"Should We Yield to Multicultural Families, Too?" Backlash Erupts Over Daycare Admission

With the application process for new daycare admissions approaching this coming November, some parents are expressing growing concerns.

Amid ongoing worries over admission numbers and waitlists, complaints are also erupting regarding the priority admission system for multicultural families.

Recently, posts have been continuously uploaded on social media by parents preparing for daycare admission next March, worrying about their waitlist numbers or asking about their chances of acceptance.

Admission numbers vary depending on priority rankings and bonus points. Parent A, who is preparing to send their child to a daycare, raised questions about the fairness of the current system, stating, "It is understandable to yield to multi-child or single-parent families, but why does my child have to yield even to multicultural families?"

Parent A expressed frustration over the admission competition, mentioning that they are looking into daycares they have to commute to by car instead of two public daycares near their home.

The post was followed by accounts from other parents who experienced similar difficulties.

One netizen claimed that their child's admission rank was pushed back due to the bonus points given to multicultural families, venting, "I couldn't send my child to daycare last year, and I'm worried I won't be able to start working again this year because admission is difficult."

Complaints also continued that giving priority to multicultural families constitutes reverse discrimination against native citizens.

On the other hand, counter-arguments emerged that being from a multicultural family does not necessarily guarantee an advantage in daycare admissions.

A netizen who identified as a parent from Vietnam expressed grievance over the perception that they receive special benefits just for being a multicultural family, stating, "I failed to get into the public daycare in front of my house twice, so my child attends a daycare and kindergarten a 30-minute bus ride away."

According to the current daycare admission criteria, infants and toddlers from multicultural families are included in the first-priority admission group.

However, dual-income households, multi-child households, and single-parent families meeting legal requirements also fall under the first priority. Within the same priority group, admission orders are determined by considering point allocations for specific categories and the order of waitlist applications.

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.