Seoul is piloting an overnight child care service that lets parents working late hours leave their children in care for 2,000 won an hour. Shift workers, delivery and platform workers and freelancers can also receive up to 3.6 million won per child, or up to 5.4 million won for two children, toward child care costs.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on the 3rd that it is expanding the support program for private child care services, run jointly with KB Financial Group for small business owners and others, to include night workers. Until now the program mainly covered small business owners and employees at companies taking part in the city's work-life balance points scheme.
Night workers newly eligible for the program are those who regularly and repeatedly work or provide labor between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following day. Shift and rotating workers at hospitals and care facilities, workers on flexible schedules and employees at late-night businesses can apply, as can delivery and platform workers and freelancers. Those working occasional overtime and those working from home are excluded.
Eligible households can receive up to 3.6 million won per child, or up to 5.4 million won for two children, toward private child care fees for children aged three months to 12. During daytime hours the city covers about two-thirds of the fee, leaving users to pay roughly 5,000 to 6,000 won an hour. The funding comes from donations by KB Financial Group.
Overnight care from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day will also run as a pilot. Users pay 2,000 won an hour, meaning four hours of care from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. costs 8,000 won. Overnight care is available for children aged 24 months to 12 years.
For overnight care, a designated agency handles advance booking, consultation and the matching of care workers in a single process. It checks a child's age and characteristics and the guardian's expected return time in advance before assigning a suitable care worker. The city is also securing a separate pool of care workers available during late-night hours. Emergency care, such as same-day requests, will not be provided as a rule.
To protect care workers during late-night hours, the city will provide its portable SOS safety bell, known as the Donghaeng safety bell. Pressing the bell in an emergency sends an alert to a district CCTV control center, which can dispatch police if needed. The city plans to review whether to continue the program based on the pilot results, analyzing demand and the availability of care workers.
Applications will be accepted through the 18th on the city's Mongttang Information Portal for birth and child care. Applicants must live in Seoul and work at or run a business based in the city. The city will verify eligibility, select the households to be supported and notify them individually late this month.
"By extending care support to night workers in various forms of employment, including shift workers and platform workers, we will create an environment where parents can work with peace of mind even late at night," said Ma Chae-sook, head of the Seoul city government's Women and Family Affairs Office.
