Childcare in Korea for Foreign Families: Daycare, Kindergartens and Fee Support

The basics

Childcare in Korea is divided into daycare centres (eorinijip, 어린이집) for ages 0 to 5 and kindergartens (yuchiwon, 유치원) for ages 3 to 5. Under the law, non-Korean children are not barred from attending either — facilities have discretion over admissions, but Korean and foreign children should be given equal consideration.

In practice two things decide the experience for foreign families: whether the child can get government fee support, and whether they can secure a spot at a public centre.

Public vs private daycare

Public daycare centres are the most affordable and closely supervised option, but they are harder to enter because admissions use a priority point system. Children may get priority if both parents work, from single-parent households, or from certain backgrounds. Foreign status alone generally does not add points, so foreign parents may spend a long time on waiting lists and sometimes do not secure a spot at all.

Private daycare centres make up the majority of centres nationwide and are generally easier to access, but parents may pay additional fees for meals, special activities or extra programmes. Many foreign families end up treating private or home-based daycare as the realistic option.

Fee support

The national daycare subsidy for children 5 and under is generally available to children with Korean nationality and a valid resident registration number, so it often does not apply to a child registered only as a foreign national. Two things help in practice:

• Multicultural-family children — children of multicultural families under the Multicultural Families Support Act may receive age-based government daycare support.
• Regional support for foreign children — several provinces run their own programmes. As of 2026:
  • Seoul covers up to half the fee for ages 0–2 and 70% for ages 3–5 for registered foreign children, with 2026 monthly amounts roughly 196,000 to 352,000 won depending on age and centre type.
  • Gyeonggi Province provides 150,000 won per month for registered foreign children 5 and under (previously subject to a 90-day residence rule, which was being removed in 2026).
  • Busan provides up to 100,000 won per month for children ages 3–5.

These programmes require an Alien Registration Card (ARC) and payment through the National Happiness Card, and undocumented residents are not eligible. Rules vary by region, so check the local government website and call the health and welfare line (129) to confirm your case.

Practical notes for foreign parents

• Register early — public centres fill by priority points and waiting lists can be long, so apply to several centres and prepare a backup plan. You can register at up to three centres for free.
• Language — most centres operate in Korean. Some offer English classes or programmes for foreign children, but there is no separate ‘foreign-child’ classification under the Child Care Act.
• Documents — centres generally ask for the child’s documents and the parent’s Alien Registration Card. For regional support, you pay the fee with the National Happiness Card and the subsidy is applied.
• Help numbers — the childcare portal (childcare.go.kr), the health and welfare hotline (129) and the multilingual Danuri helpline (1577-1366) can help with questions.

Note — national and regional childcare rules, fee amounts and eligibility change, and they differ by city and province. Confirm the current details on the local government website and by calling 129 before planning around a specific figure.