TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Ministry of Education (MOE, 教育部) presented four significant achievements of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) government's new national child care policy for ages 0-6 (「0到6歲國家一起養」) at the Executive Yuan (行政院) meeting Thursday (July 18). Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) announced plans to add 200 specialized classes for 2-year-olds by 2026.
The MOE reported approximately 604,000 affordable childcare slots for children aged 0-6 as of June. Public slots accounted for 281,000, and quasi-public slots totaled 323,000, marking an increase of over 416,000 affordable slots since 2016.
Starting in January, the government increased subsidies for public and quasi-public child care for children aged 0-2 to NT$7,000 and NT$13,000, respectively. By June, approximately 60,000 children benefited from these increased subsidies.
To meet the educational needs of 2-year-olds, MOE has added 1,078 specialized classes as of 2024. This expansion increased the enrollment rate for 2-year-olds from 14.7% before the program to 53%.
Public kindergartens have extended care and added summer and winter break services, with over 90% offering these programs this summer. Parents pay NT$2,000 monthly, making the costs manageable.
Adjusting the student-teacher ratio to 1:12 marks a significant breakthrough in early childhood education. Since August last year, about 70% of public childcare centers have adopted this ratio, reducing the burden on educators and improving care quality. Private centers have the option to adopt this ratio voluntarily.
The Ministry of Labor (勞動部) began a pilot program for flexible parental leave in May. The program allows workers to apply for leave in units of one, five, or seven days up to three times. Eighty-nine business units have participated, and the ministry will use the pilot's findings to inform future policy.
