Seminars

KICCE Holds International Cooperation Seminar with the Ministry of Social and Family Development of Singapore

The Korea Institute of Child Care and Education (KICCE) held an International Cooperation Seminar with a delegation from the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) of Singapore on Monday, August 11, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Grand Conference Room on the 9th floor of the KICCE headquarters.

Attendees from KICCE included President Ock Kyeung Hwang, Head of the Office of Fertility Support Policy Research Eunseol Kim, Head of the Office of Early Childhood Policy Research Eun Jin Kang, Senior Research Fellow Eunyoung Kim, Senior Research Fellow Yoon Kyung Choi, Head of the Global Cooperation and Research Team Keun Jin Kim, and Associate Research Fellow Jiwon Kim. The Singapore delegation was led by Minister of State Go Pei Ming and included Senior Assistant Director for International Relations Sara Abdullah, Assistant Director of the Family and Early Childhood Division Natalie Goh, and Senior Manager for Child Development at the Early Childhood Development Agency Ong Yun Shan.

The seminar comprised four presentations followed by a general discussion. The first presentation, delivered by Eun Jin Kang, focused on “Enrollment Rate in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), Compulsory and Inclusive Education for Young Children with Special Needs.” The second, by Eunyoung Kim, addressed “Mitigation of Academic Pressure on Young Children in ECEC, Child Development Outcomes of ECEC, and Transition from Early Childhood to Primary Education.” The third presentation, by Eunseol Kim, examined “Ensuring the Quality of Preschools in terms of Providers, Programs, and Professionals in Korea,” and the final presentation, by Yoon Kyung Choi, covered “Digital and AI Policy in Korea’s ECEC – EduTech in Preschool Settings.”

Following the presentations, participants engaged in in-depth discussions on topics including data-driven policy-making, child-related data management, private education for young children, special education for children with disabilities, evaluation of ECEC institutions, curriculum development, and low fertility policy.

Since the 2016 international seminar co-hosted by KICCE and Singapore’s Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), the MSF delegation has maintained an interest in incorporating KICCE’s research findings into Singapore’s ECEC policy. They have frequently referred to KICCE’s English-language resources to gain insight into Korea’s ECEC policy. During this meeting, both sides explored ways to further enhance international cooperation in ECEC policy between Korea and Singapore, including the online sharing of KICCE’s research outcomes.