"Now Even 4-Year-Olds Are Free"... Free Early Childhood Education Expanded to 500,000 Children

[The Financial News] Starting in March, the United States Department of Education (ED) will expand free education and childcare support to about 503,000 children aged 4 and 5, with a total budget of 470.3 billion won. As a result, parents will receive de facto free education benefits, paying kindergarten tuition or daycare fees minus the support amount, without any separate application process.
According to the United States Department of Education (ED) on the 3rd, this measure is part of a phased expansion plan to realize "State Responsibility for Early Childhood Education and Care," a key campaign pledge and national agenda of the President of South Korea. The government had already begun by providing free support first to about 278,000 five-year-olds starting in July 2025. Following the policy’s introduction, kindergarten tuition as of December 2025 fell by 26.6% compared with the same month a year earlier, easing the burden of education costs on households.
From March this year, the scope of support will be significantly widened to include four-year-olds. Specifically, the program will cover a total of 503,000 children: 248,000 four-year-olds and 255,000 five-year-olds. The allocated budget amounts to 470.3 billion won, more than 3.6 times the 128.9 billion won spent last year. Building on this expansion, ED plans to complete free education and childcare support for all children aged 3 to 5 by 2027.
Per-child support rates by institution type will remain at the same level as in 2025, with differentiated amounts by category. For 101,902 children attending public kindergartens, 20,000 won per month will be provided for after-school programs, totaling 24.456 billion won. In private kindergartens, which enroll the largest number of children, 110,000 won per month in early childhood education fees will be provided for 226,221 children, with a total budget of 298.612 billion won. For 175,318 daycare users, 70,000 won per month will be offered as other necessary expenses, amounting to 147.267 billion won in total.
A director of a daycare center in Sejong Special Self-Governing City commented, "The reduction in cost burdens has allowed us to strengthen the internal operations of our center, enabling us to provide higher-quality educational services for children." A parent who is actually receiving the benefits noted, "We can feel the changes in tailored educational services, such as expanded teaching materials and tools suited to children’s developmental stages and a wider variety of experiential learning programs."
Administrative convenience is also a key strength of this policy. Parents do not need to prepare any separate application documents to receive the support. The amount corresponding to free education and childcare is automatically deducted from the kindergarten tuition or other daycare fees they have been paying. This system reduces the hassle for parents while significantly enhancing how strongly they feel the impact of the policy.
Kang Min-kyu, Director General of the Early Childhood Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Education, stated, "Since the effectiveness of the policy was confirmed last year, we will once again ensure rigorous implementation this year to deliver visible changes that people can truly feel." He emphasized, "We plan to continue expanding support so that children are guaranteed equal opportunities at the starting line of life and parents can be relieved of some of the burdens of childrearing."

monarch@fnnews.com Kim Man-gi Reporter