Daycares In Seoul: Child Care Anytime, Anyday

As a parent, sometimes emergencies arise, or you have to work odd hours. Either way, there are times when you need someone to watch your children outside of normal daycare operation hours. Additionally, as an immigrant in a foreign country, you might not have family that can help take care of your children when you need some extra help. And so, here are some daycares in Seoul where you can find someone to look after your child no matter the day or time.

Types of 24/7 Daycares in Seoul

What the Service is

The Seoul City government has put a system in place to help parents find childcare during off hours. As many know, South Korea has a population crisis. Fewer and fewer people are choosing to have children as raising a child has become more difficult in the face of modernization in Korea. Many people cite lack of time as a major issue, work hours are often long and conflict with daycare hours. As a result, the government of Seoul has launched this service.

How the Service Works

Any parent in Seoul can make a reservation online from a pool of certified daycare centers. You can find childcare services 24/7 365. All you need to do is choose a time block, and a text message will be sent to the head of the daycare center in real time. You will get the results and location sent to you through text once your application is accepted.

Types of 24/7 Daycares

Hourly Child Care: This is standard childcare. It operates Monday from friday, during normal working hours.

Night Care: Night care is avalible for parents who need a bit of extra time to come and pick their children up during the workdays. Normally transportation from their normal daycare is provided, or at the same place.

Holiday Child Care: This service is avalible on Sundays and public holidays.

Overtime Daycare: Most commonly, this service is used by parents who work night shifts, or who need to work overtime.

365 Daycare Center: This is often used if you need someone to watch your child for the entire day, or multiple days in a row. The service is often used by parents who welcoming a new baby, going on a business trip, or mourning a loss.

Hourly Child Care (시간제 보육)

Ages: 6 Months – 36 Months
Operating hours: 9:00 AM – 18:00 PM, Mon – Friday.
Cost: 4,000 KRW per hour (3,000 paid with government-supplied happiness card + 1,000 out of pocket).
Details: Standard daycare. Any government-designated (어린이집, 육아종합지원센터) childcare center is accepted.

How to Reserve

You can find information on how to register at the following web address: http://www.childcare.go.kr/cpin/contents/040507000000.jsp

Registering online isn’t very easy, so it is best to call at 1661-9361

Night Care (거점형야간보육)

Overview

Ages: Preschoolers and toddlers (미취학 영유아 )
Operating hours: 16:00 to 22:00 on weekdays (end time varies by daycare center)
Cost: 2,000 Won (dinner fee)
Details: Daycare staff supervise your children, feed them dinner, and care for them until their guardians can come and pick them up.

How to Reserve

1.Membership Registration
-Create an account on the Seoul Child Care Portal Service (https://iseoul.seoul.go.kr/)
-Documents submitted: Application for use, copy of resident registration (이용신청서, 주민등록등본)

2.Apply for a reservation
– You can apply to any of the childcare centers on the list (https://iseoul.seoul.go.kr/portal/reservation/baseExtendList.do)
-Reservations can be made anytime before 1 PM on the day of the reservation. However, it can be difficult to secure a spot if you wait until the last minute.
-If you want to make a reservation less than 24 hours in advance, you should call the daycare directly.

3.Day of
-After 4 p.m., children move from normal daycare centers to base-type night care centers under the guidance of childcare teachers or childcare assistants.
– OR Parents visit a base-type night nursery and bring their children.

Holiday Childcare Services (휴일 보육)

Ages: Infants and toddlers using daycares (어린이집을 이용중인 영유아 )
Operating hours: Sundays and national holidays, 07:30 – 19:30.
Cost: Part-time childcare fees for children who use the daycare on an irregular basis.
※ Daily childcare fee 100% subsidized if the child normally attends the same daycare during normal operating hours.
Details: These daycares only operate outside of daycares’ normal operating hours. They are normally in high demand so reserve early!

How to Reserve

1.Membership Registration
-Create an account on the Seoul Child Care Portal Service (https://iseoul.seoul.go.kr/)
-Documents submitted: Application for use, copy of resident registration (이용신청서, 주민등록등본)

2.Apply for a reservation
– You can apply to any of the childcare centers on the list (https://iseoul.seoul.go.kr/portal/reservation/holi_info.do)
-Reservations can be made anytime before 1 PM on the day of the reservation. However, it can be difficult to secure a spot if you wait until the last minute.
-If you want to make a reservation less than 24 hours in advance, you should call the daycare directly.

Overtime Daycare (야간연장보육 수요조사)

Ages: 0-5 years
Operating hours: 7:30 AM – 12:00 AM, Mon – Friday.
Cost: Free up to 60 hours per month, afterwards 3,200 per month.
Details: Standard daycare after standard working hours, ment for parents who need to work overtime.

How to Reserve

1.Membership Registration
-Create an account on the Seoul Child Care Portal Service (https://iseoul.seoul.go.kr/)
-Documents submitted: Application for use, copy of resident registration (이용신청서, 주민등록등본)

2.Apply for a reservation
-You can register online (https://iseoul.seoul.go.kr/portal/reservation/nightExtInfo.do)

365 Daycare Centers (365열린어린이집)

Overview

Ages: 6 months to 6 years of age
Operating hours: 07:30 ~ 24:00 (acceptance times)
-Children can stay between 3 hours to 5 days at a time.
Cost: 3,000 KRW per hour/50,000 KRW per day. 2,000 KRW per meal.
Details: Daycare staff supervise your children, feed them meals, and care for them until their guardians can come and pick them up.

How to Reserve

1.Membership Registration
-Create an account on the Seoul Child Care Portal Service (https://iseoul.seoul.go.kr/)
-Documents submitted: Application for use, copy of resident registration (이용신청서, 주민등록등본)

2.Apply for a reservation
– You can apply to YangcheonGu Worker’s Daycare (양천구청직장어린이집) online (https://iseoul.seoul.go.kr/portal/reservation/dailyOpenPreschoolMiddle.do). Just click ‘바로가기’ after logging in.
-Reservations can be made no later than 1 day in advance.

Conclusion

As a parent that work, sometimes we need to work on holidays, need some time off from parenting due to emergencies, or to just preserve our sense of self. Knowing that seoul city has these daycare services make me feel happy and relieved.

Want to learn more about the Citizens’ Happiness Card, which can be used to help cover the costs of child care in Korea? Click Here to learn more!