Better with Free Nursery Care for Children Aged 3–5
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In 2026, Busan Makes Parenting Easier and Better with Free Nursery Care for Children Aged 3–5
- Expanded support for essential items and food, along with aid for foreign children -
□ Busan Metropolitan City and the Busan Metropolitan Council have decided to scale up childcare assistance starting in 2026, with a view to alleviating child-rearing burdens and promoting early education. Key updates encompass essential item fees for preschoolers aged 3–5 and enhanced meal and snack coverage for infants and toddlers aged 0–2.
□ Under the ‘Precious Like Yours’ policy, Busan will broaden the Nursery Essential Fee Support framework with an extra 40,000-won monthly payment, to ensure fully subsidized programming for 3- to 5-year-olds.
○ This program, launched in July 2024, offsets parents’ responsibility for essential nursery fees*.
*Parent-borne expenditures beyond funded tuition, such as activities, field trips, events, and special offering fees
○ ▲ In July 2024, Busan began covering the cost of activity fees (80,000 won/month) and field trip fees (17,000 won/month) for ages 3–5. ▲ In January 2025, field trip assistance was extended to age 2. In July, event fees (10,000 won/month) for age 5 were introduced, which boosts parental satisfaction through additional provisions.
○ ▲ In 2026, Busan will include event fees (10,000 won/month) for ages 3–4 and special offering support (30,000 won/month) for ages 3–5, thereby enabling children to enroll in daycare without charge.
○ Special offerings entail educational supplies and tools for supplementary classes not provided in the regular curriculum, which are expected to enrich learning opportunities and elevate overall nursery standards.
□ Meal and snack allowances for the youngest age bracket between 0 and 2, which are lower than for preschoolers, will rise from 8,000 to 12,000 won per month.
○ As of 2025, children aged 0–2 are entitled to 400 won per day (8,000 won/month), whereas those aged 3–5, 1,040 won per day (20,800 won/month).
○ Commencing next year, 0–2-year-olds will receive 600 won per day (12,000 won/month), a 50% improvement.
○ Since ages 0–2 account for 70.9% of all nursery attendees, this adjustment will meaningfully upgrade menu quality across early childhood facilities.
□ Busan will also grant a monthly 100,000-won benefit for foreign children in the 3–5 range who are outside the scope of central government assistance, aiming to reduce daycare-related costs for alien residents and nurture more livable conditions.
○ As national childcare subsidies are limited to Korean citizens, foreign families often face substantial out-of-pocket expenses—spanning 280,000–567,000 won monthly.
○ Toward realizing the vision of ‘Creating a Vibrant Global Hub Together with Foreign Residents,’ Busan will allocate the relevant budget in 2026 to guarantee equitable access to services for foreign preschoolers.
○ This initiative is anticipated to lessen financial pressure on foreign parents who must send their kids to nurseries. The city intends to gradually widen both the eligible populations and support amounts, making Busan an attractive city for residents of diverse nationalities.
□ To further lighten parenting demands, Busan will strengthen Busan 365 Open-Hour Nurseries and part-time nurseries, while running two additional joint workplace nurseries in 2026 to help dual-income parents maintain work-life balance.
○ The number of Busan 365 Open-Hour Nurseries, which allow parents to leave their children even during nights, weekends, and holidays, will increase from 10 centers in 2025 to 13 in 2026. Part-time nurseries will bring in 10 more sessions, diversifying the flexible options. Two new joint workplace nurseries will open in March 2026, raising the total to seven.
□ These upcoming and reinforced childcare measures in 2026 are designed to relieve household caregiving outlay, address operational challenges amid declining birth rates and inflation, and build an exemplary childcare environment.
