Starting on Feb. 5, the operating hours of 360 after-school care facilities nationwide will be extended to 10 p.m.–midnight. The service will allow guardians who arrive home late due to unavoidable circumstances such as family events, overtime for dual-income couples, or evening livelihoods to leave their children in care.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 28th it selected 360 facilities (6.5%) out of about 5,500 community child care centers nationwide to participate in the extended nighttime care program. Currently, care facilities operate from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and can take in elementary school children ages 6–12.
Through this program, 326 locations will extend hours to 10 p.m., and 34 locations to midnight. Households that have not previously used care facilities can apply up to two hours before use to leave their children in care.
Information such as the locations and contacts of the 360 facilities participating in the pilot program can be found on the National Center for the Rights of the Child website. However, to prevent excessive use, a fee within 5,000 won per day will be charged. Vulnerable groups, such as basic livelihood security recipients and near-poverty households, can use the service for free.
The program was prompted by a case in Jun.–Jul. in Busan in which a child left at home without parents died in a fire. At the time, there were calls to address blind spots in nighttime child care.