Daycare and Kindergarten in South Korea: How Are They Different?

Daycare (어린이집) vs. Kindergarten (유치원)

The commonality is that both are child care facilities, but the difference lies in their educational purposes and operational methods. Daycare centers are known for providing care and play-centered activities primarily. Kindergartens, on the other hand, offer learning-focused activities and reinforce foundational academic knowledge and skills. However, it is often said that nowadays there is not much difference as they both cover essential educational curriculum.

Different Types of Kindergarten (유치원)

1. National Kindergarten

There are only three nationwide. They share university facilities, such as those of the Korea National University of Education, Gongju National University of Education, and Gangneung-Wonju National University of Education, so some places even have swimming pools.

2. Public Kindergarten

Public kindergartens are operated by the government. Teachers selected through employment exams work there. They have the advantages of transparent management and ease of adaptation when advancing to elementary school.

3. Religious Foundation-operated Kindergarten

These are kindergartens within Catholic cathedrals or church facilities. Many of them focus on education based on religious philosophy, emphasizing character and social education. People with a religious family consider this as an option.

4. Private Kindergarten

Private kindergartens are operated by private companies or foundations. Depending on the pursuit of their goals, you can choose an emphasis on Montessori education, Forest School and Froebel, and more. Although there are differences depending on the institution, they often offer early drop-off and late pick-up options for working couples, and many of them provide transportation for drop-off and pick-up.

5. English Kindergarten

Technically, they are English language institutes, but they are often referred to as English kindergartens because children attend them at the age for kindergarten enrollment. They offer advantages such as an environment and facilities specialized in English education, but there is a possibility of insufficient Korean language development as they are exposed to English most of the day. The biggest drawback is the high cost.

Different Types of Daycare (어린이집)

Daycare centers vary in their establishment forms and structures, but there are not significant differences in operating methods such as age-based capacity, government subsidies for childcare fees, and legal regulations

1. National/Public Daycare Center
2. Social Welfare Corporation-operated Daycare Center
3. Corporation/Organization-operated Daycare Center
4. Private Daycare Center
5. Company-operated Daycare Center
6. Home-based Daycare Center
7. Parent Cooperative Daycare Center

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