To meet the growing demand for after-school child care services amid the growth of double-income families, grandparent-grandchild families and single-parent families, the government is expanding after-school child care programs which have, thus far, been mostly provided for lower-income families. In 2014, it also started to phase in a so-called “after hour primary school care program,” a child care service provided at primary schools after the school hours are over, with an ultimate goal of providing the same service to all primary school students who need such care. Currently, the after-school child care services are provided by three different ministries in three different forms: “after hour primary school care program” by the Ministry of Education; and the “community child care center” by the Ministry of Health & Welfare; and the “youth academy” by the Ministry of Gender Equality & Family. As it was often pointed out that the three different programs overlap in some areas and are in need of consolidation and interconnection, this report reviewed the specific services provided by the three programs to identify overlapping areas and assessed their financials, actual performance and performance management systems.
The survey on the users of after-school child care services and the interviews with them revealed that they are in general very satisfied with the services. As for the after hour school care program, the most cited reason for this positive feedback was the fact that the kids are looked after in a safe environment. The users were also happy because it reduces spending on private education and helps more women to work. Regarding community child care centers and youth academies, the users were happy as they could get various cultural experiences.
But the three programs overlap in some aspects like the target age (primary school students) and the income level (low-income underprivileged families). In a survey conducted on parents who use the after hour primary school care program, a few of them actually answered that they were using all of the three child care services. Therefore, it is necessary to closely monitor the use of child care services within a given region and prevent the unnecessary use of several services at the same time.
Community child care centers and youth academies are quite similar in terms of the target age group and the characteristics of the users. In addition, the services provided by them are also quite similar as they both aim to increase the welfare of the underprivileged kids and teenagers. It is therefore necessary to divide the roles played by the two programs.
To prevent multiple use of after-school child care services and provide the right service to the right people, it is necessary to have a clear understanding on the demand for child care services in the region and operate a body dedicated to connect people with the right services. Unfortunately, the current survey on the demand for after-school child care services does not reflect the use of the community child care center or the youth academy accurately. This is another issue that needs to be addressed.
The following are the suggestions to improve each type of the child care service. For the after hour primary school care program, a principle should be set so that only the kids that do not have a grown-up to look after them can use the program. In the survey, only 67.7% of the respondents answered that they used the program because there was no adult who could take care of the kid. In other words, it means that those who do not actually need the service are using the program. It is also meaningful that the number of people who use the program surged in 2014 when it became free of charge. It is recommended to develop criteria, in terms of income and family conditions, to determine whether the after hour school care is really necessary and prevent unnecessary demand.
Considering the local governments are increasingly suffering from financial woes, it is also necessary to charge a fee on the use of the program by those that are not classified as low-income and underprivileged. At the same time, the central government needs to provide a sufficient budgetary support for an effective operation of the after hour school care program.
In addition, there should be a legal ground for a stable operation of the program. Given the trend that more and more education and welfare services are provided through school, it would be reasonable to enact a law that governs these school-based services.
Since the after hour primary school care program does not have a performance management system or a consulting tool in place, it is difficult to evaluate service quality or make improvements based on the evaluation results. So at least on the regional education office level, it is recommended to develop standard guidelines for the implementation and operation of the after hour school care program and introduce a performance management process.
Meanwhile, when community child care centers and youth academies are supposed to focus on the kids and youth from low-income underprivileged families and help them improve self-esteem and do better in school, they performed well only in terms of providing various opportunities to get cultural exposure. It is necessary to differentiate themselves from the after hour school care program and serve their original purpose by strengthening counseling services and providing more social programs.
The survey on the users of after-school child care services and the interviews with them revealed that they are in general very satisfied with the services. As for the after hour school care program, the most cited reason for this positive feedback was the fact that the kids are looked after in a safe environment. The users were also happy because it reduces spending on private education and helps more women to work. Regarding community child care centers and youth academies, the users were happy as they could get various cultural experiences.
But the three programs overlap in some aspects like the target age (primary school students) and the income level (low-income underprivileged families). In a survey conducted on parents who use the after hour primary school care program, a few of them actually answered that they were using all of the three child care services. Therefore, it is necessary to closely monitor the use of child care services within a given region and prevent the unnecessary use of several services at the same time.
Community child care centers and youth academies are quite similar in terms of the target age group and the characteristics of the users. In addition, the services provided by them are also quite similar as they both aim to increase the welfare of the underprivileged kids and teenagers. It is therefore necessary to divide the roles played by the two programs.
To prevent multiple use of after-school child care services and provide the right service to the right people, it is necessary to have a clear understanding on the demand for child care services in the region and operate a body dedicated to connect people with the right services. Unfortunately, the current survey on the demand for after-school child care services does not reflect the use of the community child care center or the youth academy accurately. This is another issue that needs to be addressed.
The following are the suggestions to improve each type of the child care service. For the after hour primary school care program, a principle should be set so that only the kids that do not have a grown-up to look after them can use the program. In the survey, only 67.7% of the respondents answered that they used the program because there was no adult who could take care of the kid. In other words, it means that those who do not actually need the service are using the program. It is also meaningful that the number of people who use the program surged in 2014 when it became free of charge. It is recommended to develop criteria, in terms of income and family conditions, to determine whether the after hour school care is really necessary and prevent unnecessary demand.
Considering the local governments are increasingly suffering from financial woes, it is also necessary to charge a fee on the use of the program by those that are not classified as low-income and underprivileged. At the same time, the central government needs to provide a sufficient budgetary support for an effective operation of the after hour school care program.
In addition, there should be a legal ground for a stable operation of the program. Given the trend that more and more education and welfare services are provided through school, it would be reasonable to enact a law that governs these school-based services.
Since the after hour primary school care program does not have a performance management system or a consulting tool in place, it is difficult to evaluate service quality or make improvements based on the evaluation results. So at least on the regional education office level, it is recommended to develop standard guidelines for the implementation and operation of the after hour school care program and introduce a performance management process.
Meanwhile, when community child care centers and youth academies are supposed to focus on the kids and youth from low-income underprivileged families and help them improve self-esteem and do better in school, they performed well only in terms of providing various opportunities to get cultural exposure. It is necessary to differentiate themselves from the after hour school care program and serve their original purpose by strengthening counseling services and providing more social programs.