英文摘要 |
New Taipei City has the largest population in Taiwan (17.1%). However, its total fertility rate is lower than the national average. It is urgent to improve this city's problem of low fertility rate. When the cost of childcare overloads, the parents may be unwilling to let their children accept the services of childcare institutions and nannies (it may lead to a decrease in female labor participation); moreover, it may also reduce women's willingness to have children. Therefore, the New Taipei City Government has continued to increase public childcare centers since 2012, and provided cooperative alliances and quasi-public childcare services sequentially since 2017. The supply of affordable childcare for children under 2-years-old are increasing through above public and quasi-public childcare policies. The supply rate of affordable childcare institutions (including public and quasi-public institutions) has reached 18.2% in 2020. After reviewing the development and current status of New Taipei City's public and quasi-public childcare service, there are some problems can be summarized as follows: 1. The overall enrolment rate of childcare institutions and participation rate in early childhood education and care for under 2-years-old in New Taipei City are lower than the average of OECD countries; furthermore, its enrolment rate of public childcare institution is also lower. 2. The supply of public childcare institutions in New Taipei City grow very slowly and is insufficient; that is, it's too slow to improve affordable childcare effectively if we only carry out the public childcare policy. 3. There are still 8 districts (including remote areas) in New Taipei City that do not have any affordable childcare institution, and many of them have no nanny; in other words, their childcare resources are severely lacking. 4. With the quasi-public childcare policy, the gap of institutional affordable childcare resources has grown wider in various districts of New Taipei City. Some suggestions for improvement are presented to New Taipei City Government and other government departments for reference. |